If there was one internal buzzword around the Minnesota Timberwolves heading into the season, it was continuity. The Wolves re-signed Julius Randle and Naz Reid. While they lost Nickeil Alexander-Walker in free agency, the rest of their rotation that made a conference finals run remained intact. The Timberwolves bet on their young talent to replace Alexander-Walker.
Minnesota's only offseason additions were signing Johnny Juzang to a two-way contract and drafting Joan Beringer and Rocco Zikarsky. After making a blockbuster trade for Randle and Donte DiVincenzo shortly before the 2024-25 season, the Wolves got off to a slow start but still ultimately made a deep playoff run.
The theory of a more together core being able to repeat this playoff success and avoid a slow start made a lot of sense.
However, the Wolves knew this strategy had its limitations. Before the season, Chris Finch said that "continuity is only good if it pays dividends early." 18 games into the season, the Wolves are 10-8 (seventh in the West) and have quickly wasted the power of continuity.
The Timberwolves are wasting the power of continuity
Frankly, the Timberwolves haven't looked like a team with any sort of continuity thus far. They are currently on a three-game losing streak, including two games where they blew fourth quarter leads. Turnovers, a lack of a natural point guard, and poor shot selection have all contributed to the Wolves' late-game shortcomings.
Finch's point about continuity needing to pay off early makes a lot of sense. Teams with more experience together should be able to get off to a hot start. Conversely, other teams could have trouble integrating new pieces. However, after the early portion of the season, everyone is used to each other for the most part. As such, if you can't build any momentum in the standings, continuity is pointless.
The Wolves currently hold the No. 7 seed in the West, and many teams that made big moves are above them. The Denver Nuggets (13-4) and the Houston Rockets (12-4) both made significant moves and have separated themselves from the Timberwolves thus far. Even the Phoenix Suns, who traded Kevin Durant, are above Minnesota right now. The San Antonio Spurs (12-5) and the Los Angeles Lakers (13-4) have both dealt with significant injuries and added some notable pieces in the offseason.
I'm typically not one to panic over early-season results. Nevertheless, in this case, it's hard not to. This core should look far more comfortable with each other after a conference finals run. Additionally, the young players aren't producing consistently, and Mike Conley has further declined.
While the Wolves focused on continuity this offseason, unless something significant changes, I doubt this will be the focus for the Wolves at the trade deadline. Point guard is the most likely position the Wolves will look to upgrade.
Whether it's a star or a high-level role player, I expect the Wolves to shake up their roster in some way ahead of the deadline. The ultimate goal is to build a title winner around Anthony Edwards, and this roster isn't cutting it.