Minnesota Timberwolves at Miam Heat
Date: January 3rd, 2026
Time: 4:00 PM CST
Location: Kaseya Center
Television Coverage: NBA TV, FanDuel Sports Network – North
Radio Coverage: Wolves App, iHeart Radio
For the Minnesota Timberwolves, 2025 will be remembered as the Year of the Whimper.
Every time an opportunity arose to finish on a strong note, the team chose to exit through the side door.
The Target Center finale against Brooklyn was a no-show, a lifeless performance that featured almost no defensive
effort and even less pride. The New Year’s Eve game in Atlanta followed the same script with atrocious defense, soft rebounding, stagnant offense, and a collective shrug where urgency should have lived. And those two games were not anomalies. They were the exact same way Minnesota finished its Western Conference Finals run against Oklahoma City: not with a fight, not with resolve, but by letting their doors get blown off.
As Master Yoda would say: Closers, the 2025 Timberwolves were not.
Now the calendar flips to 2026, and with it comes a chance at something this team desperately needs: a new narrative. One where defense matters again. Where rebounding is non-negotiable. Where the offense doesn’t live and die by the three like it’s playing roulette with the season.
But the early warning signs are loud.
The Wolves once built their identity around a defense anchored by Rudy Gobert. Not too long ago, this was a group that took pride in holding opponents under 100, in making every possession miserable, in winning games by will as much as talent. That version of this team has disappeared. Brooklyn got to the rim at will despite Minnesota’s size advantage. Chicago was doing the same until injuries to Coby White and Josh Giddey kneecapped the Bulls’ offense and gave the Wolves the illusion of competence. Then Atlanta absolutely torched them, blowing past defenders on the perimeter, finishing at the rim uncontested. Julius Randle, meanwhile, performed a spot-on turnstile impersonation, consistently getting beaten by his man. And when Atlanta did miss? The Wolves politely handed them another possession. And then another, treating rebounding like a suggestion rather than a responsibility
Offensively, the Wolves weren’t great against the Hawks, but at this point that almost doesn’t matter. With the defense playing this poorly, Minnesota could average 130 a night and still find ways to lose.
Which brings us to the 2026 opener in South Beach, and a team that suddenly finds itself at a crossroads.
Keys to the Game vs Miami
1. Protect the Rim Like It’s the Declaration of Independence
The Wolves need to start treating the rim like Nicolas Cage in National Treasure. Or if you don’t like that analogy, how about Kevin Costner in The Bodyguard, throwing his body in front of bullets. Whichever 1990’s leading man they choose to channel, Minnesota needs to do whatever it takes to protect the paint.
This starts on the perimeter. Minnesota’s wings have developed the bad habit of getting blown by and hoping Rudy Gobert will clean it up. That cannot be the plan. The first line of defense has to hold. And when opponents do reach the paint, Rudy, Julius, and Naz need to become the last line of punishment by bullying, contesting, and making every drive feel expensive.
Rudy can’t be the only adult in the room anymore. This has to be collective.
2. Do Not Let Tyler Herro Become the Next “That Guy”
The Wolves have turned letting one opposing player go nuclear into an art form. Cam Thomas. Jalen Johnson. Nikola Jokic’s 56-point Christmas Day dissertation. Tyler Herro could be the next in line if Minnesota doesn’t take him seriously.
Herro is scheduled to return, and this is where discipline matters. Hard closeouts. Clean help. No casual switches. No wide-open threes. If Herro gets comfortable, Miami becomes dangerous fast.
3. Move the Ball, Or Die Trying
What happened in Atlanta was offensive stagnation. With his teammates sleepwalking, Ant tried to drag the Wolves to the finish line, which led to hero ball, which led to teammates standing around watching him cook. That’s not sustainable basketball.
The Wolves are at their best when the ball moves. When the defense shifts. When the open man is found, and the shot is taken without hesitation. The three-point shooting has been wildly inconsistent lately, but it improves when the offense flows instead of freezing.
4. Julius Randle Must Find Himself Again
Early in the season, especially when Anthony Edwards was hurt, Randle was the anchor. Triple-doubles. Smart bully ball. High-efficiency scoring. Playmaking. Leadership.
That version of Randle has faded. Outside of a monster fourth quarter against the Knicks, he’s been an afterthought. And as the second-best player on this roster, that cannot continue.
If the Wolves are going to right this ship, Randle has to rediscover that early-season version of himself: physical, focused, efficient, engaged on both ends. He is a tone-setter. When Julius plays right, the whole team stabilizes.
5. Find Your Pride
This is the one that matters.
Christmas Day: Minnesota tanked against a team missing half its starters before flipping the switch late.
Brooklyn: a complete embarrassment.
Chicago: lifeless until injuries saved them.
Atlanta: the final turd in the holiday punch bowl.
This is not good basketball.
This is not confident basketball.
This is not Minnesota Timberwolves basketball…
…or, is it?
Now they open the year with five very winnable games: two vs Miami, two vs Cleveland, one vs Washington, before a major Western showdown with San Antonio.
This stretch is the season’s hinge.
Keep sleepwalking, and the Wolves will dig a hole in a Western Conference that offers no mercy. Lock in, and they give themselves a chance to rediscover who they were supposed to be.
The Real Question of 2026
Can the Wolves find their spine again?
Can they reconnect with the identity that made them dangerous: the defense, the physicality, the collective effort, the pride? Can Chris Finch and his staff get this team back on the same page before the standings harden and the margin disappears?
Because the truth is brutal and simple: This roster is far too talented to be playing like this.
2026 begins in Miami.
Whether it becomes a reset… or the start of a longer slide… is up to the Wolves.
