Minnesota Timberwolves: 3 players who are unlikely to return next season

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - FEBRUARY 08: James Johnson #16 and Karl-Anthony Towns #32 of the Minnesota Timberwolves celebrate a three-point shot against the Los Angeles Clippers by teammate Juan Hernangomez #41 during the first half of the game at Target Center on February 8, 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /

3 of 4

Minnesota Timberwolves (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images) /

Juan Hernangomez

Moving from a player who has likely played his way out of a bigger contract, Juan Hernangomez may have played so well in a small sample size to earn too big a contract for the Timberwolves to be able to facilitate.

In his three and a half seasons in Denver Hernangomez only averaged 4.7 points and 3.1 rebounds per game while shooting 34.9 percent from long range. The killer was he was only getting 15.2 minutes per game so while the flashes were there it was impossible to tell if he would continue to be efficient given more opportunity.

Related Story. 50 greatest players in NBA history. light

In 14 games with the Timberwolves, he saw his minutes jump to 29.4 per game and he flourished in an expanded role. Over that short span, he averaged 12.9 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. He increased his 3-point attempts to 4.9 per game (was 1.8 per game this season in Denver) and shot a blistering 42.0 percent.

Whether this is sustainable or not is hard to say. Plenty of teams did not bring their best effort against a flailing Timberwolves team but the efficiency is a positive sign. If Minnesota can make the money work Hernangomez fits well next to Towns. If the market gets too high for him though it may be tough to see him go.

Home/Minnesota Timberwolves