Recently, The Athletic’s Law Murray released his updated NBA power rankings. In these rankings, the Minnesota Timberwolves were slotted in at No. 4 and in Murray’s tier 1 of top contenders. Minnesota also previously ranked fourth on Murray’s list.
The Cleveland Cavaliers, New York Knicks, and Oklahoma City Thunder were the only three teams above Minnesota. Notably, the Wolves were one spot ahead of the Denver Nuggets but in the same tier and two spots ahead of the Houston Rockets, who were in the tier below.
The Wolves are clear title contenders
Murray’s message is that the Wolves are clear title contenders and outside of the Thunder, they are the best team in the West. Given that the Wolves have made back-to-back Western Conference Finals appearances, and their continuity as a team, this is understandable. However, considering the improvements of the Nuggets and Rockets, it’s somewhat surprising Minnesota is ranked above them.
The Rockets traded for Kevin Durant, and signed Dorian Finney-Smith. With these upgrades and their impressive young core, the Rockets have a clear path to contention. The Nuggets traded for Cam Johnson and Jonas Valančiūnas; they also signed Bruce Brown and Tim Hardaway Jr. Denver’s supporting cast around Nikola Jokić was subpar this past season, but now it’s arguably elite.
Despite not having the same playoff success, both teams finished above the Wolves in the regular season. Most people would probably rank the Nuggets and Rockets above the Wolves. Nevertheless, the case for the Wolves isn’t unreasonable.
The Wolves are poised to improve despite not making any major moves
The Wolves got off to a slow start, but had a 16-4 record during their last 20 games, ultimately securing a six seed. It took some time for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo to gel with the rest of the team after being traded to Minnesota shortly before the season. Now with a full season together, the Wolves are poised to be better.
We saw how good this core is at the end of the season and in the playoffs. Furthermore, Terrence Shannon Jr., Rob Dillingham, and Jaylen Clark are all set to improve. Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels could also reach another level.
The Wolves didn't make any major offseason moves other than re-signing Julius Randle and Naz Reid, and drafting Joan Beringer. However, it's easy to see how they could improve and be clear title contenders throughout the season, and not making any major changes was likely the right move.
The Wolves' combination of established talent, two-way balance, continuity, and internal improvements makes them clear contenders. Where exactly the Wolves rank among the contenders is up for debate, but it’s nice to see they are getting significant recognition from the media.