The Minnesota Timberwolves are OK.
Of the current 30 teams in the NBA, the Wolves are one of the "newer" teams, having joined the league in 1989 along with the Orlando Magic. Only the Memphis Grizzlies (1995), Toronto Raptors (1995), and New Orleans Pelicans (2002) are younger.
At the time of writing this review, in the franchise's 23-year history, the Wolves have made the playoffs nine times. Eight of those nine appearances happened in consecutive seasons, 1996-2004, under late and beloved coach Flip Saunders. Those teams featured Kevin Garnett, one of the NBA's all-time greats, as the centerpiece. Minnesota drafted KG right out of high school (when that was still allowed) in 1995. I ended up writing a college English paper comparing the then-blossoming careers of Garnett and another basketball legend, Tim Duncan. The two were very comparable contemporaries.
Those KG-led Timberwolves teams, with complementary players like Latrell Sprewell, Sam Cassell, and Troy Hudson, are what I remember most when I think about this franchise. Despite the greatness of KG, they could never get over the hump, losing in the first round of the playoffs for seven straight years. It was in the 2004 playoffs that the Wolves finally looked like they had a chance to contend, but then they ran into Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant, Gary Payton, and Karl Malone in the Western Conference Finals. The Wolves lost the series to the Lakers, 4-2. The Pistons ended up upsetting the Lakers in the Finals, 4-1, to win the championship that year.
Minnesota has not been great at drafting. They've drafted many NBA players who have gone on to have long careers, but not in Minnesota. Some of the Wolves' biggest stars have been acquired mainly via trades. For example, during the 1996 draft, the Wolves drafted Ray Allen (No. 5 pick) and traded him to the Bucks for Stephon Marbury (No. 4 pick). In 2008, the Wolves acquired Kevin Love in a multiplayer draft day deal. Six years later (2014), Love was sent packing to Cleveland in a deal that landed Minnesota Andrew Wiggins (No. 1 pick in the '14 draft). And in 2017, the Wolves traded for Jimmy Butler in another draft day transaction.
Aside from KG in '95, notable franchise contributors that the Timberwolves actually drafted include Rasho Nesterovic (1998), Wally Szczerbiak (1999), Nikola Pekovic (2008), Ricky Rubio (2009), Karl-Anthony Towns (2015), and Josh Okogie (2018). Karl-Anthony Towns, a.k.a. "KAT," has been an absolute beast for the Wolves; almost like a second coming of sorts of KG. However, KAT has only led Minnesota to the playoffs once so far. They managed to win only one game against the Rockets in the first round. In general, during the KAT era, I think one of the problems is the Wolves have been a poor defensive team.
Josh Okogie certainly helps on the defensive end. I love his intensity. I've been a Georgia Tech men's basketball season ticket holder since 2005, met Josh on multiple occasions, and watched him up close while he was in Atlanta (2016-18). Most people were surprised when he declared for the draft after his sophomore season, but he and NBA scouts knew something we didn't. Okogie was taken in the 1st round with the 20th pick and so far, he seems to have panned out. He joins Stephon Marbury, who played at Georgia Tech for one season (1995-96), as Yellow Jackets who have become fan favorites in Minneapolis.
The Timberwolves are currently in the KAT and D'Angelo Russell era. Minnesota acquired Russell on February 6, 2020 in a trade that sent Wiggins to Golden State. Now both the number one (KAT) and number two (Russell) overall picks in the 2015 NBA draft are playing together on the same team. KAT and Russell are also reportedly longtime friends. It's reminiscent of how the Heat united Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, and Chris Bosh from the 2003 draft class. It remains to be seen how the Minnesota Timberwolves will do from here, but the combined talent of their two cornerstones gives reason to be optimistic. read more