The Timberwolves know better than most teams what a strong finish can do for a season.
A hot run can change everything. A shaky one can leave scars that linger into April. Minnesota has lived both versions.
Two seasons ago, the Wolves stormed through the final 17 games, going 17-4 with an eight-game winning streak mixed in. They started that stretch in 10th place in the Western Conference and finished it in sixth. That late surge cleaned up a messy season, pushed them into the playoffs, and helped launch a run to the West Finals that few saw coming earlier in the year.
Last season told a different story. Over the final month and a half, Minnesota went 11-10, dropped two separate three-game losing streaks, and slipped from third in the West to sixth.
The Wolves still got past the Denver Nuggets in six games in the first round, but the way they stumbled into the postseason raised real questions about their mental maturity. Those questions did not go away.
They followed the team into the playoffs and were still there when the San Antonio Spurs eliminated them in the second round.
That history is what makes the final stretch of this season so important.
Minnesota is not talking about championships right now. The focus is simply on the day-to-day grind.
But the calendar is setting up a serious test. Starting in March, the Timberwolves will play 10 of their final 21 games on the road.
Sixteen of those 21 games will come against teams chasing top seeds or playoff spots in their own conferences.
The hardest part comes at the end. Minnesota’s longest road trip of the season arrives there, and then the team returns home on Apr. 11 for the regular-season finale against the Houston Rockets. Depending on how the standings shake out, that game could carry major playoff consequences.
The stretch in between is loaded too. The April 4 trip to the Dallas Mavericks should be a competitive one with Kyrie Irving back, and the Lakers, behind Luka Dončić, Austin Reaves and the flurry of signings general manager Rob Pelinka has made this summer, could be battling the Wolves for home-court advantage in the first round.
Houston, with Kevin Durant, Alperen Sengun and a healthy Fred VanVleet, figures to be a serious Western Conference threat as well. Game 82 could even wind up deciding who gets the better seed and who falls behind, the way things did in 2024 and 2018.
Minnesota already knows what a late-season road trip can reveal. Last year’s back-to-back in Southern California, against the Lakers and Clippers in early March, ended in two losses by a combined 39 points.
Those games exposed the Wolves at the worst possible time. With the playoffs right around the corner, they looked flat under the lights in Los Angeles, and that performance made it much harder to believe in another deep run.
Instead of quieting doubts, that trip amplified them.
This year’s SoCal trip comes even later, which makes the stakes even sharper. The Wolves cannot afford a repeat.
There is a clear understanding inside the group that growth is required. Anthony Edwards is setting that tone by staying focused on the present, organizing a workout trip with Rudy Gobert in Paris, and recognizing that his first season with Ball will not be smooth all the way through.
Minnesota will also have to work through the fit with newly acquired Jonathan Kuminga, and that partnership is bound to have some rough edges. The Wolves need Kuminga to embrace a role built around defense, rebounding and off-ball movement instead of chasing scoring numbers.
That kind of buy-in would say a lot about a 23-year-old forward trying to fit into a contender.
In August, maturity is easy to claim. Everyone starts at 0-0 and everybody thinks they can win it all.
The real proof comes later, when the games tighten, the legs get heavy and the opponents are all trying to do the same thing. That is when Minnesota will find out whether it has truly moved past last season’s problems.
There is also a version of this season where the Wolves have already locked up a top-four seed before they head to Dallas in early April, letting the starters rest through that four-game road trip. But the more realistic scenario is that they will be fighting for position right to the finish, with the health of their star backcourt under constant pressure.
Ball’s availability will be central to that. He played 72 games last season, but in the previous three seasons he appeared in only 42.7% of his team’s games.
He has never played in the playoffs. His first meaningful late-season stretch came last year, when the Hornets went 29-11 down the stretch and Ball played in every game, averaging 28.5 minutes.
The Wolves need that version of him again, only now the pressure is heavier. He has to hold up through the bruising demands of a full 82-game season and still have his best basketball waiting in March, April and beyond.
Edwards knows that side of the equation too. He has played in 52 playoff games and understands what it takes to survive the conditioning, sacrifice and wear that come with a title chase.
But his own finish to last season was interrupted by a right knee injury. He missed 11 of Minnesota’s final 14 regular-season games, then hyperextended his left knee in the playoffs and sat out two games.
He came back early for Game 1 of the second round, but he was not himself against a Spurs defense that blitzed him constantly.
He spent the offseason getting healthy.
If Ball can take some of the offensive burden off Edwards, that could help keep Edwards fresher as the season wears on. For Minnesota, that is the larger equation now: health, maturity and enough toughness to survive the final stretch intact.
That is the real test waiting at the end of the regular season.
In Other News...
Lakers Still Have A Roster Problem Cavaliers Helped Create
Minnesota added another notable piece to its frontcourt mix when Jonathan Kuminga agreed to a two-year, $13 million deal with the Timberwolves, including a player option, according to his agent. For a team that has spent much of the offseason shaping its roster around size, athleticism and flexibility, the move gives Minnesota another name to work with while also closing the door on a player the Lakers had targeted for a more specific role.
Los Angeles had pursued Kuminga as a potential starting power forward, but the chance to fill that spot slipped away, and the Lakers are still left sorting out how to address the hole. One avenue they may have to consider is using Dalton Knecht in a trade, which would be a significant decision for a team still trying to balance immediate needs with the rest of its roster construction. [Read more 🡒]
Cavs Missed On Jonathan Kuminga For A Reason Fans Will Debate
Jonathan Kumingas move to Minnesota gives the Timberwolves another intriguing piece at a time when the roster already looks built to compete deep into the postseason. For a player still trying to define his next step, landing in a situation with playoff expectations and established talent can matter as much as dollars, especially when the fit is as important as the opportunity.
The agreement adds another layer of interest because Kumingas camp viewed this as the best basketball setting for him, a sign he is betting on role and development as much as immediate security. For Minnesota, it is the sort of addition that can sharpen an already ambitious group, while for everyone else it becomes another reminder that sometimes the destination says as much as the contract. [Read more 🡒]
Timberwolves Just Opened The Door To A Bigger Roster Move
The Timberwolves made a quiet but meaningful roster shuffle by sending Josh Green and cash considerations to the Jazz in exchange for Cody Williams and John Konchar. On the surface, it looks like a simple two-for-two swap, but the real significance is what it does for Minnesotas books as the front office continues to tinker with the edges of the roster.
What matters next is the flexibility the deal is meant to create. Minnesota has been working to keep its options open as the salary cap gets tighter, and this move gives the team a little more breathing room to keep exploring upgrades. Williams gives the Wolves another young piece to evaluate, while the financial side of the deal is what could shape the next step in the offseason. [Read more 🡒]