The most significant moment of the franchise since the drafting of Kevin Garnett happened two summers ago, when the Wolves, perpetually unlucky in the draft lottery, landed Karl-Anthony Towns with the No. 1 pick and instantly paired him with another No. 1 (taken by Cleveland but traded to Minny), Andrew Wiggins. Suddenly, the Wolves had two potential franchise players in their incubator and then added credibility when Tom Thibodeau arrived as coach and GM. Progress was slow, however, and the Wolves won only 31 games, missed the playoffs and needed help in the offseason.
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ICYMI
The Wolves made one of the bigger off-season splashes by getting Jimmy Butler. He’s a solid two-way player in his prime and brings toughness, exactly what the Wolves need here in this stage of their development … They said good-bye to Ricky Rubio, Zach LaVine and Kris Dunn in the process, but such was a reasonable price to pay for an off-season upgrade.
THREE POINTS
1. Is Teague the answer? The new triggerman for the Wolves is Jeff Teague, a one-time former All-Star who brings better shooting at the point guard spot. Wolves fans will notice that immediately.
2. Butler won’t be shy about taking over in the final seconds of games and it’s a good thing, because the Wolves were awful in late-game situations. Such is the case when your team is young. Again, Butler, at least on the surface anyway, fills plenty of needs.
3. Shabazz Muhammad found a chilly reception on the market during free agency and settled for a one-year deal to return. It could be one and done.
MAN ON THE SPOT
Thibodeau is widely regarded as one of the better coaches in basketball with good reason; his job performance in Chicago after Derrick Rose suffered injuries was stellar. It’s easy to see why the Wolves gave him total power within the organization. Yet last season was a mild disappointment and most alarming was the Wolves’ defensive breakdowns, since defense is Thibodeau’s calling card. He now has Butler and therefore, no excuses this season.
STARTING FIVE
Jeff Teague | 15.3 ppg | 7.8 apg | 4.0 rpg
The replacement for Ricky Rubio is a steady-if-unremarkable floor leader with better range.
Jimmy Butler | 23.9 ppg | 5.5 apg | 6.2 rpg
One of the better two-way players in basketball, Butler is equipped to lead by example and brings needed toughness.
Karl-Anthony Towns | 25.1 ppg | 12.3 rpg | 1.3 bpg
An emerging star in the middle, Towns might still be this team’s best player.
Andrew Wiggins | 23.6 ppg | 4.0 rpg | 1.0 spg
Wiggins is already a proven scorer; can he raise the level of his remaining game?
Gorgui Dieng | 10.0 ppg | 7.9 rpg | 1.1 bpg
You won’t find many better rebounders at power forward, and Dieng is developing a reliable jumper as well.
KEY RESERVES
Shabazz Muhammad | 9.9 ppg | 48.2 pct | 2.8 rpg
Brings instant offense off the bench, yet is inconsistent.
Jamal Crawford | 12.3 ppg | 2.6 apg | 1.6 rpg
The premier sixth man of his generation, Crawford can still get hot in a hurry at age 37.
Taj Gibson | 10.8 ppg | 6.2 rpg | 51.5 FG pct
A true blue collar worker in the paint, Gibson should add quality minutes to the front line.
THE BOTTOM LINE
It’s hard to make rapid improvement in the NBA, especially in a conference as tough as the West. Yet the projections for the Wolves are high; maybe even a plus-20 in the standings. A 50-win season is a best-case scenario, but even if the Wolves fall short, no big deal. Remember, this franchise hasn’t won a playoff game since 2004 and advanced beyond the first round only once in team history. Even with Butler, Teague and Crawford aboard, patience is in order.
Veteran NBA writer Shaun Powell has worked for newspapers and other publications for more than 25 years. You can e-mail him here or follow him onTwitter.
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