Notable Moves:
Additions: Jarrett Culver, Shabazz Napier, Treveon Graham, Jordan Bell, Noah Vonleh, Jake Layman
Subtractions: Derrick Rose, Tyus Jones, Taj Gibson, Jerryd Bayless, Anthony Tolliver, Dario Saric, Luol Deng
Projected Depth Chart:
PG: Jeff Teague / Shabazz Napier
SG: Andrew Wiggins / Josh Okogie / Tyrone Wallace
SF: Jake Layman / Jarrett Culver / Treveon Graham
PF: Robert Covington / Jordan Bell / Keita Bates-Diop
C: Karl-Anthony Towns / Gorgui Dieng / Noah Vonleh
Let me start off by saying that if the Minnesota Timberwolves played in the Eastern Conference, I’d be writing with much more optimism about their upcoming season.
Karl Anthony Towns has been a double-double machine ever since he came into the league and has the tools to become the best center in the league; when he commits on defense and continues to expand his elite offensive arsenal. A player of that caliber can lead a team in the East to the playoffs, but in the West odds are slim when you consider the supporting cast. Poor roster construction and past transactions have sunk this franchise into the abyss of the Western Conference.
Kris Dunn, Zach Lavine, and Lauri Markkanen (7th pick in the draft) were traded for Jimmy Butler two years ago. That same year, they offered a max extension to Andrew Wiggins. What if Coach/GM Thibs would’ve stayed put with a youth movement instead of expediting the process with Butler… and failing? Would they be in a better place if Wiggins was shipped instead of Lavine?
Once upon a time called the Maple Jordan, Wiggins continues to disappoint every year by not taking the next step in his development. Heading onto his 6th season; his scoring averages have been a roller coaster, efficiency has not been a favorable part of his game, and defense has been a weakness instead of a strength. He’s alluded to the Butler trade as a reason for his struggles, but at this point it’s become an excuse (Butler played ten games for the Wolves last season).
The lone survivor out of the Butler trade is Robert Covington who feels like a great glue-guy on a contending team, but is stuck in Minnesota as a role player on a bad team. On the same boat is former All-Star Jeff Teague who’s struggled to make a sizeable difference after moving on from Atlanta and Indiana. The longest-tenured Timberwolf is Gorgui Dieng who continues to be part of the rotation, even though his minutes have started to decrease the past few seasons.
Alongside last years stand-up rookie, Josh Okogie, the rest of this squad is fairly young. Shabazz Napier and Noah Vonleh will be hoping to finally find their NBA homes, Jake Layman and Treveon Graham will look to build upon their best seasons to date, and Keita Bates-Diop will aim to build more equity with the team that drafted him.
Their biggest two additions of the summer are probably sixth overall pick Jarrett Culver and NBA Champion Jordan Bell. Culver’s stock fell after lackluster performances during Texas Tech’s run to the NCAA Final; especially shooting close to 25% over the last three games. As for Bell, he fell out of favor with Golden State’s Steve Kerr early on and struggled for game time. They’ll look for a new opportunity under Coach Ryan Saunders and playing alongside KAT.
This team is not good enough and will probably finish near the bottom of the Western Conference with the likes of the Suns and Grizzlies. A lot needs to go right in order for them to be competitive night in and night out, and most of those hopes rest on Wiggins’s ability to take a sizable step forward. If i’m a betting man, Karl Anthony Towns requests a trade before making the playoffs again with Minnesota.
Before the 2019-2020 NBA season starts, NBA Porkchop will take an in-depth look at each basketball team separately. Team transactions, player additions/subtractions through free agency, depth charts, and season projections will be discussed.
NBA PORKCHOP 