The Minnesota Timberwolves have been fantastic this season. There’s no other way to put it. At 17-4, they own the NBA’s best record. Minnesota’s defense has been even stronger than almost everyone could have predicted. And they’re playing sound defense without their best perimeter defender, Jaden McDaniels, who has played in less than half of their games this year.
This season has been a dream for many fans. Unfortunately, this roster is unlikely to remain the same beyond the conclusion of this season, and it could change earlier than that. The Wolves have committed $500 million to Karl-Anthony Towns, Rudy Gobert, and Anthony Edwards for varying lengths over the next six years – and that may yet increase if Edwards makes an All-NBA team. They have also given McDaniels and Naz Reid significant extensions. The Wolves will likely be in the NBA’s “second apron” once Edwards and McDaniels’ contract extensions start.
In their present situation, the Wolves are unlikely to extend Mike Conley and Kyle Anderson, who are restricted free agents next offseason. They may wish to go into the second apron and retain them all. However, you would imagine the team would need to be in the 60-win mark and a deep playoff team for Tim Connelly and ownership to consider doing that. Although they could tinker at the trade deadline, presumably by trading Anderson and not Conley, that’s unlikely if the Wolves continue this current form.
But these are issues for tomorrow, not today. And the Wolves do not need to rush into any major decisions. However, the Wolves need some of their recent draft selections to step up and look like competent rotation players at some point this season. One of Connelly’s best attributes is finding gems outside the draft lottery.
The Denver Nuggets are a good example of a team that utilizes recent draft selections on team-friendly contracts. Christian Braun, Peyton Watson, and Julian Strawther are on rookie deals and play 12-15 minutes a night for Denver. The Nuggets drafted them in the last three years, and they allow Denver to pay their best four players $135 million – a number that will increase in future years.
The NBA’s new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) will punish teams who go deeper into the luxury tax, meaning that GMs of elite teams must find unique ways to balance the roster. Although it is not a concern in the immediate term, the Wolves will likely have to take measures to avoid the second apron. To do so, they must draft well, with young players ready to take on small roles in the rotation early in their NBA careers.
The problem with this for the Wolves is that the team is so deep that we never see them. Connelly has drafted Wendell Moore Jr., Josh Minott, and Leonard Miller in the last two seasons. However, none are seemingly NBA-ready, given current rotations. They have only played in 13 games this season, all in garbage time.
Moore has been particularly disappointing. The former 26th pick has only played in one game despite Minnesota’s lack of guard depth. In the recent 123-117 win over the Charlotte Hornets, Chris Finch opted for an eight-man rotation with Shake Milton going through his struggles rather than give Moore minutes. The problem is that without playing these young guys, it is hard to know whether they are good enough should Minnesota eventually need to rely on them.
It means that trading Kyle Anderson and putting faith in Minott or Miller as a rotation option is much more difficult. While we consider the Timberwolves a deep team, it is difficult to tell if they have depth beyond the current rotation. The Wolves may soon need one of those young guys to step up as the eighth or ninth man. Some may view that as a step too soon, but it’s impossible to know if they are capable until they play meaningful minutes.
The Nuggets have proven that it is possible to use recent draft picks and remain an elite team. Although they have been doing this for longer than the Timberwolves have. Denver lost a crucial player in Bruce Brown and used rookies and second-year players to play those minutes. With the starting five set and performing, it becomes far easier for young players to play and fulfill those roles effectively. Eventually, the Wolves must know if they can rely on their young, cost-effective players.
