NBA Power Rankings: Preview the Los Angeles Lakers and the rest

Dearly Departed: James Johnson, Jacob Evans, Omari Spellman, Evan Turner

New Additions: Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, Ricky Rubio, Ed Davis

Win Projection/Prediction: 30/Over

One of the tougher teams to weigh going into the season, the Minnesota Timberwolves seem to have gotten better. Bringing in the number one overall pick should be a clear indication, to begin with. Ricky Rubio is now the best backup guard in the league should he not find his way into an unorthodox starting lineup. Ed Davis should be a great backup center. Karl-Anthony Towns and D’Angelo Russell only played one game together last season. The potential is clear.

However, there are clear issues. First of all, and this may be a hot take, but is Anthony Edwards any different than Andrew Wiggins? The talent is clear but he gets winded running a Klutch open gym. If he can realize his potential quickly, he changes things for this team quickly. Color this writer skeptical.

The more realistic immediate issue is the total and utter lack of defensive potential. Karl-Anthony Towns is a transcendent offensive talent and is thus far looking better on defense in the preseason but the bar was low coming in. Russell does not add anything on that end of the ball. The fact that Edwards may be Minnesota’s best defensive player at the start of the season is alarming.

To give the team the fairest assessment, the Timberwolves should be markedly better than they were last year. Towns is unlikely to miss as many games as he did last year given his durable history. They have two All-Star caliber players and a plethora of young talent with real potential. Unfortunately for them, the Western Conference is deep and they will likely be left on the outside looking in.