Daftly disappointing Minnesota Timberwolves 2023-24 win projections
By Bret Stuter
How confident do you feel about the Minnesota Timberwolves right now? It’s okay to admit if you are a bit hopeful and optimistic. In fact, you probably ought to have a better outlook for the Timberwolves’ upcoming 2023-24 NBA season than what you witnessed from the team in 2022-23. But that is due to the fact that you follow the Timberwolves and understand the unlikely repeat of so many significant injuries.
For NBA oddsmakers, and Draft Kings in particular, that intimate awareness of the Timberwolves trend is a bit shrouded in unfamiliarity. And so, as most oddsmakers do at this time of year, they have taken the results from last year and overlayed a minimal bit of optimism. That has resulted in projecting the Minnesota Timberwolves as a 2024 NBA Play-In Tournament team once more:
Draft Kings win totals have Wolves in play-in mix
— Dane Moore (@DaneMooreNBA) July 12, 2023
1 Nuggets 54.5
2 Suns 51.5
3 Warriors 49.5
4 Lakers 48.5
T-5 Mavericks 45.5
T-5 Grizzlies 45.5
T-7 Kings 43.5
T-7 Pelicans 43.5
T-7 Wolves 43.5
10 Thunder 42.5
11 Jazz 34.5
12 Rockets 31.5
13 Spurs 30.5
Blazers n/a
Clippers n/a
And I, for one, think that’s bullshit.
Factor in positive changes for Timberwolves this season
While we know that changes are happening all over the NBA, Draft Kings’ projections hinge on two things:
I – Name recognition.
The Denver Nuggets get the benefit of the doubt having won the 2023 NBA Championship, and the Phoenix Suns clearly committed to winning now. But projections for the Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State Warriors, and Dallas Mavericks appear to be fueled by name recognition than by offseason moves.
All three teams have to fend off Father Time, as they are depending on veteran NBA players who continue to age. At what point is that factored into the projections?