For years, the Minnesota Timberwolves were one of the slowest teams in the league. Notably, the Wolves ranked within the bottom 10 in pace during the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons. However, they rank ninth in pace this season.
Furthermore, during the past two seasons, Minnesota was in the bottom three in transition frequency. This season, though, the Wolves are up to 10th in transition points. With the addition of Ayo Dosunmu, who excels in transition, the Wolves are only going to continue improving in this area.
Before the season, the Wolves openly discussed playing faster, and thankfully, they've delivered on this promise. There isn't a strong correlation between pace and success. Nevertheless, some teams are naturally suited to play faster or slower, and the Wolves clearly benefit from playing at an increased pace.
Perhaps more importantly, though, scoring in transition is an easy source of offense that the Wolves didn't take advantage of in the past. This might not be the biggest talking point about the Timberwolves' season, but it's certainly been an important part of their success.
The Timberwolves' new style of play is perfect for Anthony Edwards
Let's be honest, playing at a slower pace and rarely getting out in transition never suited Anthony Edwards' playstyle, as of course, he is one of the league's most explosive athletes. Regardless, playing with the likes of Rudy Gobert, Julius Randle, (and Karl-Anthony Towns before Randle) forced the Wolves to slow things down.
Luckily, though, the Wolves have found a way to play at a faster pace despite having some slower players around Ant. Impressively, Edwards ranks in the 82nd percentile for transition play, which is a career-high number.
There are a lot of factors that have allowed the Wolves to play at a faster pace.
Outside of the team, making it a clear priority to push the pace, Jaden McDaniels being unleashed offensively is a key factor. McDaniels has long thrived playing at a faster pace, but with him getting a bigger role in the offense, the Wolves naturally leaned into a faster half-court offense. Likewise, they've prioritized getting out in transition to suit his skill set. Notably, McDaniels' 4.5 transition points are a career-high.
Bones Hyland's emergence has been another massive factor. The Wolves had hoped that second-year guard Rob Dillingham would unlock this element off the bench. Regardless, it ended up being Hyland, who gave the Wolves' bench an extra scoring punch and change of pace. Hyland is another player who perfectly suits Edwards' playstyle.
It's impressive to me that the Wolves have already had so much success despite not playing a style that truly fits their star. It's fair to assume that the Wolves will continue leaning into this fast-paced identity, something that will benefit both the team and Ant.