Welcome to IAI Sports! And welcome to the 2022-23 NBA Season!
To begin the season, we will be running through each NBA team and analysing what they’ve done throughout the off-season. Each article will start off with an introduction, telling a story of how this team is where they are at today. We quickly delve into the results of the 2021-2022 NBA season, before diving into the off-season in’s and out’s.
From there, we go into depth discussing some of the important rotation pieces for the upcoming season, before finishing with a quick analysis of a team’s win totals and a full conclusion of why this team has completed these moves, what their win total will be, and my own predictions of breakout players and what to expect from this team. It’s a season preview series with the purpose of getting you up-to-date with what has happened throughout the league.
A season preview of each of the 30 teams will be released, leading up to the beginning of the NBA season. All data and information included in these articles have been gathered from Basketball Reference, NBA.com and ESPN.
Today’s team is the Minnesota Timberwolves – a team ready to go all-in.
Introduction
The Minnesota Timberwolves have historically struggled to garner success and reach the playoffs. The Kevin Garnett-era of Timberwolves basketball saw the team make 8 consecutive playoff appearances, with only 1 Western Conference Finals berth in 2004 to show for it. There’s a reason why the Timberwolves have the lowest win percentage in NBA history (39.9%), they just haven’t been able to put together a roster capable of competing in the often-stacked Western Conference.
The way this roster was constructed was a trial-and-error process, filled with lottery luck and trades. By the end of the 2014 season, the team led by Kevin Love finished with a 40-42 record, the first time the franchise had 40 or more wins in a season since 2005. But they were no closer to competing in the playoffs, still 9 wins behind the 8th placed Dallas Mavericks. It was decided they would let Kevin Love go to the Cleveland Cavaliers as part of a trade for him to form a big-3 with LeBron James and Kyrie Irving. They received in return the 2014 1st overall selection, Andrew Wiggins and the 2013 1st pick – Anthony Bennett (LOL!). It was a trade that sent the Timberwolves back into yet another rebuild.
The following 2015 season saw the Timberwolves awarded the 1st overall selection after finishing with the worst record in the league (15-67). With this #1 pick, they selected Karl Anthony-Towns, forming a young core with Wiggins and 2014 13th overall selection, Zach LaVine. With another losing record in 2017 and the Timberwolves playoff drought extending to 13 seasons, the team decided to cash in some of their young prospects and trade for Jimmy Butler. He would help the Timberwolves break their playoff drought, finishing with a 47-35 record in 2018 and sneaking in to be the 8th seed. They ultimately lost to the #1 seeded Houston Rockets in 5 games.
Turmoil then followed, with Jimmy Butler demanding a trade away from the team. Once he was dealt to the Philadelphia 76ers at the start of the 2019 season, the team struggled, missing the playoffs for the next 3 seasons. A deal with the Golden State Warriors at the 2020 trade deadline, swapping Wiggins for D’Angelo Russell didn’t work, resulting in the Timberwolves finishing the 2020 season with a 19-45 record. That off-season, they were fortunate enough to be rewarded yet another 1st overall selection, drafting Anthony Edwards. A core of Towns, Russell and Edwards would be the focal point for Timberwolves fans starved of success.
Last Season
After another mediocre 23-win season in 2021, the Timberwolves made some interesting moves to change personnel prior to the 2022 season. They had seen enough of former 6th overall pick, Jarrett Culver, packaging him and Juan Hernangomez to the Memphis Grizzlies for Patrick Beverley. The team also re-signed Jarred Vanderbilt to be the starting PF for this squad.
The season started off inconsistently, falling back to a record of 4-9 before recovering with a 5-game win streak. Midway through the season, the team were stuck at .500 with a 20-20 record. At the turn of the new year though, something clicked for the team that helped them become one of the best offensive teams in the NBA. Two 6-game win streaks during the second half of the season helped the Timberwolves achieve 46 wins, their best win total since 2004, giving them the 7th seed in the Western Conference. A play-in tournament victory over the LA Clippers cemented their 2nd playoff berth since the Kevin Garnett era.
Their 1st round matchup was against the rapidly improved Memphis Grizzlies, forming a battle of the two younger teams in the Western Conference playoffs. It was a great series to watch, with the momentum of the series going back and forth between the two squads. But despite Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns’ best efforts, the Timberwolves lost the series in 6 games. Nonetheless, it was a breakthrough season for the Timberwolves, who saw Edwards shine as a #1 option for this team. They finished the season with the 7th best offensive rating and 13th defensive rating.
Off-Season
Ins:
Wendell Moore Jr (29th pick, NBA draft)
Josh Minott (45th pick, NBA draft)
Matteo Spagnolo (50th pick, NBA draft)
Rudy Gobert (trade with Utah Jazz)
Kyle Anderson (free agency, originally with Memphis Grizzlies)
Bryn Forbes (free agency, originally with Denver Nuggets)
Austin Rivers (free agency, originally with Denver Nuggets)
Outs:
Leandro Bolmaro (trade to Utah Jazz)
Jarred Vanderbilt (trade to Utah Jazz)
Patrick Beverley (trade to Utah Jazz, on-traded to LA Lakers)
Malik Beasley (trade to Utah Jazz)
Josh Okogie (free agency, moved to Phoenix Suns)
Jake Layman (free agency)
Greg Monroe (free agency)
Wow! What an off-season for the Timberwolves. They took a chance and made a big trade for Rudy Gobert, to have him partner in the front court alongside Karl-Anthony Towns. The Timberwolves also signed Kyle Anderson from the Memphis Grizzlies to be their new 6th man, while bringing in former Denver Nuggets reserves, Bryn Forbes and Austin Rivers. It was a busy night at the draft as well for the Timberwolves, ultimately bringing in Wendell Moore Jr and Josh Minott onto their roster.
In order to get the Rudy Gobert deal done, the Timberwolves had to give up Patrick Beverley, Malik Beasley, Jarred Vanderbilt, Leandro Bolmaro, their 2022 22nd overall selection Walker Kessler, and five future 1st round picks. They also decided to let Josh Okogie walk to the Phoenix Suns, while Jake Layman and Greg Monroe were left unsigned.
2022-23 Roster
Starting Five
PG – D'Angelo Russell
| H: 6’4″ | W: 196lbs | Age: 26 |
| Contract: 1 yr/$31.2m | Years Pro: 7 |
Career Averages:
17.7 pts, 3.5 reb, 5.6 asts, 1.1 stls, 0.3 blks, 2.8 to, 42.0%/35.6%/78.1%, 29.4 mins
Averages Last Season:
18.1 pts, 3.3 reb, 7.1 asts, 1.0 stls, 0.3 blks, 2.5 to, 41.1%/34.0%/82.5%, 32.0 mins
2022-23 Projections:
18.3 pts, 3.3 reb, 6.5 asts, 1.0 stls, 0.3 blks, 2.6 to, 42.3%/35.6%/81.2%
Last season was the first time since his lone All-Star season in Brooklyn where D’Angelo Russell played more than 75% of games. He has been flipped around the league throughout his career, but has finally found a stable home as the starting PG of the Timberwolves. He may not be the projected superstar that he once was billed to be, but is a nice third option in the starting line-up alongside Edwards and Towns.
SG – Anthony Edwards
| H: 6’4″ | W: 225lbs | Age: 21 |
| Contract: 2 yr/$24.2m (RC) | Years Pro: 2 |
Career Averages:
20.3 pts, 4.7 reb, 3.4 asts, 1.3 stls, 0.6 blks, 2.4 to, 42.9%/34.4%/78.1%, 33.2 mins
Averages Last Season:
21.3 pts, 4.8 reb, 3.8 asts, 1.5 stls, 0.6 blks, 2.6 to, 44.1%/35.7%/78.6%, 34.3 mins
2022-23 Projections:
21.3 pts, 5.0 reb, 3.7 asts, 1.4 stls, 0.7 blks, 2.4 to, 44.8%/36.2%/79.2%
Anthony Edwards has shown in his first two seasons that he is capable of leading this team. He made small improvements to his 3-point efficiency, as well as increased his steal rate, showing improvement as a perimeter defender. Many expect him to continue to develop into one of the league’s best two-way wings; someone who can be the lead scorer of a successful team, as seen in last season’s playoffs (25.2 pts per game on 45.5%/40.4% shooting splits).
SF - Jaden McDaniels
| H: 6’9″ | W: 185lbs | Age: 21 |
| Contract: 2 yr/$6.1m (RC) | Years Pro: 2 |
Career Averages:
8.1 pts, 3.9 reb, 1.1 asts, 0.7 stls, 0.9 blks, 0.9 to, 45.5%/33.8%/72.4%, 24.9 mins
Averages Last Season:
9.2 pts, 4.2 reb, 1.1 asts, 0.7 stls, 0.8 blks, 1.1 to, 46.0%/31.7%/80.3%, 25.8 mins
2022-23 Projections:
8.9 pts, 4.2 reb, 1.3 asts, 0.7 stls, 0.8 blks, 1.0 to, 46.9%/34.3%/76.7%
A former end of 1st round draft selection, Jaden McDaniels has been quietly developing into a solid rotation piece for the Timberwolves. He has shown to be a capable starting option when one of the usual starters was MIA in his first two seasons. McDaniels will become the 5th starter this season as a 3-and-D wing, to space the floor for his star teammates to create offensively.
PF - Karl-Anthony Towns
| H: 6’11” | W: 248lbs | Age: 26 |
| Contract: 2 yr/$69.8m | Years Pro: 7 |
Career Averages:
23.2 pts, 11.3 reb, 3.1 asts, 0.8 stls, 1.4 blks, 2.7 to, 52.7%/39.7%/83.3%, 34.2 mins
Averages Last Season:
24.6 pts, 9.8 reb, 3.6 asts, 1.0 stls, 1.1 blks, 3.1 to, 52.9%/41.0%/82.2%, 33.5 mins
2022-23 Projections:
24.6 pts, 10.0 reb, 3.9 asts, 0.9 stls, 1.1 blks, 3.0 to, 51.7%/40.4%/83.0%
Karl-Anthony Towns (like Russell) was able to put together a full season for the first time in 3 seasons. He had a wonderful 2022, leading the Timberwolves back to the playoffs and making his 3rd All-Star appearance. Towns is one of the best shooting big men in the NBA, as seen by him winning the 2022 3-Point Contest at All-Star weekend. With the addition of Gobert, Towns will now play predominantly PF.
C - Rudy Gobert
| H: 7’1″ | W: 258lbs | Age: 30 |
| Contract: 3 yr/$123m | Years Pro: 9 |
Career Averages:
12.4 pts, 11.7 reb, 1.3 asts, 0.7 stls, 2.2 blks, 1.6 to, 65.3%/0.0%/63.8%, 30.0 mins
Averages Last Season:
15.6 pts, 14.7 reb, 1.1 asts, 0.7 stls, 2.1 blks, 1.8 to, 71.3%/0.0%/69.0%, 32.1 mins
2022-23 Projections:
14.1 pts, 13.4 reb, 1.2 asts, 0.6 stls, 2.2 blks, 1.7 to, 68.2%/0.0%/66.7%
Rudy Gobert is one of the best defensive big men in the NBA. His career defensive accolades include being a 3-time Defensive Player of the Year, as well as being selected to six All-Defensive First teams and three All-Star games. Gobert has also led the league in blocks (2.6 per game in 2017) and rebounding (14.7 per game in 2022), while being the league-leader in total field goal, 2-point field goal, and effective field goal percentage for the past 2 seasons. He has just been traded to the Timberwolves after playing all 9 seasons with the Utah Jazz.
Backups
G - Jordan McLaughlin
| H: 5’11” | W: 185lbs | Age: 26 |
| Contract: 2 yr/$4.5m | Years Pro: 3 |
Jordan McLaughlin has worked hard to make himself a part of the Timberwolves rotation. Originally signed 3 seasons ago on a two-way contract, he is now a regular member of the Timberwolves bench unit, facilitating the offence with a low turnover rate. With the trade this off-season, McLaughlin now becomes the back-up PG.
G - Jaylen Nowell
| H: 6’4″ | W: 201lbs | Age: 23 |
| Contract: 1 yr/$1.9m | Years Pro: 3 |
A former 2nd round selection, Jaylen Nowell has been slowly developing into a spark-plug scorer. Playing in a career-best 62 games last season, Nowell showed small signs of scoring at high efficiency in limited minutes (shooting splits of 47.5% fg/39.4% 3pt last season). Nowell will fill the role left behind by Malik Beasley, as a bench scorer.
F - Kyle Anderson
| H: 6’9″ | W: 230lbs | Age: 28 |
| Contract: 2 yr/$18m | Years Pro: 8 |
To say that “Slo Mo” Kyle Anderson’s game is a bit unorthodox is putting it lightly. He has a unique way of going about the game, playing as a ball-handling forward that initiates the offence. After a breakout 2021 as a full-time starter, Anderson dropped his scoring efficiency as he returned back to a bench role. Signed with the Timberwolves over the off-season, the team hope to get the best version of Anderson as a 6th man.
F - Taurean Prince
| H: 6’7″ | W: 218lbs | Age: 28 |
| Contract: 2 yr/$16m | Years Pro: 6 |
Taurean Prince has found a home with the Timberwolves. Once a low-upside 5th starter with the Atlanta Hawks and Brooklyn Nets, Prince made the back-up SF role his own in Minnesota, being able to provide a consistent shooting stroke. Re-signed with the team on a two-year deal, he and Anderson will provide solid back-up forward minutes for this squad.
C - Naz Reid
| H: 6’9″ | W: 264lbs | Age: 23 |
| Contract: 1 yr/$1.9m | Years Pro: 3 |
Originally undrafted from the 2019 draft class and formerly signed on a two-way contract, Naz Reid has been a value pick-up for their rotation. He brings high energy minutes backing up Towns, showing potential to be an average 3-point shooter and serviceable back up big man. He had a drop off in his numbers compared to his sophomore year, but plays a similar style to Towns, allowing for similarity in gameplans whenever he gets on the court.
The Rest
11. Austin Rivers (PG/SG)
12. Bryn Forbes (PG)
13. Nathan Knight (PF/C)
14. Wendell Moore Jr (SF)
15. Josh Minott (PF)
T-W. Eric Paschall (PF)
T-W. Luka Garza (C)
Season Projections
Sports betting agencies currently have the Minnesota Timberwolves win totals sitting at 47.5 wins, good enough to be the 7th best in the Western Conference. It’s understandable that the punters are happy to keep the Timberwolves right where they finished last season, especially with so much unknown in the gameplan and productivity with the Rudy Gobert trade. At this stage, they will be in the top half of the Western Conference, so this win total is about where they should be placed coming into this season.
Conclusion
Making the playoffs last season showed the Minnesota Timberwolves have made the most progress yet since the Kevin Garnett-era in the early 2000s. They can say that their rebuild is finally complete and should be competing for the playoffs each season, especially if they have the core of Karl-Anthony Towns, Anthony Edwards and D’Angelo Russell.
This core now has a 4th member after trading for Rudy Gobert. It cost the Timberwolves an arm and a leg to pry him out of Utah in terms of draft capital and rotation players. We shall see if trading those five 1st round picks will come back to bite them in the future. But for now, moving the heart and soul of their playoff run, Patrick Beverley, a sharpshooting 6th man in Malik Beasley, as well as young prospects Jarred Vanderbilt, Leandro Bolmaro and Walker Kessler is quite a lot for a Centre who doesn’t shoot from the outside or able to switch on defence.
But what Gobert will bring to this team may just be worth the exorbitant price tag. As mentioned, he led the league in rebounding, one of the main issues the Timberwolves have struggled to fix. Vanderbilt showed promising signs, but you can’t beat swapping him for one of the largest and best big men at rebounding. Gobert will also provide elite inside shooting, where he will consistently be a lob threat from along the key and in pick-and-roll sets.
We have to look at the Gobert acquisition as a direct swap for Vanderbilt’s role on the offensive end, in which Gobert is certainly an overall upgrade. And defensively, he should solve the rim protection issue the Timberwolves have been dealing with. Watch for how successful a partner with Towns he’ll be, but from the outset, Gobert should fix some of the Timberwolves dire issues of the past few seasons.
After losing a lot of depth in the Gobert trade, picking up a high IQ wing in Kyle Anderson will help bolster their bench. He will be the main facilitator on the offensive end and provide the Timberwolves a starting calibre forward in case of emergency. Additionally, the likes of Bryn Forbes and Austin Rivers will also bolster depth and give the Timberwolves options on both the offensive and defensive end respectively. Rivers, in particular, could see minutes if Jaylen Nowell cannot solidify his place in the rotation.
As mentioned, the Timberwolves had the #1 offense for the second half of the 2022 season, so they know that their system works. What they needed to fix was their defensive issues, particularly ranking 13th in efficiency – hence the Gobert trade. But I really worry about Towns now playing PF and having to guard smaller wing/forwards from teams playing small ball line-ups. In the post-season 2 years ago, the LA Clippers played Gobert off the court by putting on line-ups that could all shoot from 3-point range, and I’m worried teams will exploit this tall front court in a similar fashion. The perimeter defence of this team will be solely reliant on Edwards and Jaden McDaniels continuing their improvement on that end.
I believe that the Timberwolves have upgraded to definitely be one of the better teams in the Western Conference. But they do have to come up against other teams like the Clippers and Denver Nuggets, who will both get key pieces back and improve from last season. As mentioned, the Gobert acquisition will be positive on both ends of the floor, while their free agency acquisitions will cover the depth lost in the trade. For these reasons, I’m predicting the Timberwolves to exceed past last season’s win total and get to 49 wins for the season. Towns’ elite 3-point shooting will be more prominent as Gobert fills the paint with his league-best field goal percentage, while Edwards has the chance to breakout to become an All-Star, especially after his showing in last season’s playoffs.