Mar 31, 2014; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves center Nikola Pekovic (14) drives to the basket against Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan (6) in the first half at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Continuing our NBA Preview series, we take a closer look at the Minnesota Timberwolves
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Minnesota Timberwolves 2013-14 record: 40-42
Minnesota Timberwolves 2013-14 MVP: Kevin Love – 26.1 points, 12.5 rebounds, 190 three’s.
Three Things I Think I Know About The Minnesota Timberwolves…
- The team will have a more spread-out offense which will speed up the developing process of Andrew Wiggins’s offensive game.
- Zach LaVine has major bust potential
- The aforementioned spread-out offense might actually result in a better record this time around.
Minnesota Timberwolves Key Additions:
- Andrew Wiggins (trade)
- Thaddeus Young (trade)
- Anthony Bennett (trade)
Minnesota Timberwolves Key Losses:
- Kevin Love (trade)
The Minnesota Timberwolves will be a playoff team if…
There is an instant level of cohesiveness from within the team, when the regular season rolls around. While everyone has been fond of making “T-Pups” tag lines recently, it’s been widely ignored that Kevin Martin, Thaddeus Young, and Nikola Pekovic are established veterans, all of whom will be solid starters.
In particular Pekovic will now get a chance to flourish, as Love’s high-volume offense is now gone, which could catapult his scoring into the early 20’s, which is a similar prediction for Martin.
Overall, there is tremendous potential for this club. While they do have a limited scorer in Ricky Rubio, they have an eerily similar set-up as Boston did when Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Rajon Rondo roamed together. Naturally, the Minnesota Timberwolves don’t posses the same quality of talent, but they do have scorers which negates the need for Rubio to be much of an offensive factor. He can be their best defender, their best playmaker, their leader, in a Rondo sort-of-way.
Team Strengths:
Surprisingly many given they now are athletic, and have a wonderful combination of youth and experience. They had the 9th best offense last season, and while losing Kevin Love is for the most part viewed as a negative, the fact that Minnesota now have more spread-out scoring could actually give them a boost in that department. Having said that, their main strength right now is athleticism. Not necessarily limited to the vertical kind, but also speed and agility, in which case Kevin Martin’s name should come up.
Team Weaknesses:
Halfcourt execution is a concern. Sure, Rubio, Martin, Young, and Pekovic knows what they’re doing, but they’re still incorporating two rookies and a second-year man into the rotation, which means there will times in which adjustments are needed. If you slow the game down on them, I fear they’re vulnerable.
The Minnesota Timberwolves 2014-15 MVP will be…
Kevin Martin or Nikola Pekovic — Both could average in the 20’s with Love gone, and both are high-efficiency players. At this stage however, I’m giving the slight nudge to Pekovic given his rebounding prowess.
Season Defining Question:
Can they play halfcourt basketball?
Best Case Scenario:
45-37
Worst Case Scenario:
20-62