Off the heels of back-to-back conference finals appearances, the Minnesota Timberwolves entered the season with championship aspirations. Was this always a lofty goal in a conference with the Oklahoma City Thunder? Absolutely.
However, it was the next logical step, and at the very least, it was fair to expect the Wolves to be in the mix.
Unfortunately, with just four games until the playoffs, everything seems to be unraveling for the Wolves, who are currently on a three-game losing streak. Between injuries to Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, and Naz Reid (though he hasn't missed time), along with general inconsistent play, this team doesn't seem to have the goods to put together another deep playoff run.
Hopefully I'm wrong, but right now, I don't see a realistic pathway for the Wolves to surprise the world again. This is especially the case since the Denver Nuggets have now surpassed the Los Angeles Lakers for the No. 3 seed. While changes are poised to happen this offseason, this is starting to feel like the lost season for the Wolves, where the roster around Ant has proven to be a tick below their goals.
The Timberwolves will (likely) re-shuffle the deck this offseason
Unless something miraculously changes over the next few weeks, it appears that the Wolves won't make another deep playoff run. Part of this is due to late-season injuries, but general inconsistencies and a roster that isn't a seamless fit together are the bigger problems.
I'm not trying to be an alarmist. Frankly, it's rare for a 24-year-old like Ant to have made back-to-back conference finals, and overall, the Wolves are in a very good spot. Nevertheless, sometimes you need a bridge year of sorts before you can truly reach another level.
For instance, the Jayson Tatum-Jaylen Brown-led Boston Celtics had made two conference finals runs in three years before an underwhelming 2020-21 season when they finished seventh in the East. During that offseason, Brad Stevens moved into a front office role, and Ime Udoka took over as head coach, which, paired with some roster changes, sparked the Jays' first finals run.
It's not a perfect one-for-one comparison, but, in my eyes, there are a lot of similarities between these two teams.
Throughout the season, it's been clear that this team is a notch below true title contention. Whether it's in the first or second-round the Wolves seemed destined to lose fairly early in the playoffs, and in turn, they seem ready for some shake-ups this offseason.
Roster changes espically breaking up the frontcourt trio of Julius Randle, Rudy Gobert, and Naz Reid feel inventiable. Likewise, it's fair to wonder just how secure Chris Finch's job is.
On one hand, it stinks to see a year of Edwards' prime essentially go to waste. Regardless, the silver lining of such a wonky season is that the front office will make necessary moves to better optimize the roster around Ant. Timberwolves fans will have to practice patience, but better days are (eventually) ahead.