The Minnesota Timberwolves are one of the better teams in the Western Conference. That can’t be debated after two consecutive Western Conference finals appearances and two wins currently in the Western Conference semifinals.Â
Unfortunately for them, they can be eliminated as early as Thursday by the San Antonio Spurs. While Minnesota went on lengthy playoff runs the last two years, they were bounced in the conference finals both times in five games.Â
If their season does end Friday (or after Sunday’s Game 7), the front office needs to recognize a noticeable reality. The Timberwolves just aren’t quite good enough to match up with the better teams in the Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder.
Struggles of stars outside Ant-Man shows the roster needs more work
It was in last year’s postseason that the Timberwolves squared up in the conference finals with the Thunder. Only one of their losses was close, and two came by at least 26 points. This OKC team is built to be a huge threat for quite some time. Even if Minnesota finds a way to win both Games 6 and 7 against San Antonio, they will be substantial underdogs to OKC, which is currently 8-0 in this year’s playoffs.
The struggles of Julius Randle against the Spurs highlight a huge hole in the Wolves' roster. They don’t have that reliable second scoring option after Anthony Edwards. The Spurs and Thunder have two of the most relentless defenses in the league. San Antonio has put an immense amount of pressure on Ant-Man, and his teammates haven’t capitalized enough with the defense paying less attention to them.
This offseason landing a reliable second scoring option should be Minnesota's top priority.
Rudy Gobert is an awesome player, obviously more so on the defensive side. He’s also averaging just 8 points in the 5 games thus far against San Antonio. In last year’s Western Conference finals, he averaged only 5.8 points. There’s a reason that Reggie Miller, and many fans, are calling for Naz Reid to replace him in the starting lineup for Game 6.
While Randle is the Wolves' top trade candidate, it's worth wondering if Gobert could also be on the move.
A knockdown shooter would help Edwards and the team. Now, Donte DiVincenzo can be that. The torn Achilles tendon he suffered in Game 4 of the opening round took that away from the Timberwolves. Someone like Jaylen Clark is essentially unplayable in a series against San Antonio or OKC. As good a defender as he is, Clark strikes no fear in opponents on the offensive end.
This is still easily the best era in Minnesota Timberwolves history. It’s just one loss away, though, from proving again that it’s not quite enough to be the best team in the NBA. Undoubtedly, the Wolves will have to reshuffle their roster around Edwards this summer.
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