The Minnesota Timberwolves have opened the season looking like a different outfit entirely, and that’s exactly the point.
Through three games, the rebrand has landed, the roster shakeup has changed the feel, and the faster pace has given the Wolves a jolt. With LaMelo Ball and Jonathan Kuminga now alongside Anthony Edwards, Minnesota’s early returns have been loud enough to make the undefeated start feel like a clean break from last season’s frustrations.
That’s the easy part, though. The hard part is figuring out what happens once the buzz fades.
The Wolves set out this offseason to address the ugly finish to 2024-25, a year that looked solid on paper but left the room feeling flat by the end. Minnesota went 49-33, reached the playoffs for the fifth straight season, and won a playoff series for the third year in a row. Even so, the year wound up feeling far worse than the record suggested.
The early stretch of last season masked some of the trouble. Minnesota was 15-8 through its first 23 games, but cracks kept widening.
Julius Randle became a black hole on offense, and his mood worsened after he surfaced in rumors tied to a possible Giannis Antetokounmpo trade. The team also never truly found a point guard, leaning on Edwards to carry the ball and leaving him exposed to double teams.
By March, the Wolves had lost their edge. Injuries to Donte DiVincenzo and Edwards in the playoffs only made the situation more fragile, and it all ended in a 30-point home loss to the San Antonio Spurs in Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals.
That’s what pushed the reset. The rebrand came first, but it would not have mattered without the roster changes. Minnesota agreed to send Randle to the Brooklyn Nets in what looked like a salary dump, then turned around and landed Ball from the Charlotte Hornets for Naz Reid, a first-round pick, three second-round picks, and three pick swaps.
Chris Finch called it “trading moodiness for giddiness,” and the team leaned into the new energy immediately by taking a trip to train with Gobert in Paris.
The results have shown up right away. Minnesota is averaging 121.0 points per game, tied for sixth in the NBA, and its 42.4 percent mark from 3-point range leads the league. Ball has brought his own spark too, putting up 16.0 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 6.3 assists per game.
He provided another burst in Sunday’s 117-94 win over the Toronto Raptors, when his crossover and stepback 3-pointer in the third quarter lit up Target Center and reinforced the sense that this team has a very different pulse.
Still, the real test is coming.
The NBA season is long, and chemistry is easier to love in October than it is in the grind that follows. Road trips wear on players.
Losing changes moods fast. And on a roster with new pieces trying to settle in, that can become a real issue.
Kuminga is a good example. He may be enjoying the ride now, but if he’s not getting the shots he needs to rebuild his value before next summer’s market, the mood could shift in a hurry.
Health could create another problem. Edwards is already questionable for Monday night’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers because of a balky right knee that limited him to 61 games last season.
Ball has his own long injury history. Gobert is in his age-34 season, and the only real backup plan behind him is 20-year-old Joan Beringer.
That’s why the Wolves’ early surge only tells part of the story. In a crowded Western Conference, Finch’s challenge is keeping the group steady when things stop going perfectly. That might end up being the difference between a bounce-back season and another year of wondering what might have been.
In Other News...
Anthony Edwards Has The Wolves Drawing Real Attention Already
Before the home opener, the Timberwolves were already drawing attention from the other sideline, with Raptors coach Darko Rajakovi making it clear he sees Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball as part of a young backcourt that can grab a leaguewide audience. He also pointed to the overall talent on Minnesotas roster, a sign the Wolves are starting to look like a team opponents are studying closely instead of simply preparing for.
Toronto arrives shorthanded, too, after ruling out Kawhi Leonard because of knee swelling, which only sharpens the backdrop for a game that has a little more weight than a typical early-season matchup. For Minnesota, this is the kind of night that can help confirm the growing buzz around Edwards and the group around him, especially when an opposing coach is already talking about the matchup in flattering terms. [Read more 🡒]
Timberwolves Showed Off A New Strength In A Blowout Win
The Timberwolves first home game of the season came with the kind of cushion teams usually earn only after theyve built a real identity. Minnesota rolled past Toronto by 23 points, making it three straight wins by 20 or more and offering another reminder that this group can now overwhelm opponents in stretches even when the rotation is forced to shift around. With LaMelo Ball limited by foul trouble, the Wolves leaned deeper into the bench, and players like Ayo Dosunmu and Terrence Shannon Jr. helped keep the pressure on.
There was still a flaw tucked inside the blowout, though, and its one Minnesota will want to clean up as the schedule tightens. The offense kept humming, but the defensive rebounding lagged, especially in minutes when Rudy Gobert sat, allowing Toronto extra chances it probably never should have had in a game that lopsided. For a team playing this well, those empty possessions are the kind of detail that can matter a lot more when the margin shrinks. [Read more 🡒]
Timberwolves 3-0 Start Is Fueling Real Belief In Their Depth
Three games into the season, the Timberwolves have already shown why depth can matter as much as star power in the grind of an NBA schedule. Minnesotas 3-0 start came against playoff-caliber Eastern Conference teams, and the common thread has been a bench that keeps producing instead of just surviving minutes before the stars return. Role players have looked comfortable in real rotation roles, giving the Wolves a more layered feel than a team still trying to find its footing.
Ayo Dosunmu, Terrence Shannon Jr. and Trey Lyles have all given Minnesota useful minutes, the kind that can change the tone of a game when the first unit needs a breather. Jonathan Kuminga has fit that same mold as a complementary starter, giving the Wolves efficient offense without needing the ball to dominate possession, and that kind of balance is exactly what makes this early run feel meaningful. The real question now is how long this level of contribution can hold, because if the supporting cast stays this reliable, Minnesotas early belief might be grounded in something real. [Read more 🡒]