Midseason Grades for Each NBA Team
C+. player. 86. . 13-31. 14th West. Minnesota Timberwolves
Those people predicting that the Minnesota Timberwolves would be something like a playoff team in the Western Conference this season were quite scarce. The general consensus around the NBA about the Wolves was that they were a highly talented young team with tremendous upside that was, more or less, going to be competitive but not ultimately successful this year. That’s entirely accurate as Minnesota has been just that through the first half to the year.
Minnesota has often been one of the most exciting teams in the league to watch. Andrew Wiggins has clearly taken a step forward coming off of his rookie season while No. 1-overall pick from the 2015 NBA Draft in Karl-Anthony Towns has only proven that he was the right choice in that spot. Throw that into the mix with Ricky Rubio still being one of the most electric facilitators in the league and with explosive players such as Zach LaVine and the entertainment factor with the Timberwolves is clearly there.
However, that hasn’t translated to wins as the Wolves have been prone to both failing to show up from time to time and from not being able to close out tightly contested games. That’s what you’d expect from a young team in this stage of a rebuild, so giving them an above-average grade—but just barely above—is the right call for Minny.
Next: New Orleans Pelicans