The Minnesota Timberwolves’ win total is one of the stranger numbers on the board this preseason.
Vegas has them at 48.5, the same mark as the Denver Nuggets and tied for third in the Western Conference. That part of the equation makes some sense.
What doesn’t add up is treating Minnesota like it belongs in the same neighborhood as Denver. The Wolves have spent the last couple of seasons proving they’re operating on a different level, and a 50-win season feels like the more natural expectation.
Forty-eight wins would still be a solid year. But after the addition of LaMelo Ball, that feels like too low a bar for this roster.
On paper, this team has the ingredients to be a serious problem for the rest of the league. It has a top-five-to-seven player who can lead the NBA in scoring, one of the league’s best playmakers who can also give you 25 a night, a perennial DPOY candidate, high-end role players with clearly defined strengths, and one of the most successful coaches of the decade.
The early signs off the court have been encouraging, too. The chemistry this offseason has reportedly been strong, and the players have made a real push to lay the groundwork for this new group right away. That matters for a team trying to hit the ground running after a major roster shakeup.
Minnesota has also already shown a pretty clear baseline. Over the past two seasons, the Wolves won 49 games each time, and they did it with rosters that were more flawed than the one they’re bringing into this season. Last year’s team barely stayed out of the play-in, which makes it hard to buy the idea that a better roster somehow finishes with a worse record.
Still, there are skeptics. On an episode of Brian Windhorst and the Hoop Collective, Tim MacMahon said he’s concerned about Minnesota’s lack of a power forward and made it clear he isn’t sold on LaMelo Ball. He even compared the Wolves’ move for Ball to the Milwaukee Bucks trading for Damian Lillard.
“I am a Timberwolves skeptic this season. I've been a LaMelo Ball skeptic for a while now.
In his defense, he proved me wrong last year, and the Hornets were so convinced by it, they shipped him out the first chance they got. But typically you make a big trade, and I've learned this the hard way because remember how high I was on the Dame Bucks.
I think I picked them first in our Winspool draft that year. You make a big trade like this, it's going to take some time to figure out fit, chemistry, all those kind of things.
And they don't have a lot of depth, and they do have a gaping hole at power forward,”
MacMahon said.
But the comparison only goes so far. Beyond the shared feature of trading for a star point guard, these situations are pretty different.
That Bucks team was old and banged up, with shaky depth and questionable coaching. Minnesota is built around a core that’s still under 26 years old, with Rudy Gobert as the lone exception.
The power forward concern is fair to bring up, but the Wolves have enough size elsewhere to help cover it. Jaden McDaniels brings length, and LaMelo Ball gives them an unusual height advantage at his position.
So while 48 wins isn’t some outrageous forecast, it still feels light. If the Wolves stay reasonably healthy, they should be able to clear last season’s total by a few games at minimum.
In Other News...
Tim Connelly Just Addressed The Timberwolves Question Fans Care About
Tim Connellys future has been one of the quieter but more important questions around the Timberwolves as the front office heads into another pivotal stretch. The president of basketball operations spoke recently about the teams roster-building path, revisiting the high-profile moves that reshaped Minnesota, including the trades for Rudy Gobert, Mike Conley and LaMelo Ball, while also acknowledging that some of those deals have come with their share of difficulty.
What stood out most was Connellys tone about what comes next. With his contract set to expire after this year, he made it clear he remains invested in finishing the job and keeping the roster moving forward after the clubs recent playoff runs. For a team that has spent years trying to turn promise into something more lasting, the bigger question now is whether the same person who helped steer those bold swings will be the one guiding the next phase. [Read more 🡒]
J. Cole Just Added More Hype To Minnesotas New Star Pairing
The buzz around Minnesotas latest roster shakeup reached beyond the NBA floor and into a concert crowd, where J. Cole gave the Timberwolves new partnership between Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball an extra shot of credibility. During a Minnesota stop on The Fall Off tour, Cole publicly praised the pairing and said he believed the two guards would make for a strong team, adding a little celebrity fuel to a move that already had plenty of intrigue attached to it.
For the Wolves, the appeal is obvious. Ball brings another skilled facilitator into a group that already features Edwards, Rudy Gobert and Jaden McDaniels, giving Minnesota a different kind of playmaking option after its Western Conference Semifinals run. Coles reaction matters mostly as a measure of the excitement around the fit, and it adds to the sense that the Timberwolves are trying to turn a promising core into something even more dangerous. [Read more 🡒]
Joan Beringer Is Giving The Timberwolves A New Reason For Hope
Joan Beringer has already given Minnesota something it has been hunting for: a young frontcourt player whose defensive profile looks unusually real for this stage of his career. Tim Connelly, one of the lead voices in the Timberwolves front office, singled out Beringers blend of physical tools and defensive upside, the kind of endorsement that carries extra weight for a team built around toughness and length. After a rookie season that offered encouraging signs on that end, Beringer enters this year with a clearer path to minutes.
For the Timberwolves, the intrigue is not just whether Beringer can protect the rim and move like a modern big, but whether those traits can translate into broader value as his role grows. Increased playing time should give the team a better read on how far his athleticism can take him, especially if the defensive impact continues to show up early and often. If he keeps progressing, Minnesota could have found another piece who helps shape the identity it wants to keep building around. [Read more 🡒]