If there was ever a team with one foot in 2005 and the other in 2020, this would be the team. After a 16-66 finish last season, the Minnesota Timberwolves won the Draft Lottery and selected Karl-Anthony Towns with the first overall pick. In free agency, Andre Miller and Tayshaun Prince were added as veteran presences and mentors for the Wolves of the future. Throw in reigning NBA Dunk Contest Champion Zach LaVine and 2014-2015 Rookie of the Year Andrew Wiggins, and this team becomes the premier young team to watch on NBA League Pass.
How Much Longer Does Ricky Rubio Have In Minnesota?
The injury bug has not been kind to Ricky Rubio. Last season, he only appeared in 22 games after suffering a high ankle sprain in the fifth game of the season. While his shot and feel for the game looked much improved, the small sample size is concerning, especially this season when his four-year, $55 million contract extension kicks in.
The expectations will be high for Rubio. Rumors floated around throughout the offseason with the Sacramento Kings and Dallas Mavericks as the main suitors for the Spaniard's services. The drafting of two point guards in the two most recent drafts could also spell doom for Rubio. Ric Bucher of Bleacher Report stated that "Minnesota is already thinking about Andre Miller [...] as their closing point guard."
The full list of Rubio trade rumors can be found here, via HoopsHype.com. If Rubio plans on playing through his four-year deal, his jumper will have to improve a lot and he'll have to be able to stay on the court. If he can't do those two things, there is a good chance that he will be shipped out and the Tyus Jones as a starter era could begin to take shape, assuming his game translates to the NBA in a timely fashion.
The Additions
In the 2015 NBA Draft, the Timberwolves walked in with the number one pick and two high second-rounders (picks 31 and 36). The first pick, to nobody's surprise, was used on Karl-Anthony Towns, the do-it-all freshman center from Kentucky.
Towns is talented enough to start from day one, assuming interim coach Sam Mitchell doesn't favor Nikola Pekovic. As the top pick, Towns has arguably the best odds to win Rookie of the Year. His post game is solid; he can space the floor from either the four or five position, and he's no defensive slouch.
Minnesota's two second round picks were traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers for the 19th pick, which became Tyus Jones. Jones, another freshman, was a key cog in Duke's championship run in the March Madness Tournament. Many question how he'll fair against bigger, stronger, and faster opponents in the NBA because of his lack of size and quickness, but his basketball IQ and leadership qualities should help him stick in the NBA.
The Draft was the means for more youth and free agency was the opposite. The Timberwolves signed two players with NBA experience to guaranteed contracts and their names are Tayshaun Prince and Andre Miller. The fit for either are not fantastic as the Wolves already have Rubio, Jones, Wiggins, and Shabazz Muhammed on the roster, but from a standpoint of mentoring and teaching the young guys the ropes of the NBA, there are few better than Miller and Prince.
Prince also has some championship pedigree from when the Detroit Pistons won the championship in 2004. A trio of Kevin Garnett, Miller and Prince make for an average age of 37.6 years old. With age comes wisdom and, unlike the Philadelphia 76ers who have almost no veterans, the Timberwolves' outlook is exponentially brighter because of their guidance. Kevin Martin, age 32, is also on the roster.
In addition to the aforementioned moves, the Wolves signed Euro league MVP Nemanja Bjelica. The Wolves drafted Bjelica with the 35th pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, and he has since spent time with Labroal Kutxa and Fenerbahce Ulker. In an interview with Basketball Insiders, former-Sixers GM Brad Greenberg said that Bjelica is "unique because he can move with and without the ball, run the floor and start a fast break. He has isolation sets run for him, he can attack from the top and poses all sorts of problems."
When asked what Bjelica's best position in the NBA is, Greenberg said, "He is a power forward who can matchup against small forwards, but NBA teams would look at him as a tweener because he is long, can shoot and run like a wing."
The Subtractions
The Timberwolves lost one role player to free agency. Gary Neal left the Wolves after being acquired in a trade with Charlotte for Mo Williams and took his talents to Our Nation’s Capital to sign with the Washington Wizards. Neal only appeared in 11 games for Minnesota, so the ripples from losing him are minimal.
It was announced earlier this week that the Minnesota Timberwolves have reached a buyout agreement with former number one overall pick Anthony Bennett. Bennett's career thus far has been a disappointment, and with Bjelica and Towns coming in, the Canadian became the odd man out.
The Swap
The Timberwolves made a straight up one-for-one trade that sent Chase Budinger to the Indiana Pacers in exchange for Damjan Rudez. Budinger actually requested the trade after Wiggins and Muhammed's emergences relegated him to the bench for large portions of games. Rudez shot 40.6 percent from deep last season and should provide solid bench shooting, if the Wolves elect to keep him.
Player to Watch: Andrew Wiggins
After earning Rookie of the Year honors in his first season, Wiggins has positioned himself for a monster sophomore season. In his rookie season, the former first overall pick averaged 16.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.1 assists while starting in all 82 games. Expect Wiggins to build on that and look even more of a superstar on the rise in Year 2. Being one of the most hyped players out of high school since LeBron James definitely puts a lot of pressure on the former-Jayhawk's shoulders, but his play proves that he has everything necessary to live up to the hype, even a reported 44-inch vertical.
Sleeper Player to Watch: Gorgui Dieng
Gorgui Dieng is in a weird place on this roster. Adreian Payne is in a slightly worse one, explaining his absence from this section. The Timberwolves have quite the logjam in the frontcourt with Karl-Anthony Towns, Kevin Garnett, and Nikola Pekovic all capable of playing big minutes at the five, which is Dieng's main position. However, if an enticing trade offer is made for Pekovic, he's as good as gone, and with Garnett nearing age 40, Dieng could receive a real chance at bursting on the scene as Towns' frontcourt mate of the future.
Synopsis:
Minnesota's roster is oddly constructed with a mix of very seasoned veterans and fun young guys and plenty of players who are just shy of walking question marks. The playoffs seem like a pipe dream, but the flashes of promise should come aplenty this season. There are a lot of reasons for Minnesota fans to be excited. The future is bright, but this season, the Timberwolves should shoot for 41 wins and a .500 record but 30-35 wins is significantly more reasonable and still approximately double their win total from last season. Also, the Wolves have another 82 games of Zach LaVine flying ahead of them and that alone is worth the price of admission.