NFL
By: Mark T. Wilson
The Minnesota Timberwolves seek a return to the Western Conference Finals and beyond next season. However, for that to happen, changes will need to be made. Most notably, offensive changes. Which brings us to the movements or lack thereof during the offseason.
The Wolves, during the regular season, won 56 games and reached the Conference Finals before falling to the Dallas Mavericks. An argument can be made implying not much improvement is needed. However, against the Mavericks, their offense became a bit stagnant as both superstars struggled. The Wolves are primarily an offense led by Anthony Edwards and Karl Anthony-Towns.
Both players have endured a touch of winning but more downs than ups throughout their respective careers. Anthony-Towns did help the Wolves reach the Conference Finals but his play against the Mavericks was average at best. Edwards, in his own right, did not have the best series of his young Playoff career either but when the scoring was needed outside of their franchise player, Anthony-Towns was not present.
While he did have his moments, the production never really fell in line at the right moments. There were times when the Wolves sat Towns and let Naz Reid play critical 4th quarter minutes. Imagine the Los Angeles Lakers sitting Kobe Bryant and handing his minutes to Smush Parker instead with the game on the line.
Can The Minnesota Timberwolves Make The NBA Finals
With so many players changing teams during the offseason, the Minnesota Timberwolves decided to stick with their core. While not entirely a terrible decision, they missed out on an opportunity for improvement. The Wolves finished the season ranked 1st in Defense and 19th in Points Scored. Stopping opponents is not the problem, consistent offensive scoring and trusting someone other than Edwards to do so is the main concern.
Last season, Karl Anthony-Towns averaged 21.8 points and 8.3 rebounds. He has good numbers across the board but when he struggles, so does the rest of the team. The Minnesota Timberwolves had 6 players average double figures against the Mavericks and still lost the series 4 games to 1. Something has to give. This is where the Wolves need either a reliable 3rd scorer or a 2nd to replace Anthony-Towns with someone to pair with Edwards.
Where they failed this offseason was watching teams like the Philadelphia 76ers grab Paul George. Those same Mavericks that beat them beef-upped their roster with the addition of Klay Thompson. The Oklahoma City Thunder added to their roster with the addition of Isaiah Hartenstein. The New Orleans Pelicans made a move for Dejounte Murray. Hell, even the Sacramento Kings made a huge splash with the addition of DeMar DeRozan. While they were sitting pat, other teams in the Western Conference were making upgrades.
As for possible moves, the Wolves could’ve reached out to the New York Knicks regarding Julius Randle. There were rumors that the Hawks were looking to trade Trae Young. Zach LaVine is still out there and could probably be had with some draft capital. They did manage to draft their PG of the future of Rob Dillingham.
Now, their plan may work. The Minnesota Timberwolves could find themselves back atop the standings but come playoff time, there is still a good chance that Anthony-Towns or others will vanish again. To win in crunch time, you need players ready to put in that work. Towns played 166 minutes against the Mavericks compared to 207 for Edwards. The Mavericks had 4 players with over 166 minutes.
Anthony-Towns is still under contract with the Wolves until the 2027 season when he has a Player Option. The Wolves appear to be stuck with him but at 29 years old, Towns still has mileage left on his tires and could spearhead a team.
Many are blasting the Timberwolves for not moving him when they had a chance. And while a trade can still be made either this offseason or by the trade deadline, one thing is for certain. The Minnesota Timberwolves had a chance to make important improvements, instead, they watched their competition upgrade.
