As every new year approaches, some people use this as a time to set goals to improve themself for the new year. For the Minnesota Timberwolves, a lot is going right for them to end 2023. They are still first in the Western Conference and are playing well through one of the toughest stretches of their season. The focus right now is on the team -- as it should be-- but not necessarily on the players individually.
As we ring in 2024, these goals should be on the radar for each man on the roster.
Anthony Edwards: Make All-NBA
This is a pretty simple one. Edwards will likely make the All-Star team this season, given he's the best player on a top seed. But to keep the top seed in the Western Conference or remain in the top four, he has to play at an All-NBA level. If Edwards can get there, he will cement himself as a top-10 player in the league and hopefully take the Wolves on a deep postseason run. Oh, he also has about 53 million other reasons why he should go all out and make All-NBA.
Karl-Anthony Towns: Block out the noise
Towns has been criticized for most of his career for his play not translating to wins, mostly from people who don't watch every Wolves game. For this season, however, his play has translated to wins. He has been getting the praise he rightfully deserves. Heck, Charles Barkley is even giving him his flowers. That said, Towns may not get the accolades that he might deserve this season. But the impact he is having this season is being felt not just by the team but the fans. Getting wins should be his sole focus for the rest of the season.
Rudy Gobert: Get your fourth Defensive Player of the Year
After all the talk of last season and Gobert falling off, the French Rejection has shut all that down. The big gambling sites all have Gobert as the heavy favorite for the award, and rightfully so. He's the captain of one of the top defenses in the league. Getting that fourth Defensive Player of the Year award would etch Gobert into the pantheon of the greatest defenders the league has ever seen.
Jaden McDaniels: Stay healthy
I was going to say make an All-Defensive team, but I think the two go hand-in-hand. McDaniels has already missed ten games this season due to injury, which gives only seven games for him to miss to make the 65-game threshold for postseason awards. If McDaniels can stay healthy and be himself, he should be a shoo-in for an All-Defensive spot this season.
Mike Conley: Stay healthy
Conley hasn't missed a game since being traded to the Wolves at the deadline last season. He's a savvy veteran and a winner. All Conley has to do is be available and the team will benefit. If he goes down for any significant amount of time it will impact this team negatively. Conley is the glue guy and the veteran who helps keep everyone in check.
Naz Reid: Finish in the top-3 for Sixth Man of the Year
The major gambling sites have Reid around the eighth-best odds for Sixth Man of the Year, currently at +3000 on FanDuel. Austin Reaves and Tim Hardaway Jr. are the two favorites for the award at +250 and +300. Reid averages 22 minutes per game, while Reaves and Hardaway are at 29 minutes per game.
Reid will never get close to 29 minutes because the latter close out games while Reid rarely will ever close games. If he can get an uptick in minutes and continue being Naz Reid, he can jump back into the 6MOY conversation. Performances like Saturday night against the Lakers will turn people's heads.