The NBA season is less than two months away, and it’s the time of year when fans put labels and expectations on teams across the league. The LeBron James-led Los Angeles Lakers and superstar-powered Brooklyn Nets have the championship on their mind; anything else will be seen as a failure. The Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns will have to prove that their run to the finals was legitimate. The Dallas Mavericks and Portland Trail Blazers hope a coaching change alters their fate.
There are then teams like the Wolves that are building something, but it’s hard to measure their progress because of their history of losing.
Many teams fall into this category, and the national media typically does not pay any attention to them, making it essentially guesswork when they determine whether they will see success from any of these rosters. From Minnesota’s perspective, they finished last season strong, have a filled-out roster that ran into injury trouble last year, and should benefit from continuity for the first time in what seems like forever. There’s reason to believe that they can beat preseason expectations.
Potential Developments
Last season we saw Anthony Edwards go from one of the most inefficient players in the entire league to a blossoming scorer, a rapid development that shouldn’t be taken for granted. It’s worth mentioning that most of his success came under Finch, who simplified the offensive game flow.
D’Angelo Russell also flourished in his new role. He came off the bench after returning from injury and created for himself and the players around him with aplomb. It wasn’t just DLo, though. Jarred Vanderbilt cemented himself as a reliable backup, while Nowell displayed a sparkplug scoring ability, and Jaden McDaniels showcased his high ceiling as a 3-and-D player.
It is already significant for a player to make big strides in the offseason, but it’s a great sign that the Wolves had so much positive development with core contributors last year.
The national media rarely factors in small developments like that when determining if a team like Minnesota had a good offseason. They tend to focus on trades or free-agency acquisitions.
When your team can come back with the roster that was successful, you are already a step ahead. For an example from last year, take the Toronto Raptors’ two key pieces, Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka. While their departures seem insignificant, this created a massive hole on their roster, and Toronto was forced to tank for a pick after starting the season poorly.
Media Expectations
The national media has almost universally disapproved of what Gersson Rosas has done this offseason, and therefore projects the Wolves to struggle next season. They have been panned for trading Juancho Hernangómez and Jarrett Culver for Patrick Beverley, despite Culver’s struggles since he was drafted. And Rosas has been criticized for trading both draft picks to the Golden State Warriors and not signing any free agents after they finished with 23 wins.
From ESPN:
ESPN’s analysis shows a lack of attention paid to the small moves and the fact that they have not been forced. A home-run swing could easily be a detriment to the future, especially done with poor timing. Rosas brought back the players who were successful at the end of the year and cleared out the logjam at the 3-4 position, specifically the players who were least likely to see minutes.
This lack of national media attention should put a significant chip on the shoulder of this young Wolves team, given they enter the year as an underdog that has a chance to land in the play-in game.
Via Sports Illustrated:
Keys To Exceeding Expectations
If the Wolves want to silence the critics, a few things must happen as soon as the season starts.
Anthony Edwards must pick up where he finished his season, and that is cementing himself as one of the better young scorers in the league.
KAT must continue to show out on offense, especially with his passing that was a staple in his second-half game last season.
DLo must show that he can play situationally, whether that is off the ball or as the primary ball-handler.
McDaniels has to show his ability to create for himself and retain his 3-and-D ability.
Malik Beasley has to come back strong and acclimate himself with those around him.
And finally, Beverley has to show catch-and-shoot ability, ball-handling traits, and his infamous defensive presence — not much to ask from the scrappy NBA vet.
Ultimately, the Wolves need continued development from Ant and Jaden, KAT and DLo need to be open to Finch’s offensive methods, and the rest of the team has to buy in. It’s not a lofty expectation for this team to bring playoff basketball back in Minneapolis.
