The Minnesota Timberwolves eliminated the Denver Nuggets in an epic seven-game series two years ago and beat them shorthanded this year. However, the Wolves have reached an impasse against the Western Conference’s best teams in the past two seasons.
The Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs have dispatched Minnesota in the past two seasons. Both elimination games felt similar. Oklahoma City and San Antonio eventually took over in a series where they felt like the superior teams. So, naturally, somebody asked Anthony Edwards how the Wolves catch up to the Western Conference’s contending teams.
“I don’t know,” Edwards responded. “I don’t think that’s a question for me.”
It was a fair response. It’s Minnesota’s responsibility to determine how best to build a championship team around Edwards.
The Timberwolves pried Tim Connelly away from Denver in May 2022, and he traded for Rudy Gobert in July. It was the first effort in building a team that could beat the Nuggets. Nikola Jokic was the league’s best player, and the Nuggets eliminated the Wolves in five games en route to winning their first championship.
Minnesota won 56 games and held on to eliminate the Nuggets a year later. However, they lost to the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference Finals and had to trade Karl-Anthony Towns under the league’s “second apron” rules. Julius Randle became their new No. 2, and Donte DiVincenzo became a vital 3-and-D player.
The Wolves became a 49-win team after the Towns trade. They swept the Phoenix Suns and eliminated the mostly Steph Curry-less Golden State Warriors in five games. However, the Thunder overmatched them in the Western Conference.
Connelly decided to run it back with a similar team this season. Most of the core players from last year’s team remained, aside from Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who signed a four-year, $62 million deal with the Atlanta Hawks. Still, on Friday night, the Spurs eliminated Minnesota and will take on Oklahoma City in the Western Conference Finals.
Minnesota learned a few things over the past two seasons. The Wolves have been a 49-win team since trading Towns. They don’t take the regular season seriously, and they can eliminate Denver, but not Oklahoma City or San Antonio.
“We have a young still have a young core around Anthony, Jaden, those guys,” Finch said after Game 6. “So, we’re not planning on going anywhere, but we know we need to keep building this thing out.”
Edwards was playing on two bad knees, and Naz Reid’s injured shoulder hampered his shooting. Still, that alone doesn’t explain the disparity between the teams. The Spurs contained Randle, and Gobert played a limited role.
Connelly must reinvent a roster built to beat Oklahoma City and San Antonio. That means centering Edwards. Instead of building a team with a playoff floor, which adding Gobert did, they must treat Edwards as the center of gravity. They must bet that Edwards’ star power will supersede Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Victor Wembanyama’s.
“You either got to be a problem or have a solution,” Finch offered. “You got to either be built in a way that troubles your opponents, have something they don’t have, or you got to have a counter to what they do have.”
The Wolves will likely shop Randle, given his ball-dominant play takes possessions away from Edwards and impedes ball movement. They also must consider what to do with Gobert. He’s 33, and so long as he’s on the team, they must build the offense around him.
Given Gobert’s age, Connelly likely has a succession plan for him in mind. It’s a matter of when to enact it. They’d have to find a way to make up for his nearly unparalleled defense, but they also must center Edwards in the offense.
The Timberwolves built their roster to establish a playoff floor and beat Denver. However, San Antonio and Oklahoma City have become contenders, and the Wolves are no longer just trying to make the playoffs. How quickly they can overhaul their roster will determine how soon they can contend.
