When it comes to X-factors, certain players on the Minnesota Timberwolves fit this criterion more than others. For example, I don't think Anthony Edwards or Jaden McDaniels are real X-factors this season. I think with both of them, we know what production they're gonna give us.
Ant is gonna be among the league leaders in scoring, and McDaniels is going to be one of the best-defending wings in the league while hovering around 15 points per game. I'm looking at players with a little more variance/mystery in their games.
These 5 players, I believe, will be crucial in how high the Wolves' ceiling is this season.
No.1: Rudy Gobert
Rudy Gobert is my biggest X-factor on the team for two reasons. One is that he is now the oldest player on the team, so maintaining his All-Defensive status and not falling off the age cliff will be imperative for this team. The other is his ability to be more of a threat offensively.
Obviously, I'm not expecting him to develop a jump shot or a post bag; that ship has likely sailed. But he now has one of the best table setters in the entire NBA feeding him the ball. This is a major contrast from the last few years with the Wolves' total lack of point guard play.
LaMelo Ball should be able to get Gobert a bunch of lobs, dump-offs, and open space in the dunker, and it will be on Gobert to finish those open looks. If he can be a real scoring threat with the addition of Ball, the offense will hum on all cylinders. However, if he struggles with an elite point guard, it might be time to turn the page on the Gobert era.
No. 2: LaMelo Ball
With LaMelo Ball, it's similar to Edwards in that you know what you're going to get for the most part. He's going to be up there with the league leaders in assists and 3-pointers made, but that's the caveat. He needs to stay healthy.
A lot of his past injuries could be attributed to the Hornets holding him out longer than needed for tanking purposes, but now that he's on a team with championship aspirations, it's extremely important that his health holds up throughout the regular season and into the postseason.
Speaking of the postseason, Ball has actually never played in a playoff game (not his fault; look at the rosters he was on), but it's still unknown how his game fares in a playoff setting. While his blend of scoring and playmaking, with his positional size, should thrive in the playoffs, the fact that it's still unknown makes it a huge X-factor.
No. 3: Terrence Shannon Jr./Bones Hyland
These two are tied for the third most important X-factor because there is a void that one of them needs to fill. Naz Reid was the Wolves' sixth man last season, and he provided a huge chunk of the bench scoring. Well, he's in Charlotte now.
The Wolves will need to find someone who can provide explosive scoring and consistent offensive output off the bench, and their two candidates are Bones Hyland and Terrence Shannon Jr. We saw it in bursts from both of them last season, but this year the next step is consistency.
For the Wolves bench not to lose a step from last season, one of these guys likely has to average around 12 points per game and provide that consistent second-unit scoring we were accustomed to seeing from Reid on a nightly basis.
No. 4: Joan Beringer
Besides acquiring Ball, trading Reid was proof that the front office and coaching staff have very lofty expectations for Joan Beringer. It's easy to see why; he's uber-athletic, can run the floor, has elite shot-blocking traits, and he's even flashing some real scoring prowess with finesse finishes around the rim and solid free-throw mechanics.
That being said, he's only played meaningful minutes in like five games so far in his career. But with Reid out of the picture, the backup big man spot is all his. Gobert isn't getting any younger, and probably can't play 35 minutes a night all the time, so in the 12-20 minutes a night that Beringer gets, he needs to prove the believers right.
The defense with Gobert off the court last season could not have been worse, and hopefully, with a true center playing behind him, the drop-off isn't as stagnant this year. I'm not asking Beringer to be Gobert, but he's the future of the team at center, and next season is the first step of truly ushering him into the fold.
No. 5: Ayo Dosunmu
A lot of fans had mixed emotions when Ayo Dosunmu re-signed with the Wolves on a five-year, $112 million deal this offseason. While everyone wanted Dosunmu back, the number was a lot steeper than people expected. When you dig deeper, it's not that bad, averaging $22.4 million per season.
This is going to be his first season on a fairly lucrative contract, as for the last few years, his contract was looked at as an extreme discount. It's clear the Wolves believe in him as a foundational piece of the team, and after his 43-point outburst in the playoffs, it's easy to see why.
He'll be looked at to provide some of the scoring that the Wolves are losing with the departures of Naz Reid and Julius Randle, while also providing some of the perimeter defense that they lost when Nickeil Alexander-Walker left a year ago.
It's a tall task, but that's what they paid him for, and he needs to live up to it.
If these five players can live up to expectations and do what the whole organization knows they can, then the Timberwolves are in for an extremely fun and successful season.
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