The Minnesota Timberwolves have a lot of solid and seasoned veteran experience to win now, in the 2023-24 NBA season. But over time, the Timberwolves will need to plan for the exodus of those veterans and promote younger players on the roster. After all, the potential of NBA Draft picks, and even rookie basketball players, must become production on the basketball court someday.
That is not as easy as it sounds. The Timberwolves expect to be perennial participants in future NBA Playoffs, and rightfully so. Without arguably their best player entering the 2022-23 NBA season for 53 games, the Timberwolves still managed to earn a berth in Round 1 of the NBA Playoffs.
But that was just the start. The Timberwolves continue to invest in young and talented basketball players who could become NBA stars in their careers, and help the Timberwolves to continue the tradition of challenging the best teams in the league in post-season competition. Like who? Here are five players whose futures are very bright indeed.
Starting at point guard for the Minnesota Timberwolves: Matteo Spagnolo
Age in 2028: 25
Comparison: Beno Udrih
Right now, Italian point guard Matteo Spagnolo is still developing his basketball skills while competing in the Euroleague. Having just turned 20 years of age, this 6-foot-6 196-pound point guard continues to refine his skillset and define his role on the basketball court.
He still needs work on his perimeter shot. His ability to distribute the basketball remains a work in progress, but he can score, defend, and facilitate. The best part of it all is that he will be available to join the Minnesota Timberwolves roster to start the 2024-24 NBA season.
He may not jump out at you with his NBA-ready performances, but he is a hidden gem for the Minnesota Timberwolves’ future. The best part of it all is that he is a solid counterpart for the future Timberwolves backcourt tandem. He has the ability to morph into whatever the team needs him to become.
And with one more year playing in the Euroleague, he will almost certainly place the finishing touches to his arsenal of shots and defensive moves that will make him all the more worthy of a starting role for the Timberwolves lineup in five years.
Starting at shooting guard for the Minnesota Timberwolves: Anthony Edwards
Age in 2028: 27
Comparison: Dwayne Wade
The Minnesota Timberwolves will build their roster of the future around All-Star shooting guard Anthony Edwards. While that may mean many things for the Timberwolves and Edwards, it most certainly means plenty of post-season competition.
Among NBA players, there are typically two tracks to success. One track, the most popular, is the track to score points. It’s a measurable route that gets plenty of attention and helps pack the stands with fans. A lesser-known but equally effective track is to pursue strong defensive skills. While those talents are more difficult to measure, and therefore less detectable to fans, they are vital to any NBA team with hopes of winning in the NBA Playoffs.
Anthony Edwards is a bit of an NBA unicorn in that he excels at both.
That ability to deliver elite offense or defense is what makes him an ideal NBA MVP candidate this season. He continues to boost his points per game and is now within striking distance of scoring 30+ points at a clip. All the while, he is growing his defensive presence and is rivaling teammate Jaden McDaniels in that category as well.
Anthony Edwards is old-school tough and gritty at a time when NBA stars routinely are scheduled for rest days. It’s that mental toughness that has so many NBA analysts agreeing that Anthony Edwards is already an NBA superstar. Now, he just needs to earn some NBA hardware for the Trophy Case to cement his legacy in NBA and Minnesota Timberwolves lore.
Starting at small forward for the Minnesota Timberwolves: Jaden McDaniels
Age in 2028: 27
Comparison: Jonathan Isaac
The Minnesota Timberwolves have counted on small forward Jaden McDaniels for years, and he will continue to reward them with his lights-out defense. But even his staunchest critics have to admit that there is oh-so-much more to McDaniels than velcro-like defense.
Did you know that in the 2022-23 NBA season, Timberwolves small forward Jaden McDaniels shot 39.8 percent from the three-point range? Did you know that McDaniels averaged 12.06 points per game last season? Did you know that the 2022-23 NBA season was his first opportunity to be a full-time starter for the Timberwolves roster?
I am willing to bet that you know just how good his defense is. That is common knowledge among the NBA’s top scorers as well.
Standing 6-foot-9 and weighing 185 pounds, McDaniels is on a collision course with NBA All-Defense Team honors, a point that was driven home by the Timberwolves website touting his defensive prowess. That was based on his 2022-23 NBA season performance. Over time, he will become better and better.
McDaniels should earn his well-deserved spot on the NBA All-Star team soon. With Anthony Edwards, he becomes two core players who will deliver excellence over the next 10+ years for the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Starting at power forward for the Minnesota Timberwolves: Naz Reid
Age in 2028: 29
Comparison: Karl-Anthony Towns
When the Minnesota Timberwolves persuaded young center and power forward Naz Reid to return to the team with a new contract extension, it was not an act of charity. Timberwolves center and power forward Naz Reid is a big body banging in the paint for rebounds and shots.
While he continues to serve as a vital big frontcourt body off the Minnesota Timberwolves bench, there are reasons to expect his role to expand for the team this season. He has been very important as he has been elevated to a starting role whenever Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert are unable to go. Now, he has progressed to a point to earn playing time on his own merits.
During the 2022-23 NBA season, Reid averaged just 18.4 MPG but put up 11.5 PPG and 4.9 RPG as a result. On a 36-minute-per-game basis, Reid averages over 20+ PPG and 9.5+ RPG. That is pretty impressive for a bench player and is why he insisted on a larger role in the future.
Even though his best work is in the paint, Reid has a sneaky effective perimeter shot, scoring 34.8 percent of his attempts from long-range last season. As he plays even more minutes at power forward this season, look for that to improve. He has a real opportunity to be an NBA All-Star someday. I, for one, hope that happens. After all, he is a homegrown Timberwolves hero.
Starting at center for the Minnesota Timberwolves: Leonard Miller
Age in 2028: 24
Comparison: Joel Embiid
At 19 years of age, Leonard Miller stands 6-foot-11 and is still growing. He has yet to take a single shot for the Minnesota Timberwolves. He has no rebounds, no steals, no assists, and no blocked shots in the NBA yet. Despite these statistical facts, I can tell you one thing.
They are coming.
Miller is a 19-year-old phenom, a 6-foot-11 210-pound all-position NBA rookie who offers incredible possibilities to the Timberwolves roster. He has the ball-handling skills of a point guard, a velcro-like defensive presence like a veteran 3-and-D, and the rebounding and back-to-the-basket intimidation of an NBA center.
And he has just arrived at the Minnesota Timberwolves.
big things to come for @LeonardMi11er 👀
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) July 17, 2023
full episode » https://t.co/ESbNkxNXHO pic.twitter.com/MbRORuuCnM
He will be slow to develop, simply due to the fact that he has so many skillsets to challenge and develop. But he will develop them all. It’s for that reason that it’s okay to get excited about Leonard Miller now. In his 2023 Minnesota Timberwolves summer league debut, he averaged 25.0 MPG, 15.4 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 1.6 APG, 1.4 SPG, and 0.8 BPG.
Miller has the ability to excel at all aspects of the game. He can guard any opponent, and his height of 6-foot-11 is just the beginning. By the time he stops growing, he could be 7-foot-2 or 7-foot-3, which would place him in the super skyscraper height of the most exciting rookies entering the NBA this season.