2017-18 fantasy basketball preview: Minnesota Timberwolves

Over the coming weeks, we at FanSided will do a team-by-team breakdown of each NBA franchise’s fantasy prospects for the 2017-18 season. Let’s continue today with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Few teams underwent as drastic a makeover as the Minnesota Timberwolves this offseason. With four of the team’s top seven minutes-getters from last season no longer in Minnesota, fantasy basketball owners will be flying blind as they attempt to suss out each player’s projected value heading into 2017-18.

The Timberwolves made their biggest splash during the 2017 NBA draft, shipping Zach LaVine, Kris Dunn and the No. 7 overall pick to the Chicago Bulls for Jimmy Butler and the No. 16 pick. One week later, they sent starting point guard Ricky Rubio to the Utah Jazz for a lottery-protected 2018 first-round pick (via the Oklahoma City Thunder), then turned around and signed Jeff Teague to a three-year, $57 million deal once free agency began.

Upon settling their point guard dilemma, the Wolves then turned their attention to acquiring veteran help. Team president Tom Thibodeau targeted another one of his former Chicago players in Taj Gibson, who signed a two-year, $28 million contract with the Wolves. Jamal Crawford followed suit upon securing his buyout from the Atlanta Hawks, inking a two-year, $8.9 million deal with a second-year player option. Both figure to play valuable roles this year, especially given Thibodeau’s tendency to lean heavily upon veterans.

Which Timberwolves players should fantasy owners target with early-, mid- and late-round picks, and who should be left on the waiver wire? Let’s take a look.

Early-round picks

Karl-Anthony Towns, C: Towns will enter the 2017-18 season on the shortlist of players worth considering at No. 1 overall, even with Butler’s arrival perhaps cutting into his touches. The Kentucky product finished his sophomore NBA campaign as the sixth-ranked player on a per-game basis in nine-category leagues, having poured in 25.1 points on 54.2 percent shooting, 12.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.3 blocks and 1.2 triples in a whopping 37.0 minutes while playing all 82 games. Thibodeau has never shied away from riding his best players into the ground, which means Towns should play all of the minutes he can handle this upcoming season. He’s worth a top-five pick in all redraft formats, while Giannis Antetokounmpo is his only competition for No. 1 overall in dynasty leagues.

Jimmy Butler, SG: During his four years playing under Thibodeau in Chicago, Butler went from a lightly used reserve to a bona fide All-Star. He continued that development under Thibodeau’s replacement, Fred Hoiberg, and put up career-best numbers across the board in 2016-17. Butler finished as the 10th-ranked player on a per-game basis in nine-category leagues after averaging 23.9 points on 45.5 percent shooting, 6.2 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 1.9 steals and 1.2 triples in 37.0 minutes during his final season with the Bulls. While he’ll be jostling for touches with Towns, Teague and Andrew Wiggins rather than the corpses of Dwyane Wade and Rajon Rondo, Butler should still come off the draft board within the first 20 picks.

Jeff Teague, PG: Teague is the textbook example of why it’s OK to wait on point guard in drafts this year. The 29-year-old won’t rank among the top 10 floor generals, but he’s fresh off a season in which he finished as the 44th-ranked player on a per-game basis in nine-category leagues after averaging 15.3 points on 44.2 percent shooting, a career-high 7.8 assists, 4.0 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 11. Triples in just 32.4 minutes. Since Tyus Jones is the only nominal point guard behind him on Minnesota’s roster, Teague could be barreling toward playing more minutes than ever, and the attention defenses must dedicate to Towns, Butler and Wiggins should give him a plethora of open looks. If you miss out on a top-tier point guard, go after Teague in the fifth round.

Mid-round picks

Andrew Wiggins, SG: Need proof of how little scoring totals matter for fantasy owners? Look no further than Wiggins, who finished as the 117th-ranked player on a per-game basis in nine-category leagues last season despite going off for a career-high 23.6 points on 45.2 percent shooting. Outside of points, his averages of 4.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.3 treys and 1.0 steals meant he didn’t produce positive value in a single other category. Wiggins has the physical tools to become an above-average defender, and with Butler guiding him, owners can hope for more well-rounded production this season. Those who grab him with a top-50 pick, however, are setting themselves up for disappointment.

Gorgui Dieng, C: Dieng is almost the polar opposite of Wiggins—someone who rarely erupts for high-scoring outings but still churns out top-75 value season after season. Last year, Dieng finished 51st overall on a per-game basis in nine-category leagues, as his 50.2 percent shooting, 7.9 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.2 blocks and 1.1 steals in 32.4 minutes helped buoy his relatively unimpressive 10.0 points. Dieng will face increased competition for playing time this year in the form of Gibson, but there aren’t many reliable frontcourt contributors on the depth chart behind him. As such, Dieng will still be worth a look in the eighth or ninth rounds.

Late-round picks

Taj Gibson, PF: Like Dieng, Gibson benefits most from the Timberwolves’ lack of established, healthy frontcourt talent. Nemanja Bjelica suffered a fractured navicular bone in his left foot in March and has not yet been fully cleared, according to Jace Frederick of the Pioneer Press, while Justin Patton broke the fifth metatarsal in his left foot during an offseason workout. Gibson isn’t likely to put up huge numbers as he competes with Dieng and Towns for frontcourt playing time, but his contributions in rebounds, field-goal percentage and blocks should give him late-round value by year’s end.

Jamal Crawford, SG: Crawford isn’t likely to be high on anyone’s fantasy radar heading into the year, but a confluence of factors are working in his favor. The Timberwolves lack significant backcourt depth at the moment, and spacing concerns abound with the Teague-Butler-Wiggins trio. Crawford, a career 35.0 percent 3-point shooter, can slide in at either guard spot behind Teague and Butler, and Thibodeau has long favored veterans over inexperienced options. Although the 37-year-old’s field-goal percentage will likely hover in the low 40s, his upside as a late-round three-point specialist merits taking him with one of your final few picks.

Waiver-wire fodder

Tyus Jones, PG

Nemanja Bjelica, PF

Amile Jefferson, PF

Cole Aldrich, C

Justin Patton, C

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Sleepers/Busts

Sleeper: Jamal Crawford

Bust: Andrew Wiggins

Other team breakdowns

All average draft position info via FantasyPros. All rankings via Basketball Monster are based on nine-category leagues.

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