Minnesota Timberwolves: 5 Midseason Takeaways

The Minnesota Timberwolves trail the eighth seed in the West by four games despite their record. Here are five midseason takeaways from their start to the 2016-17 season.

The Minnesota Timberwolves are 15-28 in Tom Thibodeau’s first season as head coach. They are 13 games below .500 but trail the Denver Nuggets by just three games for the last playoff spot.

They’re just about in the middle of the pack on both sides of the ball. They rank 19th in the league in points per game (103.1) and 13th in opponent points per game (104.3). With such a talented young core, there’s still room for growth as a team.

The core of big man Karl-Anthony Towns, forward Andrew Wiggins, and shooting guard Zach LaVine is meshing, but the team is 4-6 so far in January. They did beat the Houston Rockets on Jan. 11 and Oklahoma City Thunder on Jan. 13, but they have also lost their last two games entering Monday’s matchup with the Denver Nuggets.

Rest is on the horizon, as is a roster move. Sixth year point guard Ricky Rubio is on the trading block with rookie point guard Kris Dunn ready in waiting on the bench. The team has also rotated LaVine in at point guard, showing he’s more than just a dunker.

The Minnesota Timberwolves aren’t in terrible shape. KAT is expanding his game and his range in his second NBA season. As we approach the All-Star break, here are five midseason takeaways for the Timberwolves.