The Minnesota Timberwolves will kick their season off on Wednesday against the Detroit Pistons. When that happens, here are some things to keep an eye on.
For the first time in 288 days, the Minnesota Timberwolves will play a regular season NBA game on Wednesday night. For reference, the span between the end of the 2018-19 NBA season and the beginning of the 2019-20 NBA season was 195 days. Even during the lockout-shortened 2011-12 season, the distance between the end of the previous season and the lockout season was just 256 days. Most school years are only 180 days. The average human gestation length is 280 days.
What I’m trying to say is, it’s been a while.
But it’s not like the Timberwolves have sat idly by as the pages on the calendar turned. They’ve actually made quite a few moves. Minnesota traded for Ricky Rubio on draft day, they drafted Anthony Edwards with the first overall pick, they re-signed Malik Beasley to a contract that would ensure nobody will even go near him for the next four years. And, not to sound too optimistic, but the Timberwolves may have just found their missing piece in Ed Davis.
Still, as veteran Timberwolves fans are well aware, the beginning of the season is always the most optimistic time for fans. Even amongst all the hope, there are still some doubts on people’s minds and some questions that need to be answered. These are some of the issues that, If Minnesota can’t get a handle on, could make for a very long season.