Will the Timberwolves be a top four team?
The Minnesota Timberwolves are among the strongest teams in a loaded western conference. Can they do better than how they fared last season?
The Minnesota Timberwolves are a strong team, at least on paper. They have an alpha-wolf type of player in Anthony Edwards. They have been able to build a good supporting cast around him: Rudy Gobert and Julius Randle, and a bunch of role-players and scrappers in Naz Reid, Donte DiVincenzo, and Jaden McDaniels. Unlike some middling teams, they look complete.
At this point last season, the Timberwolves were 31-25; now they are 34-22. Those three extra wins may not seem much, but considering the treacherous waters of the NBA’s western conference, it is actually very telling of their improvement as a team. The Wolves are in the northwest division, the same division as the Oklahoma City Thunder, the defending champs, and the Denver Nuggets, perhaps the most consistent top-tier team in the past years. They are also in the same conference as the San Antonio Spurs and the Houston Rockets, teams that are young but very explosive.
At this point, they are 6th in the conference, but they headed into the All-Star break with a 7-3 record. Last season, they went 18-8 after the break, and if that’s any indication, the Timberwolves could very well be on their way to a home-court advantage come the first round of the playoffs.
They made some moves before the trade deadline–they acquired Ayo Dosunmu and Julian Phillips from the Chicago Bulls. They traded away veteran guard and locker room leader Mike Conley, but it appears that it was a calculated move–the Wolves just re-signed him again.
Anthony Edwards has already been consistent–30 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists per game. He has been able to stay healthy all season. The crucial cog would be Julius Randle–he has shown flashes of brilliance, like his 41-point 7-rebound explosion against division rivals Portland Trailblazers before the All-Star break. If they could get that version of Randle consistently, they are a shoo-in for top 3.
DAILY FANTASY PICKS:
Captain: Anthony Edwards
Vice Captain: Julius Randle
Key picks: Rudy Gobert, Jaden McDaniels. Naz Reid, Donte DiVincenzo
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