Minnesota Timberwolves at Charlotte Hornets
Date: November 1st, 2025
Time: 5:00 PM CDT
Location: Spectrum Center
Television Coverage: FanDuel Sports Network – North
Radio Coverage: Wolves App, iHeart Radio
The Timberwolves’ Early Season Reality Check: Time to Grow Up
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There’s really only one word to sum up the start of this Minnesota Timberwolves season: disappointing.
Not “panic-inducing.” Not “hopeless.” Just… disappointing. Like opening a bag of Cool Ranch Doritos and realizing they changed the formula again. The Wolves aren’t bad. They’re just not what they should be right now.
Let’s go down the list. It’s disappointing that we’ve only gotten to see Anthony Edwards for two games and about three and a half minutes before his hamstring waved the white flag. It’s disappointing that this supposedly veteran, battle-tested team, a roster full of guys who should know better, still treats “playing hard for 48 minutes” like it’s an elective. And it’s definitely disappointing that the Wolves are stuck with a crippling point guard situation, which now resembles a bad ‘90s sitcom love triangle: too many options, none of them right, and everyone’s pretending it’ll just sort itself out by sweeps week.
So here they are: 2–3. Below .500. One heroic Ant game away from being 1–4. For a team with this kind of talent, that’s a reality check you can’t ignore.
The calendar flips to November, and suddenly this team has questions stacked higher than Rudy Gobert with his arms raised. The good news? They get the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday night. And if there’s ever a “get-right” game on the NBA schedule, it’s a trip to play the Hornets.
A win won’t fix everything. But it can start to rewire how this team thinks. Because right now, the Wolves don’t look like a group that knows who they are without Anthony Edwards.
1. Show Up and Play Hard. It’s Not Optional.
This feels ridiculous to even type about a professional basketball team, but… the Timberwolves have a “try-hard” problem. They don’t. At least not for 48 minutes.
Against Portland on opening night, they coasted. Ant bailed them out with a cape-worthy fourth quarter, and everyone went home pretending they’d learned a lesson. Then they got out-hustled and out-rebounded by the Lakers in Game 2, messed around with an overmatched Pacers team in the home opener, and then, in a game where the Lakers were missing LeBron AND Luka, the Wolves decided to jog through another third quarter.
They played just hard enough to make it interesting, even took a late lead… and then Reaves hit the dagger. The buzzer-beater that every Wolves fan will see in their sleep for a week.
That’s not bad luck. That’s a team asking to get punched in the mouth.
NBA talent is too deep now. You can’t half-ass through 36 minutes and hope it magically clicks in the fourth quarter. You’re not the 2017 Warriors. You’re not even the 2021 Suns. You’re the Timberwolves. If you want to be taken seriously, you have to earn it every quarter, not just when it’s time for the highlight reel.
2. Dominate the Glass Like You Mean It
The Wolves’ size is supposed to be their superpower. Rudy Gobert, Julius Randle, Naz Reid is a frontcourt that should terrify teams. But lately, it’s like watching a group of guys who all forgot they’re 6’10”.
The Lakers, missing half their rotation, still managed to win the rebounding battle. Denver embarrassed them in the paint. The post play has been unacceptable. Gobert is the defensive anchor, but even anchors need a chain. Can Chris Finch instruct someone to crash the boards with Rudy instead of staring at him like he’s auditioning for “One Man Rebound Show.”
The Wolves need to impose their will. That means Randle and Naz playing like actual bigs again – physical, mean, and relentless. Save possessions. Get extra shots. Punish smaller lineups. If you’ve got this much frontcourt talent and you’re losing second-chance points, you’re not big… you’re just tall.
3. Enough Hero Ball
It’s incredible how quickly this team slips into pickup-ball mode. No movement. No spacing. No plan. It’s like they’re allergic to assists.
When Ant’s out there, he can get away with it. His gravity bends defenses, and sometimes the ISO is the right play. But without him? That same style becomes basketball purgatory.
Guys like Donte DiVincenzo, Jaden McDaniels, Naz Reid, and Gobert are made for ball movement. They thrive when the offense hums, when cuts open space and rotations collapse. Instead, we’re watching the offense grind to a halt and everyone without the ball standing around and waiting for something magical to happen. Spoiler: it doesn’t.
The Wolves have built meaningful leads in every game this season. And every time, they blow them the same way with lazy defense, dumb isolations, zero urgency. When this team moves the ball, they look unstoppable. When they stop? They look like a YMCA Tuesday night league.
4. Accountability Time: Naz, TSJ, Gobert, and Julius
Naz Reid: You got paid. Now act like it. The three-ball’s been off. The energy’s been off. There were flashes against Denver when he attacked the rim, but for the most part, he’s been sleepwalking through possessions. He’s a fan favorite. Everyone wants him to succeed, but $125 million demands more than occasional sparks. If you’re going to have defensive limitations, you better make up for them on the offensive end.
Terrence Shannon Jr.: Summer League star, preseason darling… and now, suddenly, looks like he’s thinking too much. The tools are there. The aggression isn’t. He’s missing bunnies at the rim and turning it over like he’s allergic to patience. This is your window, kid. No Ant means no excuses. You’ve got to play smarter, finish strong, and show that you belong in the nightly rotation.
Rudy Gobert: Other than the 18 boards he snagged against Indiana, Rudy’s rebounding has been anemic. The tone-setting isn’t there. Be mean again, Rudy. Pretend every missed rebound docks you $100K. That might get the job done.
Julius Randle: He’s actually been the one adult in the room, and is the guy carrying them when Ant’s out. But leadership isn’t just points and rebounds; it’s tone. It’s urgency. When your team sleepwalks through a game like they did against L.A., that reflects on you too. Be louder. Be angrier. Set the standard. This is your team right now, and it’ll only go as far as you push it.
5. The Moment of Truth
Look, it’s early. Two-and-three doesn’t mean anything in a vacuum. The NBA season is long and weird and full of random blips. But there’s a difference between losing and playing like you don’t care that you’re losing.
That’s what makes this weekend so important. Charlotte might be a low-stakes opponent, but that’s exactly why it matters. This is a locker-room gut test. If the Wolves come out flat again, if they mail in another first half, if they lose to a Hornets team that’s basically praying for the draft lottery, then it’s time to start asking the hard questions about this group’s DNA.
Anthony Edwards or not, this should be a win. Full stop.
So yeah, Saturday night in Charlotte isn’t exactly NBA Christmas. But for Minnesota, it’s a chance to prove that they’re done being the team that only looks dangerous when the lights are brightest. The Wolves of the 2010s coasted, sulked, and settled. The Wolves of this new era?
They’re supposed to play with purpose.
So put on your big-boy pants, show some pride, and go earn the name on the front of the jersey.
Because the clock’s ticking on the “figuring it out” excuse.
It’s time to grow up.
