The Minnesota Timberwolves were long viewed as an afterthought for a playoff spot, but that reputation was flipped on its head recently. The 2023-24 season saw the Wolves finish with a 56-26 record, the second-most wins in franchise history. This culminated in a Western Conference Finals berth, leading to new expectations of being perennial contenders.
Going into the 2023-24 NBA campaign, the Wolves were looked at as nothing more than a potential playoff team. This wasn’t without reason. In the 2022-23 season, Minnesota finished with a 42-40 record, resulting in the eighth seed in the Western Conference.
Yes, the Wolves may have only finished with a record just above .500, but that year wasn’t without hiccups. Karl-Anthony Towns played just 29 games due to a calf injury, Rudy Gobert struggled in a new system, and D’Angelo Russell was flipped in a midseason trade that brought in Mike Conley.
The 2022-23 season produced growing pains
Every team has its ebbs and flows, but the season was encapsulated in an infamous matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans. It was the final day of the regular season, both teams were battling for postseason seeding, and emotions were high.
Late in the first quarter forward Jaden McDaniels was walking back to the locker room when the usually stoic McDaniels lashed out and punched the wall. This resulted in a broken hand which kept him out for the remainder of the season.
You’d think this would be enough heartache for one game, but Gobert and Kyle Anderson made sure that the headlines were about something different. The Wolves were down 12 with four minutes to play in the second when an altercation between Gobert and Anderson broke out. The two were going back and forth before Rudy decided to throw a punch, which caused Gobert to be immediately sent home, as well as asked to spend multiple days away from the team.
Despite the perceived tension in the locker room, the squad proved resilient to the outside noise, forcing their way into the playoffs.
The Wolves lost a heartbreaker in their first play-in game against the Los Angeles Lakers. Conley hit three free throws with just one-tenth of a second left in regulation to send the game to overtime. Unfortunately, despite those heroics, the game still resulted in a 108-102 loss.
Minnesota responded as good teams do, thrashing the Oklahoma City Thunder in their next play-in game 120-95. The win was largely thanks to their dominant big-man duo, as Rudy and KAT combined for 49 points and 21 rebounds.
Facing off against the Denver Nuggets in the first round, the Timberwolves lost the series 4-1 against the eventual NBA champions. This may look like Minnesota was never in the series, but as Bruce Brown said, they gave the Nuggets their toughest competition through that postseason, all while missing Naz Reid and McDaniels.
Past failures paved the way for later success
So why is all this important to renewed expectations going into the 2024-25 season? This shows that despite their recent 56-26 finish, no one expected that kind of stellar campaign from the Wolves. So now with a proven championship contender, where does the franchise go from here?
A conference finals appearance in no way guarantees a return to that stage, but it provides optimism to a franchise that has long been craving to be one of the league's elite teams. Take the 2020-21 Atlanta Hawks for example. That squad made the conference finals built around a budding superstar and lost to the Milwaukee Bucks, who went on to hoist the Larry O’Brien.
Many thought with a young franchise cornerstone along with pieces that fit his playstyle, Atlanta would only build on the success they had. Yet three years removed from that success, the Hawks have descended into a perennial play-in squad that just landed the number one overall pick.
The Western Conference remains stacked
This is not meant to be pessimistic, but realistic. The league is more talented than ever, with several teams each year that could seemingly go on to win the NBA Finals.
The Timberwolves are in a loaded Western Conference, with teams like the Thunder, Kings, Mavericks, and Pelicans all improving this offseason. This doesn’t account for teams like the Nuggets, Suns, Lakers, and Clippers who were all just in the playoffs.
Maybe in a somewhat delusional way, I like the Wolves' odds against any of these squads. But it is also hard to imagine a playoff series against any one of them being a cakewalk.
I try to stay away from betting odds, but for the sake of the article let's look at the Wolves' projected win total for next season. DraftKings Sportsbook currently has the line at 52.5 wins, tied with the Nuggets and only behind the Thunder at 54.5. This mark is more than possible, especially with some solid upgrades outside of the Wolves’ core pieces.
The Wolves were quiet in free agency, only bringing in Joe Ingles, P.J. Dozier and re-signing Luka Garza. The key departures include Kyle Anderson, Monte Morris, and Jordan McLaughlin.
Small tweaks highlighted the Timberwolves' offseason
Ingles is an underrated pick-up. The former Utah Jazz forward was one of the best sixth men in the league just before his Achilles injury and has the experience of playing alongside Conley and Gobert.
Despite an Achilles injury being a death sentence for some NBA players, especially those on the wrong side of thirty years old, Ingles was a fantastic vet last year in Orlando. Essentially taking Anderson's role of a backup wing with playmaking capabilities, Ingles should fill those minutes nicely, with the bonus of being a great shooter.
Despite a subdued free agency, the front office had a fantastic draft that should address some key concerns, specifically that of shot creation. President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly has been known to hit on his draft picks, and fans will be hoping that's the case with 27th overall pick Terrance Shannon Jr., and most notably eighth overall pick Rob Dillingham.
Dillingham will be a shoo-in for minutes, and with how Shannon looked during summer league, you'd have to imagine he’ll be a contender for bench production as well. Rob is considered by many to be the perfect pick for the Wolves. Point guard Mike Conley, while still producing at a high level, is at the tail end of his career. Rob will be able to back up one of the smartest point guards of this generation, who can hopefully prepare him to be the starting point guard once Conley moves on.
Minnesota now stands as a tried-and-true contender
Terrance Shannon Jr. is already considered a steal by Wolves fans given where he was drafted. The combo guard is already a well-rounded offensive player, a good shooter who can drive through contact. And when mentioning the Wolves’ young guys, it is hard to forget about second-year wing Leonard Miller. Miller was the 33rd overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. Despite not getting real rotation minutes yet, many people including myself are very excited about the potential displayed by this young man.
Miller averaged 21 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 2.7 assists through his last three summer league outings. The Canadian-born hooper also showed out in the G-League last year with averages of 20.3 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 3.6 assists. With a 6-foot-10 frame and a great demeanor, the 20-year-old could be a serious part of this franchise’s future, even if not everyone knows it yet.
Despite the plethora of young players, vets like Gobert, Conley, and Towns understand the urgency of winning now. With a bona fide superstar in Anthony Edwards, veterans looking to finally get over the hump and contributing young pieces, the championship window is open, and who knows when it will close.