That trade for Rudy Gobert doesn’t seem to be as horrible as it used to be, does it?
The Minnesota Timberwolves have the best record in the Western Conference with a record of 19-5 and the best defense in the league with a rate of 106.6 points per 100 possessions. These victories include victories over some of the greatest teams in the league, including Denver, Boston, Philadelphia, Oklahoma City, and Dallas.
Anthony Edwards is a two-way star (24.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.3 steals per game), Karl-Anthony Towns is having one of his best all-around seasons (22.4 points, 9.5 rebounds, 51.6% from the field, 43% on 3-pointers) and Rudy Gobert (12.7 points, 12.0 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game) helps anchor a defense on a deep roster that includes Naz Reid, Mike Conley, Jaden McDaniels, Kyle Anderson, Shake Milton, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Troy Brown Jr.In July of 2022, the newly elected president of the Timberwolves, Tim Connelly, made a trade with Utah that included four first-round picks (2023, 2025, 2027, and 2029), Walker Kessler, a first-round pick from 2022, and a first-round pick from 2026 in exchange for Gobert.As 2022 rolled into 2023, the Timberwolves maintained a record of 16-21.
With a record of 42-40, Minnesota qualified for the play-in tournament and progressed to the playoffs, where it was defeated by Denver in the first round of postseason competition.
While it is required for the Timberwolves to win a playoff series for the first time since 2004, they are playing like a team with higher aspirations under the direction of Chris Finch, who is in his fourth year as the head coach of the Timberwolves. The Timberwolves are off to the best start in business history.
1. Minnesota Timberwolves (19-5)
The Timberwolves have nine victories by at least 15 points through 24 games – that’s three more than they had in 82 games last season.
Previous ranking: 2