2022-23 overview: The Minnesota Timberwolves finished 46-36 and secured the 7th seed in the West last season. It was the franchise's first playoff appearance since 2017, and its most playoff wins since 2003-04. Minnesota will look to build on that momentum this year as it has built a roster suitable for a deeper playoff run. Some keys to the Timberwolves' success will be Anthony Edwards taking the next step toward superstardom and Karl-Anthony Towns settling into his new position at power forward. Jaden McDaniels will be the x-factor for this team, as he has the potential to become a high level starter.
Draft: Minnesota used their draft capital to trade back and ended up taking Walker Kessler and Wendell Moore in the first round. They also added Josh Minot in the second round. Kessler was sent away as a part of their blockbuster trade with the Jazz, but Moore and Minot both signed rookie deals.
Moore played three seasons at Duke and improved each season. By his junior year, he was playing nearly 34 minutes per game while knocking down 41.3% of his three point shot attempts. If he can make another jump in the league, he can end up being a solid 3&D role player for the Timberwolves and possibly give an immediate impact.
Minot will be more of a project piece. He played one year at Memphis and averaged 6.6 points and 4.8 rebounds in 14.6 minutes per game. What stands out about Minot is his athletic ability. Ironically, his new teammate, De'Angelo Russell, just tweeted "The @nba is full of athletes not Basketball players #respectfully" Minot fits the description.
Trades: The Timberwolves traded for Rudy Gobert in a blockbuster trade that I alluded to earlier. The Wolves sent Patrick Beverly, Jarred Vanderbilt, Malik Beasley, Leandro Bolmaro, 2022 first round pick Walker Kessler, and four additional first round picks alternating years until 2029 in exchange for a defensive anchor and all star level talent, Gobert. This trade sent an unprecedented amount of assets away for one player, and it has made it very difficult for other franchises to trade their star players. i.e. Kevin Durant and Donovan Mitchell. While yes it was an overpay, the Timberwolves are pushing to win now, and this move will put them in a contending position.
Free Agents: The Timberwolves lost two starters and its 6th man in the Gobert trade along with a rookie who would have most likely seen rotational minutes, so Minnesota's goal in free agency was to reload the bench. The key signings include Kyle Anderson, Eric Paschall, Austin Rivers, and Brynn Forbes, along with the resigning of Taurean Prince.
Rotation:
PG: Russell, McLaughlin, Rivers
SG: Edwards, Nowell, Forbes
SF: McDaniels, Prince, Moore
PF: Towns, Anderson, Paschall
C: Gobert, Reid
No comments:
Post a Comment