RandBall: Has this version of the Timberwolves already peaked?

[BleedGopher]

Per RandBall:

As the Timberwolves stagger toward a likely-but-suddenly-tenuous fifth consecutive playoff berth, the nicest thing we can say about them is that they are an inconsistent team with a knack for rising to the occasion in the postseason.

That’s their frustrating identity, spelled out wonderfully by Star Tribune beat writer Chris Hine in his Friday piece about the team’s recent three-game losing streak.

The Wolves’ ability to turn things on when needed will be put to the test Tuesday night when they host Phoenix. A loss to the Suns would put the Wolves in real danger of eventually sliding into the No. 7 seed (and the accompanying play-in tournament), while a victory would give Minnesota some much-needed breathing room.

At the start of today’s 10 things to know, let’s dive into a bigger-picture question: Have the Timberwolves already peaked?

• The best and most consistent Wolves team of the last five years was the 2023-24 version. That squad won 56 regular-season games, steamrolled the Suns in a first-round sweep, outlasted Denver in a dicey seven-game series and then succumbed to Dallas in the conference finals. Anthony Edwards was only 22. Rudy Gobert, who remains an impactful player now, was closer to his peak. Karl-Anthony Towns took pressure off both of those players.
• The KAT trade just before the start of the 2024-25 season, while smart and necessary, changed the franchise’s trajectory. The Wolves were not the same team last year, needing a 17-4 burst against a soft schedule at the end of the season just to avoid the play-in. As a No. 6 seed, they absolutely earned a first-round win over the Los Angeles Lakers. And then they got a gift that requires an asterisk: No. 7 Golden State upset No. 2 Houston, and then Warriors star Steph Curry was injured in Game 1 against the Wolves. Minnesota advanced again to the conference finals before getting flattened by Oklahoma City.
• This regular season has been eerily similar to last year. That’s almost two full seasons of what can be called inconsistency in its most generous reading. As Hine (who will be my guest on Tuesday’s podcast) wrote: “With this latest losing streak, the Wolves have shown exactly who they are, once and for all.”
• So, they’re two years removed from being the best versions of themselves. Edwards is still ascending, but he only has so much further he can go. The rest of the roster is either inconsistent, stagnating or on the decline because there’s not a single player drafted after Edwards or Jaden McDaniels in 2020 playing regular rotation minutes.
• Given all that, it’s pretty obvious that this version of the Wolves has already peaked. It’s also pretty obvious that boss Tim Connelly knows it or he wouldn’t have been pursuing game-changing veterans like Kevin Durant (last offseason) or Giannis Antetokounmpo (this season’s trade deadline).
• The Wolves need a reboot this summer, but they don’t have much to offer because of past trades for Gobert and the now-departed Rob Dillingham. Making any kind of move will be costly. Not making a move could be even costlier and cement the notion that even in this very good era of Wolves basketball, the best is already in the past.

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www.startribune.com

Howl Wolves!!

 

[Gopher_In_NYC]

Per RandBall:

As the Timberwolves stagger toward a likely-but-suddenly-tenuous fifth consecutive playoff berth, the nicest thing we can say about them is that they are an inconsistent team with a knack for rising to the occasion in the postseason.

That’s their frustrating identity, spelled out wonderfully by Star Tribune beat writer Chris Hine in his Friday piece about the team’s recent three-game losing streak.

The Wolves’ ability to turn things on when needed will be put to the test Tuesday night when they host Phoenix. A loss to the Suns would put the Wolves in real danger of eventually sliding into the No. 7 seed (and the accompanying play-in tournament), while a victory would give Minnesota some much-needed breathing room.

At the start of today’s 10 things to know, let’s dive into a bigger-picture question: Have the Timberwolves already peaked?

• The best and most consistent Wolves team of the last five years was the 2023-24 version. That squad won 56 regular-season games, steamrolled the Suns in a first-round sweep, outlasted Denver in a dicey seven-game series and then succumbed to Dallas in the conference finals. Anthony Edwards was only 22. Rudy Gobert, who remains an impactful player now, was closer to his peak. Karl-Anthony Towns took pressure off both of those players.
• The KAT trade just before the start of the 2024-25 season, while smart and necessary, changed the franchise’s trajectory. The Wolves were not the same team last year, needing a 17-4 burst against a soft schedule at the end of the season just to avoid the play-in. As a No. 6 seed, they absolutely earned a first-round win over the Los Angeles Lakers. And then they got a gift that requires an asterisk: No. 7 Golden State upset No. 2 Houston, and then Warriors star Steph Curry was injured in Game 1 against the Wolves. Minnesota advanced again to the conference finals before getting flattened by Oklahoma City.
• This regular season has been eerily similar to last year. That’s almost two full seasons of what can be called inconsistency in its most generous reading. As Hine (who will be my guest on Tuesday’s podcast) wrote: “With this latest losing streak, the Wolves have shown exactly who they are, once and for all.”
• So, they’re two years removed from being the best versions of themselves. Edwards is still ascending, but he only has so much further he can go. The rest of the roster is either inconsistent, stagnating or on the decline because there’s not a single player drafted after Edwards or Jaden McDaniels in 2020 playing regular rotation minutes.
• Given all that, it’s pretty obvious that this version of the Wolves has already peaked. It’s also pretty obvious that boss Tim Connelly knows it or he wouldn’t have been pursuing game-changing veterans like Kevin Durant (last offseason) or Giannis Antetokounmpo (this season’s trade deadline).
• The Wolves need a reboot this summer, but they don’t have much to offer because of past trades for Gobert and the now-departed Rob Dillingham. Making any kind of move will be costly. Not making a move could be even costlier and cement the notion that even in this very good era of Wolves basketball, the best is already in the past.

Loading…

www.startribune.com

Howl Wolves!!

don’t you mean whimper