Minnesota Timberwolves Last Season Performance
The 2021-22 Minnesota Timberwolves had a surprisingly good season this year. Not much was expected out of the Timberwolves at the start of the season, considering their record last year.
But head coach Chris Finch did a terrific job of taking over to coach their team last year, so there was hope that the Timberwolves would be competitive and continue to improve this season. Therefore, this makes the Timberwolves’ turnaround all the more impressive.
They improved drastically, and Finch did a tremendous job, as he coached their team to the playoffs this year. More importantly, they had a fully healthy Karl-Anthony Towns and combined with the much-improved play of second-year guard Anthony Edwards, and adding defensive ace Patrick Beverley to their team, the Timberwolves were able to win 46 games in the regular season.
Towns were able to lead his team to the playoffs last year. He had a very good, all-around season, and it was a huge accomplishment to get his team to the playoffs, as they went four years without having done so previously. Also, Edwards had a very good second season, as he really improved as a shooter and scorer, and he is an explosive combo guard that also improved defensively to help his team get to the playoffs this year.
The Timberwolves also defeated the Clippers in the play-in tournament to get to the playoffs, and they even won 2 games against the Grizzlies before losing to them in 6 games in their first-round series against them in the post-season this year.
In his first full season on the bench, Finch proved himself as a sage tactician on offense (the Wolves were the NBA’s most efficient team in 2022) who found ways to plug holes in a roster that had several, particularly on the defensive end. The talent was obvious. The wisdom was beneficial.
These Timberwolves had some of the best continuity in the entire league: From last season to this one, they rolled over 83% of their minutes, second only to the Hawks. It’s also atypical behavior from a team that finished 26th in net rating during the 2020-21 season. It also made everyone’s life a little easier.
As a young, ascending team coming off a gut-check playoff appearance, the Timberwolves now have to deal with higher expectations. How they get better may not require any major transactions, though the team isn’t afraid to make them. They also know internal improvement from Edwards and McDaniels, in particular, allows them to cultivate the chemistry that’s been established over these past two seasons without too many additions and subtractions.
Minnesota Timberwolves Off-Season Changes
The Timberwolf’s off-season was a quiet one, as many expected. They didn’t have to do anything. Talks were had, of course, and some were serious. But nothing was obvious, and as a team that was firmly in the seven seed throughout February, the bar was high to risk disrupting their locker room and on-court performance.
There are a hundred reasons why any front office decides to preserve its roster in-season or from one year to another. The Timberwolves are positioned to maintain what they’re building. And in an unquantifiable way, for the short-term, the players appreciate it.
Now, the Timberwolves will be judged solely on how they perform during the postseason. We already know the Wolves’ playoff history. You don’t take this swing to just be a playoff team. You take it to be a contender, and the Wolves will have to eventually prove they’re worthy of that classification.
Minnesota Timberwolves Key Additions
While not much happened for Minnesota, we can highlight the acquisition of Rudy Gobert. He is one of the two best defensive players of this generation. Incredible offensive rebounder and just an OK defensive rebounder. Gobert is the best rebounder in the league.
That is what the Timberwolves desperately need, someone who can end possessions and not give up second-chance points. Gobert also is a good rim protector, another area where the Wolves needed an upgrade.
Minnesota Timberwolves Key Subtractions
Unfortunately for them, the Wolves took a hit at the lead guard position because the attitude and energy from Beverley were so infectious last season. He really helped set a tone the Wolves hadn’t seen since Jimmy Butler
They also lost Jarred Vanderbilt, who set the tone defensively, and it’s a big reason the Wolves were in the top half of the league in defense while also posting a top-10 offense. The Wolves don’t typically have that kind of balance.
Minnesota Timberwolves Head Coach Analysis
The Timberwolves brought in Finch as a midseason hire in place of Ryan Saunders, who was let go during his third season with the franchise. Many assumed an interim head coach role would then be given to David Vanterpool, who had been with Minnesota since the start of the 2019 season.
Finch’s arrival didn’t coincide with an immediate turnaround for the then–Western Conference cellar dwellers. He says he spent his first weeks with the organization in “evaluation mode,” assessing a roster that, while struggling, was not bereft of talent. Minnesota limped out to an 0–5 start in Finch’s first five games, but the coming weeks brought confidence for his tenure.
Minnesota posted the NBA’s 10th-best net rating in its final 35 contests and closed the regular season at a 9–7 clip. The tumult of Finch’s first week turned to optimism as the outline of a playoff team began to take shape.
Finch isn’t one to bark out a stream of sets from the sideline, dominating each possession with a list of strident rules. Instead, Finch prefers to funnel actions through his trio of leading scorers (Towns, Anthony Edwards and D’Angelo Russell), often leaning on Towns as a primary fulcrum in isolation or pick-and-roll opportunities.
The numbers match Finch’s philosophy. Minnesota finished No. 6 in total isolation possessions this season. It finished No. 6 in pace, and only the Jazz and Warriors launched threes at a more prolific clip.
Finch is no longer reimagining the sport as he did with Sheffield, though his current team remains well on the right side of the league’s efficiency matrix. The freedom Finch provides has brought out the best in his top players.
Finch has played a notable role in the franchise’s return to relevance this season, where Minnesota hopes to win a playoff series for the first time since Kevin Garnett was banging his head against the Target Center stanchion.
Minnesota Timberwolves Betting Prediction for the 2022-23 Season
The Sportsbook has the Timberwolves at +3000 odds to win the 2023 NBA Championship and at +1400 to win the Western Conference. They are built to win now. Gobert is 30, and getting out of the first round of the playoffs for just the second time in franchise history should be standard for this group now.
I think over the course of the next four years, they have to make it out of the first round multiple times and ideally have a run to the conference finals at some point to make the Ruby Gobert deal worth it.
Minnesota Timberwolves Team Leaders
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Minnesota Timberwolves Team Summary
Minnesota Timberwolves Team Injuries
Minnesota Timberwolves Team Schedule/Results
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Minnesota Timberwolves Team Roster
Minnesota Timberwolves FAQs
When was the last time the Minnesota Timberwolves made the playoffs?
The Minnesota Timberwolves last made the playoffs last season, when they lost the Western Conference First Round. They’ve been in the playoffs a total of 10 times in their 34 seasons.
Do the Minnesota Timberwolves have a chance of winning the Western Conference title?
Sometimes it takes a year for a team to find the cohesion and chemistry necessary for a deeper run. They have to make the playoffs this year. If they don’t make it out of the first round, there is still time for them to salvage it, but the goal is to be a home-court advantage team in the first round.
Have the Minnesota Timberwolves won an NBA championship?
The Minnesota Timberwolves have never won a NBA Finals. The closest they came to winning a championship was in 2004 when they lost the Western Conference Finals.
Why Are the Minnesota Timberwolves part of the NBA?
The Timberwolves began play in 1989 as an expansion team alongside the Eastern Conference’s Orlando Magic. As a new team, the Wolves unsurprisingly struggled in their initial years in the league, winning no more than 29 games in any of their first seven seasons.
