The Minnesota Timberwolves are getting closer to the start of the 2026-27 season, and it’s time for fans to hop on the bandwagon. A revamped roster that includes new point guard LaMelo Ball and a legitimate superstar in Anthony Edwards is enough to pique the interest of casual fans. But if that isn’t enough, the Wolves have enough to be the common fan’s favorite team.
The case may have been made by Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch when he spoke to the media on Wednesday afternoon. Discussing the NBA’s emphasis on getting embellishment (or flopping) to draw calls out of the game, Finch gave his stamp of approval while also giving fans a reason to get behind the Wolves this season.
“Hopefully the league cleans up this crap because nobody wants to watch it,” Finch said via The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski. “That’s what they said was the feedback from the fans. They’re tired of watching the flopping. And we know that it’s been rewarded at too high a level, so just stop rewarding the flopping.
“...We don’t teach flopping here. We don’t teach embellishment. We never have. It probably shows up in [Anthony Edwards’s] free throw rate at times that he doesn’t flop or embellish. But we don’t teach it here, and that’s not the way we play.”
Timberwolves’ stance on flopping could make them one of the NBA’s favorite teams
Finch went on to joke that maybe the Wolves should start teaching how to flop, but it brings up a great point. Teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs have been ridiculed online for flopping to draw calls, and it has become a significant part of back-to-back MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s game.
Gilgeous-Alexander is a great player even without hitting the deck at the sign of a stiff breeze. But before he called his lawyers over a fictional board game during last year’s playoffs, Finch was one of the first to take a stand during a matchup between the Thunder and the Wolves in February 2025.
“It’s so frustrating to play this team because they foul a ton,” Finch said of the Thunder at the time. “...They foul, they foul all the time. And then you can’t really touch Shai.”
Last season Spurs star Victor Wembanyama entered the chat. Wembanyama seemed to endear fans with his comments about playing “ethical hoops” after a matchup against the Thunder during last year’s NBA Cup. But Wolves fans saw firsthand how it was lip service after Wembanyama became a 7-foot-4 wacky, waving, inflatable tube man during their Western Conference semi-finals series last May.
That trend continued when Wembanyama flopped to draw a foul on New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson during the NBA finals and drew harsh criticism from The Athletic’s Marcus Thompson II.
“The issue is bigger than drawing fouls. It’s the aesthetic,” Thompson wrote. “It’s the popularization of the underhandedness. Some of the largest men in the world, and some of the best athletes, snapping their heads back after the slightest graze to the chin, as if they routinely skip neck day. It’s the same player being allowed to push off but getting the whistle when he’s pushed. It’s the flailing and lopping – and the constant complaining when neither yields returns – while some real contact gets deemed as marginal. It’s this great league having games morph into legal proceedings, with officials approaching the scorer’s table like a lawyer approaches the bench.”
It’s interesting to note that despite this, the Wolves ranked seventh with 25.3 free throws per game, while the Spurs ranked 13th (24.6) and the Thunder ranked 17th (23.2). But how they get those opportunities seems to be the sticking point. In addition, the Wolves seem to have the court of public opinion on their side and may be likeable enough to get everyone to climb aboard.
The Timberwolves have everything they need to become the NBA’s new darlings
The Wolves come into this season with plenty of questions but also the makings of an elite League Pass team. The dynamic between Edwards and Ball in the backcourt is one thing to monitor. But so is an increased offensive role for Jaden McDaniels and the chemistry between frontcourt partners Rudy Gobert and Jonathan Kuminga.
Minnesota also has one of the most intriguing storylines in the league thanks to Edwards. With the Wolves pounding at the door with back-to-back Western Conference Finals appearances in 2024 and 2025, they took a step back a season ago. But his revised supporting cast, as well as a step forward in leadership, makes him an interesting player to follow.
It also gives the Wolves an underdog feel compared to the rest of the league. While San Antonio and Oklahoma City flop for supremacy, Minnesota would be a fresh coat of paint compared to a Denver Nuggets team that won it all a few years ago and a Los Angeles Lakers squad whose hype has been as subtle as a frying pan to the face.
Even the Eastern Conference can’t compare to the Wolves’ likeability. LeBron James chose the Philadelphia 76ers over the Wolves in free agency, but lives in New York and commutes to practice in a helicopter. The Knicks have Karl-Anthony Towns, but he already has his ring after winning a title last year. The Cleveland Cavaliers have tied themselves to notable NBA heel James Harden to team with Donovan Mitchell, and the Detroit Pistons have earned bad blood by brawling with every opponent they face.
Of course, the Wolves weren’t the answer, with Julius Randle becoming a black hole on offense at times and vibes that Naz Reid described as “moodiness” before he was traded to the Charlotte Hornets this summer. But compared to their counterparts, the Wolves have the makings of an extremely likeable team and could become the NBA’s darlings as they enter this season.
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