Tim Connelly is entering the final year of his contract and recently responded to a question about his future with the Minnesota Timberwolves. The tone and tenor of response mirrored the Wolves’ season.
“Go to work happy every day, got great partners,” he said. “It’s been awesome. Just keep trying to get better.
“At some point, we want to have this press conference after a parade when he’s super hungover,” he continued, motioning to some of the beat reporters off to the side, “and you’re buying crypto,” he added, motioning to another reporter while laughing.
“But it’s a great place to work. I just want to get better. I want to get better. It’s unfair to sit up here and be critical of players, and not mention how can we add? I need to do a better job for this organization.”
Minnesota’s 2025-26 season was fun, there’s no doubt about it, thrilling victories, full of individual and team milestones. However, as Connelly alluded to, his end-of-the-season press conference didn’t come after a parade down First Avenue where one beat reporter is hungover and another is feverishly buying crypto. It ended with the San Antonio Spurs shellacking them. Still, that shouldn’t be the main takeaway from the season.
To reiterate, the Wolves were a good team, full of players who enjoyed some of the highest of highs. They were also a team full of good people, a priority of Connelly’s that he expressed before the season started.
“It’s hugely important, it’s like any other industry, whether you’re writing for the paper or trying to win basketball games – it’s not fun to be around jerks,” he said. “And these guys are culture-builders and super positive, and it just makes the day-to-day much more enjoyable.”
During his time in Minnesota, Connelly has turned the organization into something it had never fully achieved before. Players are excited to join an organization full of good dudes and great partners on the coaching staff and in the front office. “It’s been awesome,” said Connelly.
Rudy Gobert climbed to fifth in the NBA on the active rebounds list, anchoring a dominant top-ten defense. Anthony Edwards made another All-Star Game, earning the MVP of that game while showing off the new post moves and playmaking abilities that he developed during the previous offseason. Jaden McDaniels elevated his play offensively while being one of the best defenders in the league, prompting Connelly to all but guarantee a bigger role for McDaniels in the future.
“Jaden has a whole ‘nother gear to reach,” said Connelly. “In a closeout game, to have 32 and 10 against a really, really good team. We want to keep raising the bar. As good as he is, we know his best basketball is in front of him. I think there’s a lot more he can unlock as a playmaker, too. We have to ensure that he’s in a position to do those things. He’s a guy that, offensively, has a whole ‘nother place he can get to and we’re confident he can get there.”
Mike Conley proved to himself that he can continue playing in the NBA. Donte DiVincenzo played all 82 games, Terrence Shannon Jr. exploded in the playoffs, and Bones Hyland clawed back a career on the brink. Meanwhile, Jaylen Clark got minutes to prove himself, Joan Beringer showed flashes of his future potential, and Ayo Dosunmu shone under the playoff lights. Julius Randle had an incredible start to the season, earned the nickname “goosebumps” on basketball-reference, and shared moments with his family he’ll remember forever.
Up and down the roster, the Wolves were a fun team full of “good dudes” that really appeared to love playing in Minnesota.
“The main thing that I really appreciated coming to Minnesota was how they accepted me,” Dosunmu, who the Wolves traded for at the deadline, said. “Coming in at the trade deadline, they accepted me right away. The fans are amazing, the environment is amazing. I love it.”
That’s where the duality of Connelly’s quote matches the duality of the season. The charm in Connelly’s answer, the joking nature, the joy of being in Minnesota, still requires an organizational direction from top to bottom to focus on getting better.
“I just want to get better,” Connelly said. “I want to get better. It’s unfair to sit up here and be critical of players, and how can we add? I need to do a better job for this organization.”
Despite all the fun the 2025-26 season brought, the Wolves still finished short. There was no parade. For as many achievements and good times the team had, there were also flaws. The moodiness, bodies breaking down to injuries or old age, and the lack of connection on the court made it impossible for a bunch of “good dudes” to become a championship team.
Now comes the hard part for the Wolves, the proverbial look into the mirror moment, where questions will need to be asked. Does Edwards need a second star? Do the Wolves need to get younger? Do the Wolves need to get more mature? Is Chris Finch at a crossroads? What does Connelly do?
The Wolves will answer most of these questions over the offseason, depending on what the organization decides to do. As always happens in sports, those moves will bring new questions, and the cycle will repeat over and over until someone is hungover at a parade, a reporter is buying crypto, and we are all asking Connelly the postseason questions outside First Avenue instead of in a studio.
Until then, though, it’s important to remember that, although this season the Wolves weren’t good enough, it’s still okay to admit it was fun being there, full of good people.
