The leaves are changing and the temperatures are getting brisk which means one thing. A new Minnesota Timberwolves season is upon us.
Just like past seasons tied to the Chris Finch Era, this one is similar in the fact that it doesn’t look similar to past rosters. Finch welcomes that challenge time and time again. Minnesota made the eye-popping move just after draft day to trade beloved folk hero, Naz Reid to the Charlotte Hornets for elite playmaker and shot maker, LaMelo Ball. Not only that, but
they were able to sway an important free agent’s decision in Jonathan Kuminga to take a flier on this team and sign with Minnesota.
Another massive shift in the roster when it comes to talent, but what will this team look like without veteran leaders such as Mike Conley, Joe Ingles, and Kyle Anderson? That was one of the more popular questions asked at media day last week.
Anthony Edwards – The Maturing Leader
So are these young Wolves led by Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, and grizzled 14-year-vet Rudy Gobert going to rise up to the occasion? From president of basketball operations Tim Connelly, down to bench reserve Bones Hyland, they’re confident that the camaraderie built by this team in the offseason will translate to the court.
“It’s all about the maturity of the guys. That’s what it comes down too,” said head coach Chris Finch at media day.
“(Ant) was very excited about the moves we made. He feels like we’re prime to make another jump or two,” said Tim Connelly. That jump for Edwards may be seen in a multitude of ways whether it be the team’s play on the court, or even the chemistry that’s built within. Edwards saw the importance of having the team together during the offseason. From a trip to Paris coordinated by Rudy Gobert, to five-on-five runs at the Mayo Clinic Square, it was a point of emphasis from Edwards and his team that chemistry is at the forefront. “I feel like in past years, we didn’t really spend time with each other in the summer,” said Edwards.
When it comes to leadership itself, Edwards kept it simple: “Speak up when I see something… When I see something wrong, just speak up.”
Many players on this specific squad echo that same sentiment of communication. Bones Hyland mentioned at media day that they will be looking to Edwards for guidance when the team is in a slump. “That’s something I think (Ant) should embrace. A lot of us in the locker room, we look for Ant to lead us,“ said Hyland. Edwards is ready to prepare differently this upcoming season and to leave his mark as a leader. Admitting that in prior seasons, he was worried more about the box score than how he can be effective.
“When I was younger, it used to be how many points I have. Now it’s like, I look at the plus/minus when I was on the floor, and just about how good I was playing defense that night.”
Speaking of defense, Edwards is not only thrilled to have an offensive backcourt and true point guard in Ball, but thrilled to be back to his natural position and spend more energy on the defensive end of the floor. “I feel like the last couple years, I couldn’t play defense as good as I wanted to because I was bringing the ball up. At times I had to score all the time, I was super tired, but now I got LaMelo.”
LaMelo Ball – The Vocal Leader
Minnesota’s newest playmaking maestro, LaMelo Ball, has shown a very brief and lax personality in front of the media which is nearly the opposite of how his teammates describe him off camera. When it comes to leadership and what Edwards has shown him so far, Ball says it’s going to be a team effort.
“I think Ant is going to be good and honestly, we’re just going to help each other lead.”
Ball’s voice is one that this new roster will look to as the offensive alpha of the pack. If you’ve paid any attention to training camp videos posted by the team and NBA, Ball’s glowing knack for seeing the floor is already on display and he’s letting his teammates know.
Jaden McDaniels – The Emerging Leader
Jaden McDaniels surprisingly offered some of the longest quotes at media day. He knows that the trio of Edwards, Ball, and himself will be key in holding the brunt of leadership while getting the younger Wolves to follow them.
“Just being more mature. Trying to help the young guys, but then also you don’t see as many older vets on our team so like just me, Ant, Melo, really all of us holding each other accountable. Basically not needing those vets, but turning into the vets ourselves, and just coming to win and know what we need to do throughout the season. Through tough times, through good times, and just know how to treat it.”
McDaniels and Edwards entered the league in the same 2020 draft class and are now entering their seventh year. Despite being only 26 year old, and Edwards 25, these two have plenty of league and playoff experience under their wings. Laying the foundation for the both of them to be bigger voices in the locker room. “(Edwards) is going to be real with you. Even if you’re having a bad night or didn’t want to hear it, he’s going to let you know so that’s something I respect about his leadership,” McDaniels said of his career-long running mate.
It won’t be just Edwards that the Wolves will be looking to hear a voice from. McDaniels knows that him and Gobert will be the de facto defensive leaders. That will take constant communication, and McDaniels seems ready to take on that challenge.
“Don’t matter who’s guarding the best player on the opposite team, just all of us being together, having each other’s back, and all of us knowing the rotations, being in the right spots, and for JK and Isaiah, helping them whenever they have little dry spots and not knowing what to do or picking up little tools I do.”
Specifically for Kuminga and Evans, they’ve both mentioned their excitement to pick McDaniels’ brain on the defensive side of the floor. JMac is happy to oblige. “I’ve already talked to Isaiah a couple times just letting him know certain things to do.”
Rudy Gobert – The Veteran Leader
Meanwhile, Rudy Gobert is entering year 14 in the NBA and this might just be his most important. Without the brute physicality of Julius Randle and Naz Reid, fans may see a more Jazz-oriented Gobert. The four-time Defensive Player of the Year may have to play more drop coverage than he has before, keeping the lane on lock while newcomers like Ball and Kuminga get acclimated on that end of the floor. Even Mike Conley had to get used to it in Utah.
“Standards and habits. I think that’s what the championship teams are able to do and we know we have the talent, but if we’re able to do that, we’ll be able to fully take advantage of the talent that we have.”
Gobert knows the clock is ticking on his illustrious career, but chemistry has been built between the big man, McDaniels, and Edwards. He’s seen how the latter two have gone from untapped potential, to voices everyone wants to hear from in the locker room. “They’ve grown a lot since I’ve been here, it’s amazing to watch, and I think we’re all hungry to win,” said Gobert. He also adds that the recent playoff runs and experience can pay dividends towards becoming those locker room leaders. “The goal is to win a championship and they are willing to get outside their comfort zone to achieve that.”
By all accounts, the “vibes” are astronomical in the locker room. Why shouldn’t they? This team has yet to face adversity, the talent is there with the best in the NBA, and new faces are bringing competitive energy.
Connelly has been vocal in the past about putting the right personalities in his locker room and he’s convinced this new roster has the right cast. Without Conley, Ingles, Reid, and Anderson stabilizing emotions in the locker room, it’s not out of the question to conclude this team could blow up at any time. But as the doors shut on media day and the final pressers were conducted, chemistry and character was a constant theme from this team. That’s why many were in the gym nearly all summer working together and that’s why a trip to Paris was conducted.
Expect to see bumps in the road with two new members in the starting lineup, but if the stars align and the team stays healthy, don’t be surprised to see the Wolves finish the season with home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. The players believe they have the talent, but complete togetherness as a team is what they believe can take them to the next level. Lead by example and lead as a group.
“I don’t have no individual expectations. I just want to win. Whatever that looks like, whatever it takes,” said Edwards.
