If I had a nickel for every time a player has joined the Minnesota Timberwolves and their career has turned for the better recently, I'd have a few nickels, and that's pretty cool. In the Tim Connelly era, the Wolves have taken lots of flyers on cast-off players and have positively transformed their careers.
The prominent recent ones are Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Bones Hyland, Jonathan Kuminga, and Trey Lyles. Four guys who didn't have much success at their previous stops, but they all rejuvenated themselves in Minnesota.
It's fair to say the Wolves have become the league's premier hotbed for reviving players' careers. You could even call them the NBA's rehab center!
Players have revived their careers playing for the Wolves
The first notable example of this is Alexander-Walker. He originally came to the Wolves as a throw-in in the D'Angelo Russell-for-Mike Conley trade. Alexander-Walker showed some decent flashes in New Orleans to start his career, but he fell out of favor there. Then, with the Utah Jazz, he was barely playing. His career looked to be on life support before coming to the Wolves.
Then, on the Wolves, he reinvented himself. He went from a guy who was mostly looking to score at his previous stops to one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA and an ultimate glue guy. That built Chris Finch's trust. He would then blossom even more after he left in free agency to sign a four-year, $62 million deal with the Hawks, now averaging over 20 points per game and winning Most Improved Player with them.
The next case of this is Bones Hyland. Hyland was the definition of cast-off, and he said himself that he was considering EuroLeague opportunities before the Wolves. Hyland was traded from the Los Angeles Clippers to the Atlanta Hawks in the Bogdan Bogdanovic trade, but the Hawks waived him before he played a game.
The Wolves then picked him up in free agency to end the season, and the following season, he quickly made a stamp on the rotation, outperforming lottery pick Rob Dillingham. He earned Finch's trust as a microwave scorer and an injector of pace on the team. Hyland has also been the ultimate team guy, and whether he's in the rotation for a game or not, he always has some of the best vibes on the team.
Then there are the two new guys, Kuminga and Lyles. Kuminga has been labeled a losing and selfish player for a lot of his career. Nevertheless, Connelly sought him out this offseason, and that move has paid dividends. He's been the ultimate professional, and he's done everything asked of him and more.
Lyles was completely out of the NBA last season; he was playing for Real Madrid. Now, he's playing huge minutes for a team with championship aspirations, yet another major win for the Wolves front office.
On a team void of draft picks and cap space, some of the best avenues to build rosters are unconventional and involve taking risks on players that other teams stay away from. When these risks pay off, as they have for Minnesota, it can truly be a massive advantage.
Getting the most out of "distressed assets" is an elite skill, and the Wolves are the best at it in the NBA.
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