Minnesota Timberwolves 2022-23 Season Review
Buyer's remorse anyone?
We finally have some substance to put behind some draft analysis. While we can only predict where players will land, we at least know who has each pick. The Spurs, Hornets and Blazers moved up from 3,4,5 to pick 1,2,3. Houston fell to 4, and, in typical Detroit fashion, the Pistons moved down to 5. The Spurs won the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes. The only other times they’ve selected first overall, they took David Robinson and Tim Duncan. This might be the ideal landing spot for Wemby as a fantasy player, but with the current frontcourt of Keldon Johnson, Jeremy Sochan and Zach Collins, somebody is getting moved to the bench. As far as draft content that I’ll be putting out, you probably won’t find many mock drafts from me. I may do 1 or 2, but I’ll be focusing more on breaking down individual players and letting you decide what to make of it. Those will likely start being including in these columns. But that will be next time. For now, we’re talking Wolves.
Season Recap:
Minnesota came into the season with lofty expectations for themselves, even if many around the league saw the clunkiness of their backcourt rather quickly. After trading a HAUL for Rudy Gobert over the summer, the Wolves boasted one of the premier frontcourts in the league. Unfortunately, their two center method proved to be a bit outdated, even if Karl-Anthony Towns can space the floor better than most bigs. Factor in KAT’s injury, and this was an understandably disappointing season for Minnesota. Still, they were able to make the playoffs as an 8-seed and get a game against the Nuggets. They’ve mortgaged their future to build this team, and they’ll have to figure out how to make things work quickly, or they’ll tumble back into a bottom-feeder rather quickly.
Dynasty Relevant Players:
Mike Conley
Conley was traded to Minnesota from Utah at the trade deadline to reunite with Rudy Gobert. There were reports that the Wolves were looking for more “maturity” at point guard after a few seasons with D’Angelo Russell. He’ll be 36 at the start of next season, but he’s still playing excellent basketball. The clock is ticking, but he’s a great target for win-now teams that can use a boost in efficiency, 3-pointers and assists.
Anthony Edwards
After playing his first few seasons as a co-star alongside KAT, this truly feels like it’s Ant Man’s team. He had his second straight top-50 season, and that seems like it’ll be his floor for the next decade. He has the potential to lead the league in scoring while still adding 1.5 steals and 1.0 blocks per game at least. He hasn’t even turned 22 yet, but he’s already one of the best players in the league. There aren’t many players as valuable in dynasty formats as Edwards.
Jaylen Nowell
Edwards once called Nowell “the best scorer on the team by far” back in October. Edwards seems to have a tendency to hype up his teammates more than anyone should, but Nowell is still a talented scorer. However, he’s better suited as a spark plug off the bench than as a starter, which will limit his fantasy upside. In deep leagues, he’s worth rostering, but it’s pretty unlikely that he’ll ever be a real contributor in fantasy basketball. He’s an unrestricted free agent, but there doesn’t seem to be a clear scenario of a different situation that would benefit him much.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker
NAW was included in the Gobert trade, and he’s a restricted free agent this summer. He was once seen as a player with loads of potential, but after two semi-successful seasons, he played a smaller role for Minnesota last year. He’ll be 25 next season, and he’s on track to be irrelevant in dynasty leagues within the next few years.
Jaden McDaniels
McDaniels broke out this season as one of the best defenders in the league, and I believe he was snubbed from the all-defensive team. He finished just outside the top-100 in 9-cat scoring, and his value comes from his ability to provide threes, steals and blocks. He averaged 1.4 triples, 0.9 steals and 1.0 blocks per game. McDaniels was one of a few players that came close, but only Joel Embiid and Jaren Jackson Jr. finished with at least one three, one steal and one block per game. McDaniels isn’t going to be one of their top scoring options, but his versatility makes him incredibly valuable in fantasy.
Kyle Anderson
Slo Mo ended up as the starting power forward for the majority of the regular season after Towns’ injury. He ended up having a top-75 season for the second time in his career. Anderson’s game is very awkward (hence the nickname Slo Mo), but when he sees the minutes, he’s an effective contributor in fantasy leagues. Unfortunately, barring injury, he’s going to return to a role off the bench. He’ll be 30 when the season starts, and while he’s still a capable contributor, he doesn’t hold a ton of value in dynasty formats.
Karl-Anthony Towns
After being a fantasy superstar for the first seven seasons of his career, KAT’s value took a hit this past season. Most of that can be attributed to the calf injury that forced him to miss 51 games, but he also averaged career-lows in rebounds and blocks due to the addition of Gobert. KAT is still incredibly talented and an ideal fantasy player, but with the emergence of Edwards, KAT isn’t the face of the franchise anymore. He also can’t rely on rebounding because of Gobert. Is he capable of getting back to first round production? Sure. Is the situation helping him? Not at all.
Rudy Gobert
In his first season with Minnesota, Gobert had his worst fantasy season since his third year in the league. As mentioned previously, that was without Towns next to him for the majority of the season. He’s still an excellent rebounder and shot blocker and will shoot a high percentage from the floor, but he isn’t contributing much else. He’s past his days of being a second rounder in 9-cat leagues, but he’s likely going to be a top-75 guy for a few more seasons at least.
Naz Reid
Reid may end up being one of the most highly coveted free agents this summer. In 11 starts this season, he averaged 16.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.4 steals, 1.0 blocks and 1.7 threes in just 26.1 minutes per game. Minnesota wants to retain him, but how much will they be willing to pay for a backup center? Especially if another team offers him a starting job. If Reid sticks around, he won’t be much more than a streaming option when KAT or Gobert miss time. However, if he gets a starting job elsewhere, he’ll likely be in for a top-100 season at just 24 years. Buy now before his value rises.