The Minnesota Timberwolves are predicted to finish fourth in the Western Conference by ESPN’s Kevin Pelton.
The last 13 seasons have been brutal for the Minnesota Timberwolves in regards to conference standings. After finishing first in the Western Conference during the 2003-04 season, The Wolves finished in the top 10 only one more time. The last three seasons have been no exception with the Wolves finishing 15th, 13th, and 13th respectively.
The Wolves look to change that trend this upcoming season. Kevin Pelton of ESPN projects the Minnesota Timberwolves to finish 4th in the Western Conference based on ESPN’s real plus-minus projections. That’s right, the Timberwolves project to finished 9 spots better than just a season ago.
The projection has them winning 50.1 games which puts them just ahead of the Oklahoma City Thunder at 49.5 games. The teams ahead of the Timberwolves are the Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs, projected to win 62.1, 55.0, and 52.6 games respectively. That puts the Wolves right in the mix of good company of teams that are possible contenders that have a chance to dethrone the Warriors.
How would this scenario play out in the playoffs?
Based on the projections the Timberwolves would get the home seed against the Thunder for the first round of the playoffs. If the Wolves take care of business they would play the winner of Golden State (1) vs Utah Jazz (8). Assuming Golden State wins that series, round two showcases Golden State vs Minnesota. No one knows how well the new Wolves roster will matchup with the Warriors, but on paper it looks like a more competitive matchup. The Warriors have the advantage as of now, but there are surprises every NBA season so don’t count them out just yet. Realistically looking at this scenario, the Minnesota Timberwolves will finish next season with a second round loss in the playoffs.
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A second round playoff finish would bring the Minnesota fan base back to life. Wolves fans have been waiting 13 years for any playoff appearance.
The Wolves are finally receiving preseason recognition after an aggressive offseason to improve their roster. They added Jimmy Butler during the 2017 NBA Draft in a trade for Zach LaVine and Kris Dunn. During the draft they selected a potential backup to Karl-Anthony Towns in Justin Patton. The Wolves front office did not slow down after the draft. During free agency they signed some notable free agents like Jeff Teague, Taj Gibson and Jamal Crawford. In order to make room for Teague they traded Ricky Rubio to the Utah Jazz.
The Wolves look leave the past in the past
Those moves give the Wolves a completely new look and an improved 2017-18 outlook. Below is exactly what ESPN’s Kevin Pelton said of the Timberwolves projection.
"“Statistical projections have been known to overrate the Timberwolves by betting on the come, including last season’s seemingly conservative 37-win projection from RPM. (Minnesota won just 31 games, albeit with the point differential of a 38-win team.) With Jimmy Butler joining budding stars Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins, this time feels different. RPM doesn’t even project the Timberwolves to defend particularly well (20th in defensive rating); this projection is largely a testament to the league’s second-best offensive projection.”"
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If the Minnesota Timberwolves live up to the fourth place finish projection this will be a giant step in the right direction. This fan base has endured enough losses and too many rebuilds. It is time to win now based on their moves this offseason. The Wolves look to do just that this season.