The NBA general managers have finalized their yearly survey, mentioning the Minnesota Timberwolves multiple times in it. The survey focuses less on the team but rather more on the individual players. It gives GMs 50 questions to respond to annually, giving a read on the league from their cumulative perspective. Questions involve the finals favorite, conference standings predictions, and a ranking of players positionally and by their skill sets.
In the past, we have seen Karl-Anthony Towns get a lot of individual votes, but few GMs thought highly of the team. Rightfully so.
Last year, Anthony Edwards was the only Wolves player to receive top-5 votes for anything. The GMs voted him second in the most likely to break out and third in the most athletic player in the league. Ant was also the only player to receive votes the year before that. In his rookie year, Edwards was voted fourth-best odds to win Rookie Of the Year, and they voted him third on which rookie will be the best in five years.
The belief in Edwards’ latent greatness brought a lot of attention to a Wolves team that finally has expectations to succeed. That could be why they went out of their way to trade multiple first-round picks to acquire Rudy Gobert, which was reflected in the GM Survey.
The NBA GMs surveyed expect the Wolves to finish tied for sixth place in the Western Conference, similar to last season. The team has got better on paper but so has the West. The lone third-place finish selection boosts them over the play-in teams.
There is a lot of expectation for Edwards to break out this season. It could be similar to what we saw with Ja Morant winning Most Improved Player in his third season last year. Ant landed tied for second with sophomore Cade Cunningham, just behind fellow 2021 draftee Evan Mobley. Surprisingly, Gobert was receiving votes for this category, showing that at least one GM, if not a few of them, believes he will be a great fit with the Wolves and KAT.
The GMs also expressed that in other polls.
The Wolves were tied for second in the best overall moves and second in which acquisition will have the most impact. It seems a consensus that the Donovan Mitchell trade was better for the Cleveland Cavaliers than the Gobert trade was for the Wolves, but they were still good moves nonetheless.
The GMs found the Gobert move as the most surprising trade alongside the Mitchell trade. The Utah Jazz’s implosion seemed imminent, but the effect of surprising landing spots made shockwaves across the league from a fan perspective and the front offices and GMs.
The 3-time DPOY earned his props for being voted the 3rd best defender in the NBA. However, the GMs surveyed preferred supremely versatile players in Draymond Green and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The survey wasn’t just about players, though. Chris Finch got praise for the second best offense in the league after coaching a Wolves team that scored the most points per game this past season (115.9).
With the offseason makeover and expectations comes unpredictability. The Wolves should be a good team. It is just a matter of how good. How will KAT and Gobert fit, and how will Dlo and Ant play? How will they build around that core? It is perfectly normal for the Wolves to be in this conversation.
Overall, this is by far the most selections, mentions, and leads the Wolves have had in the GM survey. It is interesting to see how the other general managers expect the Gobert fit to pay its dividends. The Wolves surprised everyone with the move. Still, people see it as a positive overall.
Seeing the inclusions of all three levels of the organization should make us comfortable with the outside view of the team. Players, coaches, and front office involvement are all included, showing an above-average status in all three for the first time in decades. It is all intel to be excited about. It all comes down to the execution as we move closer to the start of the season.
