The Timberwolves came into this 2021-2022 with mixed expectations. With a pair of seventh-year players in Karl-Anthony Towns and guard D’Angelo Russell alongside second-year star Anthony Edwards, it was difficult to gauge how well they would perform. Whether it was size or experience, most issues from past seasons looked like they were going to spill over into this season. For the Wolves to be a winning team, they would need young players to develop and drive winning. Few believed they could.
The Patrick Beverley trade represented a paradigm shift. He has not missed the playoffs once in his NBA career and wasn’t going to start now. Beverley brought nonstop energy, a competitor, and a veteran presence to the Wolves team that desperately needed that. Minnesota traded former sixth-overall pick Jarrett Culver to the Memphis Grizzlies to land Beverley, cutting ties with a third-year player to win now. It was an excellent decision by then-GM Gersson Rosas.
The Wolves also brought Taurean Prince in for spacing, moving a disgruntled Ricky Rubio, who was clogging up the offensive flow, to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Those were Minnesota’s only two acquisitions of the offseason, and few pundits saw them as franchise-changing moves.
The Wolves came into the season with a 35.5 expected win total per basketball reference. That would have made them the 12-seed in the Western Conference, which seemed very low to many experts, even with the uneventful offseason.
Although the Wolves were a bottom-feeder in the league since reaching the Western Conference Finals in 2003-04, this placed a chip on the shoulder of this young team. They felt that they could compete for a play-in spot at a minimum this season if they stayed healthy.
Not to mention, the New Orleans Pelicans and Sacramento Kings were sandwiched near them and had just as much uncertainty with their rosters.
The season had its ups and downs like any other NBA season. There were injuries and winning and losing streaks – nothing completely out of the norm.
But this team had a new type of comradery. We began to see a more fiery Towns, a vocal leader in Russell, an eager learner in Edwards, a spark plug in Pat Bev, and Chris Finch orchestrating it all. The Wolves suddenly looked like a playoff team late in the season.
Russell began to shed narratives surrounding his play and finally settled into a team that needed him. It was as simple as when DLo plays well; the Wolves play well. His play was crafty, using all possible angles on the floor to get an open shot for himself or others. He was the driving force in the halfcourt offense, and his leadership took a step forward. Russell became the on-court coach, pointing out defensive assignments and using his expansive basketball IQ to raise the floor of others.
Towns had his early-season struggles, whether that was turning the ball over or getting into foul trouble. But it was clear that he is still this team’s best player. There was a clear hole when he was off the floor. KAT’s dynamic ability to stretch defenses out while also deriving to the rim at a career-high rate and finish made him a massive threat.
Edwards is still 20 years old. He built off his last season with an uncanny ability to heat up whenever he needs to. He struggled with knee issues in the middle of the season, but it did not stop him from bouncing back. Ant’s only bad stretch this season to come from fatigue-based knee soreness, hardly a sophomore slump.
Beverley and Jarred Vanderbilt, two scrappy players, filled the other starting spots perfectly. They were junkyard dogs who did whatever it takes to win. Malik Beasley offered high-quality three-point shooting off the bench and helped drive winning the second half of the season. Jaden McDaniels built off his rookie season, showing his prowess as a 3-and-D threat with upside.
This season was overwhelmingly positive for the Wolves, and that is why they found a way to secure the seventh seed and a playoff berth with their 46 wins. It was the most since the Jimmy Butler-led 2017-18 team that finished with 47 and the eighth seed.
The Wolves worked their tails off for this. They came together to make one of the most well-constructed teams in franchise history. They still have so much to grow and prove, whether that is their win total, playoff future, or player development. But beating outside expectations is something this team can take pride in and build upon moving forward.
