- The Minnesota Timberwolves went 42-40 last season and lost to the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the 2023 playoffs in five games
- The Timberwolves will likely have four players who have made an All-Star team in their starting lineup next season
- Anthony Edwards may have replaced Karl-Anthony Towns as the Timberwolves’ No. 1 option on offense
The Minnesota Timberwolves had an up-and-down 2022-23 season. They went 42-40 in Rudy Gobert’s first year with the club and needed to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 8-9 play-in game to qualify for the 2023 playoffs.
The Timberwolves faced the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the 2023 postseason and lost in five games. Minnesota hasn’t gotten past the first round of the playoffs in the Karl-Anthony Towns era, which began in 2015-16.
Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch will likely start four All-Stars next season. Let’s take a look at who Minnesota will probably begin games within 2023-24.
Point Guards
Starter: Mike Conley
Reserve: Jordan McLaughlin
The Timberwolves acquired Mike Conley from the Utah Jazz at the February trade deadline. The lefty averaged 14.0 points, 3.1 rebounds and 5.0 assists in 24 games with Minnesota while shooting 46.0% from the field, 42.0% from beyond the arc, and 86.3% from the free-throw line.
Conley put up 12.0 points and 6.4 assists per game in the Nuggets series. The one-time All-Star finished with 19 points and eight games in Game 4, the only contest the Timberwolves won against the Nuggets.
The 35-year-old Conley has career averages of 14.7 points, 3.0 rebounds and 5.7 assists with the Memphis Grizzlies, Jazz, and Timberwolves. He will make $24.4 million next season and become an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2024.
Shooting Guards
Starter: Anthony Edwards
Reserves: Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Shake Milton
The Timberwolves drafted Anthony Edwards with the first overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. The Atlanta native is averaging 21.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists in the NBA.
Edwards put up a career-high 24.6 points per game last season. He made the All-Star team and helped the Timberwolves make the playoffs for the second year in a row.
Minnesota and Edwards agreed to a five-year maximum contract extension that could be worth up to $260 million this offseason. Edwards would have become a restricted NBA free agent next offseason if the Timberwolves didn’t sign him to an extension. The franchise was never going to let that happen.
The 22-year-old Edwards has established himself as one of the best players in the NBA. After signing his new contract, the Georgia native will likely be under major pressure to lead the Timberwolves past the second round of the playoffs in 2023-24.
Small Forwards
Starter: Jaden McDaniels
Reserve: Troy Brown
Jaden McDaniels averaged 12.1 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists for the Timberwolves last season in 79 games while shooting 51.7% from the field, 39.8% from beyond the arc, and 73.6% from the free-throw line.
McDaniels punched a wall in frustration on April 9 versus the New Orleans Pelicans and suffered fractures of his third and fourth metacarpals. The Washington product didn’t play in the 7-8 play-in game versus the Los Angeles Lakers and missed the entire 2023 playoffs.
McDaniels has career averages of 9.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.4 assists with Minnesota. He remains an integral element of what the team seeks to accomplish alongside other foundational talents like Anthony Edwards, Rudy Gobert, and Karl-Anthony Towns. His defensive versatility is essential in tying the unit together.
Power Forwards
Starter: Karl-Anthony Towns
Reserve: Kyle Anderson
Karl-Anthony Towns averaged 20.8 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 4.8 assists last season while shooting 49.5% from the field, 36.6% from beyond the arc, and 87.4% from the free-throw line. The three-time All-Star signed a four-year, $224.2 million designated veteran player extension with the Timberwolves in July 2022.
Many people around the NBA are keeping an eye on Towns’ future with the Timberwolves in the wake of Anthony Edwards signing a five-year maximum contract extension that could be worth up to $260 million.
NBA insiders Tim MacMahon and Jamal Collier of ESPN think Towns is a player who has flown under the radar in free agency but could be a big storyline at the 2024 February trade deadline.
“There has been some discussion about Towns, but it shouldn’t be a surprise if that gets much louder as the trade deadline nears,” MacMahon wrote. “The face of the franchise for the Timberwolves has transitioned to Edwards, fresh off signing a new potential supermax extension. If Minnesota is going to make another major change, it would need to be by trading Towns.”
Added Collier: “Minnesota did not live up to expectations last season, and had Towns not missed such a significant portion of the campaign with an injury, there might already be more questions surrounding that roster.”
Towns only played in 29 games last season due to a serious right calf injury. He has fully recovered from his injury this offseason.
Centers
Starter: Rudy Gobert
Reserves: Naz Reid, Luka Garza
The Timberwolves acquired Rudy Gobert from the Jazz last offseason. The three-time Defensive Player of the Year averaged 13.4 points, 11.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 1.4 blocks in his first year with Minnesota while shooting 65.9% from the field.
Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns weren’t a good fit next to each other last season and both players are set to make over $35 million next season. The Timberwolves went only 14-13 when Towns and Gobert played together in 2022-23.
Gobert punched Kyle Anderson on April 9 versus the Pelicans during a timeout. The Timberwolves suspended Gobert for the 7-8 play-in game versus the Lakers.
If Gobert and Towns struggle to co-exist again next season, many people around the NBA believe Minnesota will trade one of the All-Stars.
