The Minnesota Timberwolves made an aggressive attempt to improve their championship equity by trading for LaMelo Ball. I believe they boosted the Wolves' chances and that their blend of shooting, playmaking, and pace can pose difficulties for any team. However, the competition is fierce with the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder.
With all due respect to the Thunder, who are still a brutal matchup in their own right, the Spurs are the biggest threat to Minnesota this season and in the future. Of course, the 7-foot-5 alien named Victor Wembanyama is the main reason why.
There has never been a player at Wemby's size with so much mobility and perimeter skill. He is coming off a Finals run in his third year and is at minimum a top-five player in the league. While the Spurs are already a dominant team, they are only going to get better as the 22-year-old Wemby ages. Furthermore, Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper will only continue to get better. Now, they have some flaws (more on that shortly), but in a few years the Spurs might truly be unstoppable.
As such, the Timberwolves might have to take advantage of the Spurs' weakness in the next couple of years, before they become indestructible.
I'm not ruling out a championship run in the fairly distant future. With Anthony Edwards, you'll always have a chance. Nevertheless, the Timberwolves' chances are far higher while the Spurs are still young.
The Spurs have some weaknesses that the Timberwolves can expose
Right now, Wembanyama's lack of stamina and inability to handle physicality are clear flaws. Maybe he fixes these flaws this season. For now, though, the Timberwolves could have a way to make things difficult for him. Rudy Gobert can play physical defense against Wemby. Additionally, the Timberwolves' increasingly fast pace can tire Wembanyama out.
Minnesota's floor spacing could also offset the rim protection advantages that Wemby provides. As time goes on, these strategies (except perhaps the shooting) are likely to become less effective.
The other big crack in San Antonio's armor is clutch-time play. Currently, the Spurs lack a go-to clutch scorer. We saw this problem in the Finals against the New York Knicks, as the Spurs blew several leads and collapsed in the clutch.
Wemby has a unique level of creation for his size, but typically clutch games come down to perimeter players. De'Aaron Fox has seemingly lost his clutch gene. Stephon Castle isn't an elite-level creator at this stage. Dylan Harper often didn't see the court in clutch games (thanks to Fox). Even if this changes, will Harper be trusted as "the guy" in clutch games as a second-year player?
With Edwards in the clutch, Minnesota could have a massive advantage against the Spurs. It's only a matter of time, though, before one of Harper, Castle, or Wemby becomes an elite clutch scorer. And when that happens, the Timberwolves may not even have a puncher's chance.
Now, the counter could be that the Spurs will run into second apron problems. It's worth noting, though, that Wemby took a pay cut this summer, and the Thunder have three players making above $40 million this season, so it's possible.
The Spurs are rightfully the favorites in the West, but the Wolves have a real puncher's chance (for now). Regardless, the Timberwolves need to take advantage of the Spurs' few weaknesses before they have none. Otherwise, they might never get over the championship hump.
Add us as a preferred source on Google