NBA Power Rankings Preseason Edition: Lakers moves lead the way

Last Season: 23-49, 13th in Western Conference

A half-decade ago, the Minnesota Timberwolves had one of the most exciting young cores in the league. Karl-Anthony Towns was breaking the barrier of what a center could do on offense, Andrew Wiggins was dropping 20 points like it was nothing, and Zach LaVine was a dunk contest champion and absolutely throwing it down in-game and out.

Then everything fell apart, from the hiring of Tom Thibodeau to both Jimmy Butler trades. Now, however, something is coming together in the land of 10,000 lakes. Towns might be fully healthy, in body and spirit, for the first time in years. Wiggins and LaVine are gone, and in their place are De’Angelo Russell and Anthony Edwards, both fascinating in comparison to their previous counterparts. Jaden McDaniels and Malik Beasley are both starters around the star core.

Key Offseason Move: Trading for Patrick Beverley. The three “stars” on this team are all poor defenders, which makes it important to get other excellent defenders to fit around them. McDaniels fits that role, but so does the newly-acquired Patrick Beverley. He’s not a star nor possibly even a starter at this point, but he will play hard and help set a tone for the team defensively.