Minnesota Timberwolves: 2017-18 NBA season preview
Roster
Cole Aldrich, C
Nemanja Bjelica, PF
Aaron Brooks, PG
Anthony Brown, SF
Jimmy Butler, SG/SF
Jamal Crawford, SG
Gorgui Dieng, PF/C
Marcus Georges-Hunt, SG
Taj Gibson, PF
Amile Jefferson, PF
Tyus Jones, PG
Shabazz Muhammad, SF
Justin Patton, C
Jeff Teague, PG
Karl-Anthony Towns, PF/C
Andrew Wiggins, SG/SF
Offseason Additions
Aaron Brooks (free agent, Indiana Pacers), Anthony Brown (two-way contract), Jamal Crawford (free agent, Atlanta Hawks), Marcus Georges-Hunt (free agent), Taj Gibson (free agent, Oklahoma City Thunder), Amile Jefferson (undrafted free agent, Duke), Justin Patton (16th overall pick, Creighton), Jeff Teague (free agent, Indiana Pacers)
Offseason Departures
Omri Casspi (free agent, Golden State Warriors), Kris Dunn (trade, Chicago Bulls), Zach LaVine (trade, Chicago Bulls), Adreian Payne (free agent), Ricky Rubio (trade, Utah Jazz), Brandon Rush (free agent, Milwaukee Bucks)
Quick Thoughts
From the star offensive players in Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns to the point guard duo of Kris Dunn and Tyus Jones, last season the roster was all about the young core — the players barely old enough to drink who were going to grow together.
Conversely, this season is about veterans. While some of the young pieces are still in Minnesota, the roster has been filled out with older, wiser players who have been playoff tested before. Jeff Teague, Jimmy Butler, Taj Gibson, Jamal Crawford — these players would not have been brought in last season, but they are the key to the 2017 offseason.
The Timberwolves struggled to defend last season, and late in games they gave up leads. Both of these areas of need were addressed in trading for Jimmy Butler and signing Taj Gibson. These are players who have been in those situations before, and their reactions are already known.
Behind the veterans is a thin bench, one with few options to trot out creative lineups. Jamal Crawford has defied aging for years, but eventually he will break down and this team has no other options behind him. Gibson is another veteran getting up there in years. Other than center, this team lacks quality depth. That could come back to hurt them towards the end of the season as the Timberwolves jockey for playoff positioning.