Timberwolves ’24

Like all fans of the Minnesota Timberwolves I had high expectations for their 2024-25 season, coming off their surprising run to the Western Conference finals earlier this year. Surely Jaden McDaniels would grow (based on the contract they gave him); surely Anthony Edwards would continue his rise to superstardom, after his impressive stint with the U.S. Olympic basketball all-stars. Trading away Karl Anthony Towns just before the season started was a surprise, but not a bad one. Towns wasn’t going to get any better, and there was some question how well he fit in with Edwards and the uptempo style of play Coach Chris Finch was trying to install. In fact, the T’Wolves third-place finish, a game or two out of first, was accomplished largely with the injury-prone Towns out of action. In the playoffs, he had some games where he contributed, but in others he disappeared. Moreover, in sending Towns to the Knicks, the Wolves acquired Julius Randle, one All-Star for another, plus the intriguing Dante DiVicenzo, the kind of scrappy player and three-point guard the Wolves were missing.

The season started well, with predictable wins against lesser opponents, but things quickly went south, including losses in back-to-back games with Portland that most experts had thought of as gimme wins. As of this writing, the Timberwolves have been reduced to a .500 record, and given the strength of the West it’s hard to see them rising much above their middling standing in their conference. Instead of vying for dominance, I expect the year to play out as a slog to a play-in spot in the playoffs.

What’s going wrong? I’ll start with Rudy Gobert, who was inexplicably named Defensive Player of the Year last season. When it came to the playoffs, he was continually exposed by the likes of Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic and Kyrie Irving, all of whom moved around and shot over him at will. I have to think received those DOY votes based on his reputation and the fact that he is such a weak offensive player. McDaniels remains an enigma on offense, having a “breakout” every fourth or fifth game, but otherwise seeming to be an afterthought to the Edwards/Randle offense. Mike Conley is 38 and, yes, getting old, and DiVicenzo has yet to show much consistency. For some reason, Finch uses only three players off his bench, and they are alternately stellar or off their game, a large reason for the .500 record. The euphoria over the Wolves’ two draft choices–Dillingham and Shannon– does not seem to have reached, or affected, Coach Finch. Everyone likes to see young players develop, and over the long course of the season the regulars will need to rest. Not to mention that every team in every sport these days is struck by injuries, and there’s no reason to expect Minnesota to be exempt. From a fan’s (my) point of view, limiting the active roster to eight players makes following the team that much less interesting.

In short, my expectations for the season have been tempered. I won’t get upset, or terribly disappointed, by every loss. I trust there will be good games, times to rejoice, but unless the Wolves develop a compelling personality, like the defense they boasted last year, I’ll root but without much passion. An academic exercise.