Dawn of a new decade
By this time, the Minnesota Timberwolves entering the 2019-20 season. I don’t think any fan or media member would have been able to forecast just how this year would play out. Towns suffered an injury-riddled campaign, which was capped off by a worldwide coronavirus pandemic leading to a 64-game season.
It was also at this time that the Timberwolves, frustrated with the lack of improvement from a former top pick in the NBA Draft, saw Wiggins dealt to the Golden State Warriors. The return? The Minnesota Timberwolves added point guard D’Angelo Russell, who was also a close friend of Karl-Anthony Towns.
Fans would have to wait until the end of the season to see Russell alongside their star big, and the lack of star power amongst other factors led to the Wolves having a record of 19-45, the third-worst record in the league.
Going into the 2020 NBA Draft, the Wolves were yet again in a spot where they were relying on a top pick. The Minnesota Timberwolves were tied with the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers for the best odds at landing the number one overall pick via the NBA Lottery.
Minnesota Timberwolves: Ant-Man arrives
Fortunately, the basketball gods gave the franchise their first number-one pick since the team had landed Karl-Anthony Towns. Although there was uncertainty at the time as to who would be taken first off the board, the front office selected an explosive shooting guard out of the University of Georgia by the name of Anthony Edwards.
Unfortunately for the Timberwolves, the first year with a trio of Towns, Russell, and Edwards was not as successful as fans may have hoped. Towns suffered yet more injury setbacks, as a wrist injury saw him play in only 50 games. The silver lining for the franchise was the potential shown by Edwards, as his explosive play and winning mentality saw him finish second behind point guard Lamelo Ball for NBA Rookie of the Year honors.
Yet another coaching change saw the Minnesota Timberwolves turn to a new head coach, Chris Finch, who was hired to replace Saunders. The hope for the new coaching hire was to harness the potential of the team heading into the next season. Minnesota finished out the 2020-21 season with yet another poor record of 23-49. Towns’ performance was exempt from most criticism due to the turbulent campaign and NBA analysts assumed that he would be able to bounce back next year alongside the ascending Edwards.