The Minnesota Timberwolves deserve their respect.
After qualifying for the franchise’s first Western Conference finals in 20 years last season, they have now made back-to-back appearances in the third round. Despite playing in the cutthroat West and a major offseason trade that swapped out Karl-Anthony Towns for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo, the Timberwolves have emerged as a consistent contender.
The injury suffered by the Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry indeed shaped the complexion of their second round series, but a team has to play whoever is in front of them and Minnesota did exactly that. The Timberwolves took a five-game series win over the Warriors and are now just eight wins away from the NBA championship.
Anthony Edwards has continued his ascent into one of the best players in the league this postseason, averaging 26.5 points, 3.5 three-pointers, eight rebounds, 5.9 assists, and 1.5 steals in 10 postseason games so far. The fact that he is still able to post these numbers with opposing defenses focused on slowing him down is impressive and the continued improvement of his playmaking and decision-making abilities has only helped him become more effective for Minnesota.
Randle has been just as spectacular for the Timberwolves, significantly bumping up his scoring average from 18.7 in the regular season to 23.9 on 50.9% field goal shooting in the playoffs. The three-time NBA All-Star is also averaging 5.9 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game and has thrived under the spotlight, maximizing his physicality to take down opponents’ smaller frontlines in this postseason.
The rest of Minnesota’s rotation has had their fair share of moments in this postseason, from Rudy Gobert and Jaden McDaniels in their first round win over the Los Angeles Lakers to Mike Conley in their last two wins versus Golden State. Last year’s NBA Sixth Man of the Year Naz Reid has put up a couple of strong performances as well, highlighting this team’s overall depth.
Regardless of what happens to these Timberwolves in the West Finals, the significance of their back-to-back appearances should not be overlooked. This franchise has long struggled with gaining relevance in the West and they have finally found a semblance of consistency for the first time since the team joined the league in 1989.
With Edwards still only 23 years old, this team is definitely still on the rise and their best days are yet to come. An NBA championship should be on the way to Minnesota sooner rather than later and when it does happen, it will truly be a game-changing moment for this city.
