Chad Ford and Kevin Pelton have assigned future rankings (Insider required) to each team, and the Minnesota Timberwolves have made a leap, landing at No. 5 ahead of division rivals Utah (No. 6) and Portland (No. 8) as well as the Los Angeles Clippers (No. 7).
The Wolves remain behind the Boston Celtics (No. 3) as well as three of the league’s juggernauts — the Golden State Warriors, Cleveland Cavaliers and San Antonio Spurs.
“The Wolves take another leap this summer from No. 9 to No. 5, reflecting our belief that they have the best young roster in the NBA,” writes Ford.
“With No. 1 picks Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins already on the roster, the addition of Kris Dunn in the draft helped the Wolves move up to No. 4 in the players category.”
He also believes that head coach and president of basketball operations Tom Thibodeau will get the most out of the roster.
“The team is also well situated to be a player in free agency going forward, giving Minnesota more flexibility than most to continue to tinker with the roster,” he writes. “You have to be patient with young teams, but give the Wolves another year and they should start making noise in the West.”
[ESPN]
