The Minnesota Timberwolves are a future title contender out West, but what can be expected of them in their first year under Tom Thibodeau? Here’s their 2016-17 season outlook.
Despite their standing near the bottom of the Western Conference last year, the Minnesota Timberwolves conjured up more excitement than perhaps any other 23-win team over the last decade. The reason? They’ve got a core that should be competing for championships in just a few years.
Led by Karl-Anthony Towns, one of only five unanimous Rookie of the Year awardees since 1984, and Andrew Wiggins, a fellow No. 1 overall draft pick and former Rookie of the Year, the Wolves have two sturdy pillars to build a foundation around.
Throw in other young talent like Ricky Rubio, Zach LaVine, Gorgui Dieng, Shabazz Muhammad and the newly drafted Kris Dunn, and this team’s future is exceedingly bright, even if their place in the mix has yet to be solidified.
With the hiring of head coach Tom Thibodeau, it truly is a new era for Minnesota Timberwolves basketball — perhaps the most promising one ever, which is saying something for a franchise that had Kevin Garnett for his entire prime.
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It’s too soon to tell what the future holds for the Wolves, but with one of the most promising cores in the entire NBA, we might not have to wait too long for the next Western empire to rise from the rubble of the Golden State Warriors’ and San Antonio Spurs’ current dynasties.
2015-16 Vitals
29-53, 5th in Northwest Division, 13th in Western Conference
102.4 PPG (15th)/106.0 OPP PPG (23rd)
106.5 Offensive Rating (12th)/110.1 Defensive Rating (28th)
Team Leaders
Scoring: Andrew Wiggins, 20.7 PPG
Rebounding: Karl-Anthony Towns, 10.5 RPG
Assists: Ricky Rubio, 8.7 APG
Steals: Ricky Rubio, 2.1 SPG
Blocks: Karl-Anthony Towns, 1.7 BPG
Honors
Rookie of the Year Award: Karl-Anthony Towns
NBA All-Rookie First Team: Karl-Anthony Towns
Next: Roster