The Minnesota Timberwolves are cool. Not only are they winning the games they should be winning, but they are also having fun doing it. There is no issue with having vibes at an all-time high when you are demolishing bottom-feeder tanking teams in the Oklahoma City Thunder and Portland Trail Blazers by double digits. These are games where previous Wolves teams have played down to the competition and lost because of a lack of focus. Not to mention, they are winning without Anthony Edwards, an up-and-coming star.
Having a connected unit makes it much simpler to rely on each other. The Wolves get constant encouragement from All-Star center Karl-Anthony Towns, honest veteran advice from journeymen Patrick Beverley, and creative youthful energy from Anthony Edwards. Together, you have a melting pot of positive excitement.
The Wolves have created a camaraderie that should carry them on a run for a top-6 seed. At a minimum, they should conquer the play-in.
Stepping Up for Others
The most significant development has been role players stepping up for others. Since the All-Star break, the Wolves are 6-1 and are 21-10 in 2022. Over that span, D’Angelo Russell has missed seven games, and Edwards has missed four. Those are two high-impact scoring options and the glue keeping the team together.
Jaden McDaniels, Malik Beasley, Taurean Prince, and Jaylen Nowell have stepped up in their absence.
Everyone has fallen into a role they can succeed in:
McDaniels produces a positive impact on the defensive end nightly, locking up potential offensive threats and becoming a more complete two-way player.
Beasley has come back as a three-point specialist. While he doesn’t offer much outside of that, you cannot argue shooting 40% from three over the two months/
Nowell has fully taken advantage of filling a hole in the lineup with shot creation and spark plug scoring ability.
And finally, Prince has been damn near automatic from three and spacing the floor from the corner while cutting off passing lanes on the defensive end.
Fan Support
Naz Reid acknowledged the fan engagement after the Wolves blew out Portland. “Top 3 (moment),” he said, “we dominated as we should have. We had a lot of fun. The crowd definitely has stepped up. We hear it. Keep it coming.”
Ever since Russell made his “quiet ass fans” statement, people have shown up, stood until the first bucket, and been loud, something that has been a signature at Lynx games and around basketball arenas at all levels.
The fan engagement has led to more impact for the players, energy to feed off, and the players are having fun with it. It promotes a winning culture and a team personality, and the greater connection of the fan base connected to the franchise itself. C’mon now, we had Patrick Beverley shooting a t-shirt cannon while other players were doing the wave when the Wolves were up 45 on Portland.
Momentum
It’s the name of the game. Teams need to get going full speed ahead as we inch closer to vital games. The Wolves relied on chemistry at the deadline by deciding to stand pat, and as bench rotations thin out, those minutes will be critical. Specialists such as Malik and Taurean must hit their shots to be successful and pick up others who may be having a down game.
What if the Wolves have this much connectedness moving into their second playoff berth since Kevin Garnett led them to the Western Conference Finals in 2003-04? They are playing well, beating inferior teams, and having fun while doing so. It will only increase everyone’s confidence and build upon that synergy.
Ideally, this is a building block for future playoff success, building year by year towards that common goal of improvement. With a roster that has few pieces leaving next year and the core under contract, the Wolves are headed in the right direction.
