Even as the Minnesota Timberwolves continue to improve their full roster, the surprise factor seems to be shrinking. We know that the stars and all five starters from the 2022-23 NBA season are back, which means that most of the minutes in rotations are claimed by default. For the most part, the starters on the Timberwolves roster should fall into their expected roles this season.
Which means that the biggest surprise for the Minnesota Timberwolves this season could come off the bench. The question is, who will be that shocking surprise on the Timberwolves roster in the 2023-24 NBA season?
Well, we already know that this team holds incredibly high expectations for All-Star shooting guard Anthony Edwards, and there is not much shock value if All-Star power forward Karl-Anthony Towns reclaims his dominating presence on the basketball court this season. Finally, there is an expectation that All-Star center Rudy Gobert will have a far more productive season on the Timberwolves roster this year.
Good luck traditions
So who might be the most shocking surprise on the Timberwolves roster this season? That’s a tough question. After all, the Minnesota Timberwolves roster has to overcome the first hurdle of an overall pleasant surprise as a team to even get into the ‘shocking surprise’ arena, don’t they? And that bar is a rather difficult one to hurdle, as the bare minimum for the team this season is to advance to Round 2 of the 2024 NBA Playoffs.
But the Minnesota Timberwolves are committed to winning this season, right? That means that the Timberwolves are going to stick with the plan through thick and thin. So let’s give this team the benefit of the doubt and presume that the Timberwolves are going to turn some heads in the NBA. If that is the case, who will help this team lead the charge?
Since we have already gone with a marriage type of analogy, as the Timberwolves have committed to a long-term relationship with winning, why not simply continue that wedding comparison by citing the tradition of something old, new, borrowed, and blue as a sign of good luck? So here we go, four players who could be good luck charms for the Timberwolves roster this year:
IV: Something old
I don’t think that we have anyone who has followed the Minnesota Timberwolves so far would not be delighted with the versatility of veteran forward Kyle Anderson. Who really does not love and respect what veteran forward Kyle Anderson has done for the Timberwolves so far? Not only was he a solid starter in a pinch for this Timberwolves team, but he was the mortar that was applied to almost all of the cracks that appeared in the Wolves lineups all season.
When Karl-Anthony Towns fell to injury, Kyle Anderson was drafted into a starting role. When guard D’Angelo Russell felt that a point guard role cramped his style, Anderson was repurposed into a point forward role. Time and time again, ‘Slo Mo,’ was tasked with whatever role the Timberwolves roster needed him to fill on game day.
Slo Mo on the fast track
While that was great for the Timberwolves, it was not an ideal situation for Slo-Mo. Because he was getting his assignment nearly at tipoff time, Anderson had next to no continuity to get comfortable in his role on the team. And because he was slotted into so many diverse roles, his teammates found themselves having to relearn how best to complement Anderson on the basketball court.
Kyle Anderson delivered in so many ways for the Timberwolves last season. But the jack of all trades and master of none was unable to optimize his production for the Timberwolves. While he shot an incredibly accurate 41.0 percent from the perimeter, he did not achieve his career-high marks of 12.38 points, 5.74 rebounds, or 1.22 steals per game set in his 2020-21 season with the Memphis Grizzlies.
While his versatility was incredibly valued last season, there is every reason to believe that if Slo Mo sticks in a more traditional and consistent role for the Timberwolves, he could set career highs this season.
Something new
Rookie Leonard Miller certainly has the horsepower of NBA skills under the hood to show up in a mighty big way for the team this season. The challenge is getting both Miller and the Timberwolves coaching staff up to speed as quickly as possible to get Miller into productive roles in the Wolves rotations to make an early difference.
While the obvious question to ask is what can Leonard Miller do in his NFL inaugural season, perhaps the question that is easier to answer is: What can’t he do? After all, we have touted the fact that he was a point guard whose growth spurt has him staring into the eyes of NBA centers. And yet, his speed and agility make him an ideal wing defender. So does this young man have any limits?
Miller makes the Timberwolves even more dangerous
Well, he is young. In truth, he is very young, even by NBA standards. He joins the Timberwolves at 19 years of age and brings with him a raw and diverse set of basketball skills that will take plenty of time to develop and refine to a level of professional basketball. That means that the Timberwolves fans and the Wolves coaching staff will need to exercise a great deal of patience as the team brings Miller along this season.
But if Miller learns quickly, develops rapidly, and earns minutes in the Timberwolves rotations, Miller could be a huge boost in many areas on the basketball court. Even without a strong offensive presence, he has the ability to significantly impact the Timberwolves ability to rebound. He also has the natural attributes that could translate well into playing elite defense for the Timberwolves this season. In fact, if you slide him into a lineup that features Rudy Gobert, Leonard Miller, Jaden McDaniels, Anthony Edwards, and Mike Conley Jr., you could end up with one of the best defensive lineups in the NBA this season.
Factor in defense dominance with any amount of offense and the NBA and Timberwolves fans alike could be shocked at just how good Leonard Miller is this season.
Something borrowed
Is small forward Jaden McDaniels on borrowed time right now? We know that the Minnesota Timberwolves absolutely want to optimize their long-term relationship with McDaniels, but they haven’t had the type of performance from him to unlock that elite echelon of NBA paydays just yet.
Still, he has all the makings of an NBA All-Star, or to receive NBA All-Defense Team honors this season. And it could very well be that the team and the player are holding off on signing a new contractual agreement as both sides await the outcome of McDaniels’s fourth NBA season. If this year is anything like the progress shown in his first three seasons, this one could blow your socks off.
But is it possible? After all, McDaniels has snuffed out almost every elite NBA scorer that he has defended so far, with next to no NBA recognition. He did not earn international accolades, despite the fact that the Minnesota Timberwolves flooded the 2023 FIBA World Cup tournament. Closer to home, McDaniels foolishly broke his own hand and eliminated himself from playing in the 2023 NBA Playoffs.
McDaniels has a lot to show the NBA in 2023-24
It’s far too easy to watch the proficiency and energy that McDaniels brings to the basketball court and leave with the impression that he is a well-seasoned NBA veteran. But McDaniels has just turned 23 years old. He is entering his fourth NBA season. And while he has dominated on defense for some time, his offense continues to develop as well. In fact, his points per game have doubled in just three seasons.
On his current trajectory, he could be in the ballpark of 16+ points per game this season. That could be even higher if uses the basis of his new potential NBA contract and his absence from last year’s NBA Playoffs as motivation to drive himself even higher this year.
Something Blue
The Minnesota Timberwolves signed former Blue-and-White-wearing Philadelphia 76ers free agent combination guard Shake Milton this offseason, and the level of expectation for him is next to nothing right now. After all, there is an expectation that he will fill a stopgap role on the Timberwolves roster as a backup point guard.
But he has only done so in a limited fashion in the NBA so far. So how will the Timberwolves manage to coax more point guard presence out of a newcomer to the team? Well, if you follow Shake Milton’s career so far, you will discover that he has a solid track record of beating expectations when given the opportunity.
Stepping up is how Shake Milton rolls
In fact, his best performances with the Sixers came at times when he was filling in for an injured player, and had the chance to distinguish himself. Much like the better-than-expected contribution of wingman Nickeil Alexander-Walker in Round 1 of the 2023 NBA Playoffs, Milton had a bigger and better role when he was depended on. The only problem he faced with the Philadelphia 76ers was the fact that those opportunities were too few and far between.
That will certainly change when he steps onto a basketball court for the Minnesota Timberwolves. And he will be surrounded by a very talented Timberwolves roster that has upgraded significantly from the 2022-23 season team before Karl-Anthony Towns fell to injury.
Shake Milton could deliver 13+ points and 4.0+ assists per game off the Timberwolves bench. While that may not seem like much to get excited over, keep in mind that only starters on the Timberwolves roster accomplished that feat last season. If Shake can deliver that much ‘oomph,’ off the bench, the Timberwolves could be a very successful team.
Here are the top stories for the Minnesota Timberwolves 2023-24 season:
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