The Timberwolves’ season ceiling won’t be set by the obvious stars alone. Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels are already baked into the equation. The real swing comes from the players with more uncertainty attached - the ones who could either stabilize everything or leave Minnesota searching for answers.
Rudy Gobert sits at the top of that list. He’s now the oldest player on the roster, so the Wolves need him to keep delivering on defense without slipping as age becomes a factor.
But there’s another layer here: offense. Gobert isn’t suddenly going to reinvent himself as a shooter or a polished post scorer, but he now has one of the best table setters in the league working with him.
That’s a big change from the last few seasons, when Minnesota’s point guard play was nowhere near that level. LaMelo Ball should be able to create lobs, dump-offs and easy finishes at the rim for Gobert.
If Gobert cashes in on those chances, the Wolves’ offense can run smoothly. If he doesn’t, questions about the Gobert era will get louder.
Ball himself is another major piece of the puzzle. The production is familiar: assists, made 3s, the kind of high-end playmaking that changes how a team functions.
The issue is health. Some of his injury history can be tied to the Hornets keeping him sidelined longer than necessary during tanking stretches, but that excuse doesn’t carry over now.
Minnesota is aiming higher, and Ball has to stay on the floor through the regular season and into the playoffs. There’s also the matter of the postseason itself, since he has never played in a playoff game.
His scoring and passing, along with his size at the position, should translate. Until it actually happens, though, that remains one of the biggest unknowns on the roster.
The Wolves also have to replace what Naz Reid gave them off the bench, and that’s where Terrence Shannon Jr. and Bones Hyland come in. The two are linked because one of them needs to step into the scoring void Reid left behind.
Last season, Reid was a major part of the second unit’s offensive punch, and now Minnesota needs a new source of consistent bench production. Both Shannon and Hyland have shown flashes, but this season is about turning bursts into something steady.
If the bench is going to hold its ground, one of them likely has to give the Wolves around 12 points per game and the kind of nightly scoring that keeps the second unit afloat.
Joan Beringer is another name that matters more now that Reid is gone. The front office’s expectations are obvious, especially after the team brought in Ball and moved on from Reid.
Beringer brings athleticism, rim protection, running ability and some encouraging touch around the basket, plus solid free-throw mechanics. The catch is that he’s still barely played meaningful minutes - about five games’ worth so far.
That said, the backup center job is there for him. Gobert can’t carry the load every night, and Minnesota needs the minutes behind him to look much better than they did last season.
Beringer doesn’t have to be Gobert right away, but he does need to show he can be part of the future at center.
Then there’s Ayo Dosunmu, whose return on a five-year, $112 million deal drew mixed reactions because the price tag was higher than many expected. Once you break it down, it comes to $22.4 million per season.
This is the first year of that contract, after his deal had long been viewed as a bargain. The Wolves clearly see him as a core piece, and his 43-point outburst in the playoffs only reinforced that belief.
Now he’s being asked to help replace some of the scoring lost with Naz Reid and Julius Randle gone, while also covering perimeter defense after Nickeil Alexander-Walker left a year ago.
That’s a heavy list of responsibilities, but it’s also why Minnesota paid him. If these five players hit their marks, the Timberwolves have a path to a much bigger season.
In Other News...
Timberwolves Just Built A Lakers Matchup Fans Should Love
Minnesotas trade for LaMelo Ball has already added another layer to a Timberwolves roster that was built to cause problems on the perimeter, and that matters because the Lakers have spent the offseason trying to rework a team that looks very different after LeBron James departure. Los Angeles brought in nine new players, including center Walker Kessler, but the bigger question is whether all that turnover actually solves the kind of issues that tend to show up in a playoff series against a disciplined, physical defense.
From Minnesotas perspective, the matchup is appealing because the Lakers are still viewed as thin on strong on-ball defenders, which could leave them chasing Minnesotas guards and wings possession after possession. With Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels setting the tone on the perimeter, the Timberwolves would seem to have the pieces to pressure a revamped Lakers roster in ways that could matter most when the games slow down and every matchup gets magnified. [Read more 🡒]
Timberwolves Are Sending A Clear Message About Joan Beringer
The Timberwolves offseason has made the frontcourt picture a lot clearer around Rudy Gobert, and Joan Beringer is one of the main beneficiaries. After the roster reshuffle left the team thinner up front, the 17th overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft is positioned to matter more than he did as a rookie, when his minutes were limited and his opportunities came in smaller bursts.
Chris Finch and the Wolves seem comfortable leaning into Beringers upside now, especially as a rim protector and energy piece off the bench. For a team that has already changed the mix around him, the next step is less about patience and more about whether Beringer can turn that trust into a real rotation role. [Read more 🡒]
Anthony Edwards Faces A Bigger Timberwolves Challenge This Season
Anthony Edwards entered the summer with another reminder of how much the Timberwolves are asking him to do. In the Court of Gold documentary, Warriors and Team USA coach Steve Kerr pushed Edwards on a simple point that still carries real weight for Minnesota: if he wants to keep climbing, his rebounding has to climb with him. It is a fair challenge for a player whose energy and athleticism already shape so much of the Wolves identity, especially after the offseason changes around him.
Edwards has shown he can help on the glass when the game turns physical and he is locked in at both ends. The bigger question is whether Minnesota can get that version of him more consistently now that the roster has shifted and the offensive burden may not rest on his shoulders quite as heavily. If he uses that extra breathing room to stay engaged defensively, the rebounding piece could become a real separator for both him and the Wolves. [Read more 🡒]