The excitement surrounding the Minnesota Timberwolves is the most we've seen in years. The roster's star talent rivals any Wolves team in franchise history, and the vibes during the offseason and preseason have been sky-high. This is a stark difference from the last couple of years, when it felt like the team was dragging through the regular season.
With expectations both within the team and fanbase higher than ever, these are three bold predictions for what will happen during this upcoming season.
Anthony Edwards wins Finals MVP en route to the Wolves first ring
Perhaps the boldest of the bold, the Wolves win the NBA championship, and Anthony Edwards wins Finals MVP in a historic season in Minneapolis. The Wolves have been knocking at the door of the Finals for years now, and with this new-look roster designed to maximize Edwards' best skills, this could be the year.
The pieces are in place for the Wolves to have one of the league's most dynamic offenses as long as everyone stays healthy, and Rudy Gobert has been good enough throughout his career to lead a top-10 defense on his own. This gives the team the ability to both bury teams with scoring and shut their water off defensively, a trait few teams possess.
The San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder are certainly tall tasks, as they'll likely have to beat at least one of them, if not both, to reach the Finals. However, the Wolves matched up with the Thunder well last season, and they managed to take two games from the Spurs with Donte DiVincenzo out and Edwards and Ayo Dosunmu both playing clearly hobbled.
This is the year of the Wolves, and Edwards, LaMelo Ball, Jaden McDaniels, and Gobert will headline the team that breaks a championship-cursed city.
Donte DiVincenzo comes back sooner than anyone expects and doesn't miss a beat
By all accounts, Donte DiVincenzo is crushing his rehab process. When he first tore his Achilles in Game 4 against the Nuggets, the initial thought was that he was going to be sidelined for the entirety of the upcoming season. In a contract year, that would put his entire Wolves future into jeopardy.
Then, over the offseason, it looked like a return around the All-Star break would be more likely. But now, during an appearance on the Jon Krawczynski show, DiVincenzo said that Wolves fans will see him sooner rather than later, and that his rehab has been testing off the charts.
Adding DiVincenzo to this team will be huge. He's the heart and soul of the team, and adding his spacing alongside Edwards and Ball will be nearly impossible to guard for the rest of the league.
LaMelo Ball makes third-team All-NBA and is second in the league in assists
This past season, Ball had a case for third-team All-NBA. He was the driving force behind an incredible Charlotte Hornets turnaround. As successful as last season was, he could be in for a better one this season.
Even with the Hornets turning their season around and becoming one of the best offenses in the NBA, they still got eliminated in the play-in.
Barring a nightmare season, this Wolves team will not be in the play-in, and a higher seed means more national recognition. He also has an immense amount of talent around him, meaning that defenses will be less keyed in on him than they were in Charlotte.
A career year, stats-wise, while winning games, should absolutely mean a second All-Star selection and a first All-NBA team.
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