The Minnesota Timberwolves are in a spot plenty of teams would love to reach: two conference finals appearances in the last three years and a core that has already shown it can win in the playoffs. Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels and Rudy Gobert give them a real foundation. Ayo Dosunmu, too, is viewed as an impactful complementary guard.
But that kind of success doesn’t finish the job by itself. If Minnesota is going to push all the way into championship territory, there are still key players who have to answer real questions this season.
Some are big names. Some are younger pieces trying to carve out a place.
All of them have something to prove.
LaMelo Ball sits at the top of that list.
The Timberwolves’ gamble on Ball is easy to understand from a talent standpoint. He was the engine of an elite Hornets offense last season, and that matters.
It suggests he can help drive winning basketball. Still, the risk is obvious.
Ball has played 60 games only twice in six years, and he has never appeared in the playoffs. Minnesota is betting that he can be the piece that gets them over the top, but he still has to show he can hold up physically and deal with the grind of postseason basketball.
His shot selection, too, is part of the equation and could stand to be cleaner.
Given all of that, Ball enters the season with maybe the most pressure on the roster - and perhaps in the league.
Joan Beringer is in a very different kind of proving ground, but the stakes are real for him as well. With Julius Randle and Naz Reid both gone, the path to minutes is wide open.
Minnesota’s offseason also made it clear the front office believes in him. Beringer flashed real promise in limited action last season as a rim protector and lob threat, and there’s a case that he can keep the Wolves steady when Rudy Gobert sits.
The problem is the size of the ask. He’s a second-year big man who only started playing basketball in 2021, and the Wolves may be leaning on him as their only rotational big off the bench.
Even if he handles the regular season, the bigger question is whether he can survive playoff minutes when everything tightens up. Minnesota may not have many alternatives if he’s not ready.
Terrence Shannon Jr. is trying to turn flashes into trust.
His second season wasn’t smooth overall, even though he came alive late in the regular season and into the playoffs. Shannon was supposed to be the Timberwolves’ main answer for replacing Nickeil Alexander-Walker, but he never became a steady part of Chris Finch’s rotation, finishing with just 12.5 minutes per game.
Finch has said he shouldn’t have used Shannon off the ball so much, but that only raises another question: can Shannon handle enough on-ball responsibility to matter? If he can’t, it’s not clear how well he fits as a secondary piece.
There’s also the matter of Minnesota’s uncertainty at power forward, which makes it tempting to imagine Shannon sliding into that opening. He has the athletic tools for it, but his defense at the NBA level has been underwhelming. That leaves him with work to do on both sides of the floor.
Bones Hyland is in the most straightforward kind of audition. He showed last season that he belongs in the NBA after being close to the edge of the league. What he still has to prove is whether that translates when the games get serious.
Hyland’s regular season gave Minnesota a nice story, but the playoff role was much smaller, even with injuries hitting the roster. He played just 11.6 minutes per game in the postseason and averaged 4.6 points while shooting 30 percent from the field. That stretch likely hurt his chances of landing a bigger payday, which is part of why he re-signed on a minimum deal.
He’s a streaky scorer with a slight build, the kind of player who often gets squeezed when the playoffs arrive. Now he has the chance to show he can be more than a regular-season spark and become a reliable reserve guard.
In Other News...
Chris Finch Just Tied A Vikings QB Debate To Wolves Fans Frustration
The Vikings wrapped up a joint practice with the Ravens this week as they get set for their Week 2 preseason game, and Kevin OConnell clarified where the quarterback picture stands for now. J.J. McCarthy is the backup and is expected to start the upcoming game, while the starter will not be available, keeping Minnesotas quarterback conversation very much alive as the preseason moves along.
Chris Finch, meanwhile, offered a pointed basketball parallel that should resonate with Timberwolves fans who have seen enough young-player growing pains to know how fragile development can be. The Wolves coach tied McCarthys situation to the way former Timberwolves guard Rob Dillingham was brought along, suggesting both were placed in spots that may have made it harder to grow at the right pace. [Read more 🡒]
Anthony Edwards Faces Another Costly Off-Court Spotlight
Anthony Edwards is back in an off-court story that carries real financial stakes, with a court sorting out support for his family obligations as the Timberwolves try to keep their focus on the floor. Edwards had already agreed to pay child support for another child with a different woman, and this latest case adds another layer to a situation that has been developing away from basketball.
The matter involving Alexandria Descroches also comes with additional court requirements beyond the monthly support payments, underscoring how much is still being resolved outside the game. For a player whose profile has grown with Minnesota, the attention now shifts to how these obligations will be handled and what comes next as this latest legal thread continues to unfold. [Read more 🡒]
Tim Connelly Just Became A Huge Wolves Ownership Story
Marc Lores decision to sell his controlling interest in the Timberwolves and Lynx to Marc Stad adds another layer to a franchise that has already spent plenty of time sorting out its future. Stad was already in the ownership mix, so this is more of a shift in control than a wholesale change in direction, but any transition at the top naturally turns the spotlight back to the people steering basketball decisions.
One of the biggest names in that conversation is Tim Connelly, who has made clear he is committed to Minnesota. His standing with the new ownership group now matters even more, though, because his long-term status is still not settled and the next chapter will depend on how quickly the sides can turn that interest into a new agreement. [Read more 🡒]