Timberwolves could dominate the West for one unique reason

In the NBA today, one of the most common complaints about the game has to do with officiating. And no, we are not speaking of the commonplace missed 50/50 calls or anything of the like. Over the last several years, the game has been called extremely tightly by officials, leading to an overflow of fouls, game stoppages and inflated scoring that has frustrated Minnesota Timberwolves fans along with the fanbases of every other team in the league.

This trend was as bad as ever up until around the midway point of the 2023-24 season. After the 2024 All-Star break, it almost seemed as if a discussion was had among referees and those who instruct them to do their jobs. More physical play was all of a sudden much more commonplace, scoring was down, and the game became much more enjoyable to watch for a large percentage of the league's viewers.

As we think about how this trend shaped the end of last year's regular season, it begs a few questions. The first of which being, will it continue? Will the league feel so compelled as to tell their referees to keep doing what seemingly created a better product toward the tail end of this past season?

The second and more important question for Wolves fans is, how will this have an impact on Minnesota and their mission of winning a championship in 2024-25? Well, it stands to reason that allowing increased physicality would drastically increase the Timberwolves' chances of dominating their competition, both in the regular season and in the playoffs.

NBA allowing more physical style of play would benefit Timberwolves

Chris Finch was asked about this situation at a recent practice, and he agreed that the league made the right choice in adjusting their officiating last season. Additionally, he agrees that the continued trend could benefit his team.

"I think the league did a good job post-All-Star of adjusting their whistle on certain plays ... I don't think the league made a conscious decision to say 'we're going to let it be more physical,' I just think they did a good job of cleaning up some things they were rewarding ... Certainly, it allows them to drive with a little bit more physicality ... I think [Julius Randle] is still going to draw a lot of contact and legitimate fouls, and that's something we need."

This is an excellent point by the Timberwolves' coach. Minnesota added one of the more imposing interiors presences in the NBA in Julius Randle when they traded away Karl-Anthony Towns. Randle goes right at defenders in the low post, and uses his big frame to punish inferior competition. If he is allowed to have a longer leash offensively, it could mean a long season for opposing Western Conference frontcourts.

Even despite losing KAT and the whole "three bigs" situation, the Timberwolves still have one of the biggest and more old-school type rosters in the association. If this trend does indeed continue into the coming season as evidence is suggesting, it would be a massive benefit to Minnesota.