Projected starting lineup: Minnesota Timberwolves
Point Guard: Mike Conley
Shooting Guard: Jaden McDaniels
Small Forward: Anthony Edwards
Power Forward: Karl-Anthony Towns
Center: Rudy Gobert
The Wolves mostly struggled through the 2022–23 season with fit issues involving their then-newly acquired center Rudy Gobert. All-star Karl-Anthony Towns also missed significant time, making it harder for the team to gel when not at full strength. They then made a big mid-season trade in which they moved then-starting point guard D’Angelo Russell as well as Malik Beasley in a three-team deal for Mike Conley.
Despite Conley nearing his mid-30s, he proved to be a better fit for the starting five, leading to hope that the lineup will play much better together over a full season. After all, Towns hopefully won’t miss most of the season again, though he may be traded during the season so that the Timberwolves can retool around rising superstar Anthony Edwards,
Barring that, a healthy Towns as well as Edwards taking another step toward superstardom could be big. As would Conley and his shot creation, helping to make Gobert more of an offensive threat in pick-and-roll situations, and McDaniels continuing to make strides on the offensive end. The talent is definitely there for Minnesota, and hopefully, things will come together much better than they did last season.