The Minnesota Timberwolves’ experiment with Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns alongside Anthony Edwards seemed to fail completely last season, but now the team is better than ever. Is the Wolves squad well prepared for the winter after an outstanding autumn?
The Minnesota Timberwolves lead the Western Conference after 20 games with the best record in the entire league and have the best defense to date and the fourth-best net rating. Who is involved in this? We check the squad for its strengths and weaknesses.
NBA – Minnesota Timberwolves: Die Guards
MIKE CONLEY
Age: 36 Salary: $24.3 million Contract until: 2024 Stats 23/24: 10.4 points, 6.4 assists and 0.9 steals on 43.8 percent FG and 41.2 percent three-pointers in 29.5 minutes (19 games )
Conley is more of a quiet type, but with his experience he is still a leader for the Wolves. Head coach Chris Finch praised him as a “connecting layer” and recently challenged him to be more aggressive in his pursuit of finishing in the absence of Jaden McDaniels and Anthony Edwards. So far, Conley has achieved this with good odds.
Since the 36-year-old’s arrival in Minnesota, Rudy Gobert has been used much better in the offense, and the pick’n’roll with Conley and Gobert opens up many opportunities for the Wolves. Conley is still good as a defender on the ball and in the team, and as a point guard he only loses 0.9 turnovers per game!
JORDAN MCLAUGHLIN
Age: 27 Salary: $2.3 million Contract until: 2024 Stats 23/24: 1.0 points and 1.0 assists on 25.0 percent FG and 50 percent three-pointers in 3.8 minutes (5 games)
McLaughlin didn’t start the season well and then sprained his knee, he could return to the floor in the next few weeks. He’s been trending in the wrong direction since his promising rookie season, but has been valuable in the Wolves’ second unit in recent seasons.
McLaughlin’s strengths are primarily as a preparer for his teammates. Since Shake Milton has also not yet found a successful start to the season, McLaughlin should have the chance to earn some minutes as a backup.
DAISHEN NIX
Age: 25 Salary: $0.55 million Contract until: 2024 (non-guaranteed) Stats 23/24: 1.6 points on 37.5 percent FG and 40 percent in 4.0 minutes (5 games)
Nix got some minutes and chances to prove himself in his first two years with the Rockets. However, he did not succeed in this and he has hardly been used for the Wolves so far. Nix is tall and broadly built for a combo guard, but as a result he sometimes lacks dynamism when attacking.
ANTHONY EDWARDS
Age: 22 Salary: $13.5 million Contract until: 2024 Stats 23/24: 26.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, 5 assists and 1.3 steals on 46.4 percent FG and 37.7 percent in 35.1 minutes ( 17 games)
Edwards was named an All-Star for the first time this calendar year and took another step forward as an internationally known superstar at the World Championships, where he led Team USA as the best player. The 22-year-old appears to be continuing his development in the right direction this young season, but is currently sitting out due to a hip injury.
However, according to reports, this shouldn’t stop him for long, as it would be particularly painful for the Wolves given their outstanding start to the season. Edwards has clearly established himself as an alpha wolf, with his athleticism and intensity he clearly drives the whole team. He is also getting better at his throw selection and as a preparer, which has not been one of his strengths so far. His development is key for Minnesota since he has so much responsibility on offense.
NICKEIL ALEXANDER-WALKER
Age: 25 Salary: $4.6 million Contract until: 2025 Stats 23/24: 6.7 points and 2.7 assists on 41.0 percent FG and 34.7 percent three-pointers in 23.5 minutes (19 games)
Alexander-Walker’s shooting rates have rarely been in his favor, and that hasn’t changed in Minnesota either. However, NAW takes on responsibility as a scorer and provider in the second unit and can also function properly as a starter at times.
Alexander-Walker also has good length and physicality, which allows him to shine again and again in the Wolves’ well-oiled defense.
SHAKE MILTON
Age: 27 Salary: $5.0 million Contract until: 2025 (next season not guaranteed) Stats 23/24: 5.6 points and 1.5 assists on 36.1 percent FG and 21.6 percent three-pointers in 16.3 minutes ( 19 games)
Milton takes on a similar role to Alexander-Walker, but his strengths lie more on the offensive – in theory. As a Wolf, the long-time Sixer has hit quite poorly so far, but his odds should slowly return to his career average. Without McLaughlin, there is currently a lack of competition in the reserves’ backcourt.
WENDELL MOORE JR.
Age: 22 Salary: $2.4 million Contract until: 2026 (with club option) Stats 23/24: 0.0 at 0 percent FG in 2.0 minutes (1 game)
Moore doesn’t seem to have been able to convince Finch yet; last season’s first-round pick was used little as a rookie and only played for two minutes this season.
JADEN MCDANIELS
Age: 23 Salary: $3.9 million Contract until: 2024 Stats 23/24: 9.5 points and 2.2 rebounds on 58.2 percent FG and 37.9 percent three-pointers in 23.6 minutes (11 games)
McDaniels is currently out injured, but this time he didn’t hit a wall, which cost him the playoffs last year. He should recover from his ankle sprain next week, which could give the Wolves the next boost.
McDaniels is one of the best wing defenders in the entire league and finishes at a very high percentage, but not yet in high volume. A little more aggressiveness would probably be good for Minnesota, especially with some of the starters heading to the bench.
TROY BROWN JR.
Age: 25 Salary: $4 million Contract until: 2025 (next season not guaranteed) Stats 23/24: 4.7 points and 2.8 rebounds on 42.0 percent FG and 37.5 percent three-pointers in 13.7 minutes (15 games )
Brown has already made a lot of moves in the NBA for the 15th pick in 2018, and every team can use him as an athletic defender with a solid long-range shot. However, it remains to be seen how much he will be used once Edwards and McDaniels are fit again.
LEONARD MILLER
Age: 20 Salary: $1.8 million Contract until: 2027 (with club option) Stats 23/24: 0.7 points at 50.0 percent FG in 2.0 minutes (3 games)
Miller could compete with Brown for minutes on the wing, even if the second-round pick has barely been used so far. The top athlete can fill a similar role to Brown, but has higher upside and was considered one of the steals in the draft. Miller is a tall winger measuring 2.08 meters long.
JOSH MINOTT
Age: 21 Salary: $1.7 million Contract until: 2026 (with club option) Stats 23/24: 1.6 points at 50.0 percent FG in 2.6 minutes (9 games)
Minott has the advantage of one season of experience in Minnesota over Miller, and last year’s second-round pick has also been used a little more so far.
KARL-ANTHONY TOWNS
Age: 28 Salary: $36.0 million Contract until: 2024 Stats 23/24: 22.2 points, 9.0 rebounds and 3.1 assists on 50.3 percent FG and 41.8 percent three-pointers in 33.5 minutes (19 games )
Towns spent some of his prime years with disappointing Wolves teams, but he wasn’t always at the highest level due to injuries or inconsistency, especially in crucial games. However, at 28, he’s now in the midst of the best start to a season in franchise history and isn’t even playing as well offensively as he has in some other phases of his career.
On the other hand, Towns and Gobert work surprisingly well next to each other defensively, although none of the giants defend really well away from the ring. With his strong three-point rate, Towns also collects further arguments for his self-made thesis that he is the big man with the best shot ever.
KYLE ANDERSON
Age: 30 Salary: $9.2 million Contract until: 2024 Stats 23/24: 7.3 points, 3.8 rebounds and 4.0 assists on 50.0 percent FG in 24.2 minutes (19 games)
Not only does Slo Mo have the best nickname on the team, he is also the player whose importance is least reflected in the box score. Defensively he can be used against a wide variety of opponents and offensively he runs the ball very well without making many mistakes in passes or in the form of questionable finishes.
Anderson’s long-range shooting hasn’t played a role this season, but he’s had decent seasons from the three-point line in the past.
RUDY GOBERT
Age: 31 Salary: $41.0 million Contract until: 2026 (with player option) Stats 23/24: 13.3 points, 11.6 rebounds and 2.4 blocks on 60.3 percent FG in 32.7 minutes (19 games)
At the end of Gobert’s time in Utah, the Frenchman also seemed to decline somewhat as a defender. The Jazz defended so poorly on the perimeter that even Gobert couldn’t catch everything in the zone. However: Gobert’s first season in Minnesota foreshadowed something bad, but this season we see the Gobert again, who was considered the best rim protector in the NBA for many years. Along with Edwards, Anderson and McDaniels, the Wolves have four potential All-Defensive Team players.
Gobert has also found his role offensively in Minnesota, immediately shining with 26 points in the first game of the season without Edwards. “His presence in the zone helped us with a lot of things,” Conley praised him afterwards. Gobert probably won’t develop a useful jump shot in his life, but he is very useful as a rim runner, screener and offensive rebounder.
NAZ REID
Age: 24 Salary: $12.9 million Contract until: 2026 (with player option) Stats 23/24: 12.6 points and 4.0 rebounds on 51.4 percent FG and 40 percent three-pointers in 21.4 minutes (19 games )
Reid could have tried out as a starter elsewhere, but he returned to the Wolves on a three-year deal last season. Stylistically, he replaces Towns rather than Gobert coming off the bench, but also cuts a fine figure as the only big man with the second unit.
In some situations, Reid is even on the floor instead of Gobert in the final stages of a game. Reid is currently hitting his three-pointers almost as well as Towns, and with the duo the Wolves’ spacing is outstanding.
COACH: CHRIS FINCH
He received several votes for Coach of the Year in his first full season with the Wolves, and he is currently particularly popular in Minnesota. The former coach of the Gießen 46ers was recently voted Coach of the Month in the Western Conference; his consistency and calm seem to be particularly well received by his players.
“He’s been the same since day one, he hasn’t changed for a day,” Conley revealed recently. “He’s not satisfied with how good we’ve been so far. He’s focused on us getting better every day.”
Minnesota Timberwolves: The conclusion
Led by Edwards, the Wolves still look like a young, up-and-coming team, with some very experienced players playing a big role in Gobert, Towns, Conley and Anderson. When looking at expiring contracts, it becomes clear that Minnesota will probably have the best chance of starting a deep playoff run this season. The squad is good enough for that, but Edwards will have to shoulder a lot of burden.
Towns can also be a very good second option, but his playoff performance so far is a concern. Among players of his caliber and experience, Towns is currently the most likely to be expected to fail completely in an important situation or an entire game. The Wolves have lived off their defense so far, but they are only average offensively. The easiest way to change that would be to improve Towns, and some of the shooters aren’t hitting that well yet.
In the West, the Nuggets are the defending champions and clearly the best team of last season and can be considered at the highest level. The Wolves belong to the large group of challengers with the Thunder, Kings, Suns, Mavs, Lakers, Clippers and Warriors. It will be all the more important that the Wolves continue their outstanding regular season and move into the playoffs as a high seed.
Minnesota Timberwolves: The squad at a glance
Current season salary in millions of dollars in parentheses.
2023-12-06 08:40:00
#Minnesota #Timberwolves #squad #check #Finally #pack
