Minnesota Timberwolves
Christmas wish: Respect from around the league
The Minnesota Timberwolves have been the most consistently good team in the Western Conference through the first couple of months of the season. The trio of Anthony Edwards, Rudy Gobert, and Karl-Anthony Towns has looked fantastic together and the supporting cast has been good enough to suggest that perhaps the Wolves could be a worthy dark horse contender in the West. However, one thing that they are currently lacking at the moment is respect.
Even though respect is something that is often earned, it wouldn't hurt the team to get a bit of a head nod from the rest of the league. Despite having the best record in the West through the first 27ish games of the season, the Wolves are somewhat overlooked when discussing teams that could win it all this season.
It's tough to understand why. On paper, the Wolves check almost every box that would want a championship contender to do. They have a superstar in Edwards, two strong supporting stars in Gobert and KAT, and one of the best defenses in the league.