We’re about 24 hours away from game one! Before the Minnesota Timberwolves begin on their postseason quest, let’s review their performance throughout the 82-game regular season. We had 42 voters chime in on their player grades as well as what they think will happen in the playoffs in…
Canis Pulsus Vol. 48 – Final Report Card & Playoff Predictions
(Note: Canis Pulsus Vol. 48 data was collected through 4/15)
Anthony Edwards
A- (47.6%)
Quarter 1: A- (47.1%)
Semester 1: A (40.3%)
Quarter 3: A- (34%)
Ant finishes the season with an
A- grade, right around where he was all season. It feels like while Edwards leveled up in certain areas of his game, while there’s still some glaring holes in other areas. Worst of all, this was the most amount of games he’s missed in a season. He missed 21 games with a good chunk of those coming near the end of the season. As they say, the Wolves will only go as far as Ant can take them.
Full voting results:
Julius Randle
B (33.3% each)
Quarter 1: B+ (38.2%)
Semester 1: A / B+ (31.9% each)
Quarter 3: B (28%)
If you had to plot Julius Randle’s effectiveness throughout the season, it would look like a damn seismograph. High peaks early, immediately turning into low valleys, spiking up and down the rest of the way. Randle almost got the Andrew Wiggins “The Best Ability to Availability” award had he not been shut down for the final three games of the season for rest. His Hyde and Jekyll tendencies will be a huge factor in the postseason.
Full voting results:
Jaden McDaniels
B+ (34.1% each)
Quarter 1: A- / B+ (35.3%)
Semester 1: A / A- (31% each)
Quarter 3: A- (34%)
It felt like Jaden was having a career-best season, especially early on. Despite some regression later in the year, Slim still finished with career-highs in scoring, shooting, and playmaking. The consistency must improve if he truly wants to emerge as that long-term second star next to Ant that many are hoping for. Perhaps most importantly, his mental game must keep improving. We had a fair share of “Jaden getting lost in the game” due the return of foul issues or other shenanigans.
Full voting results:
Rudy Gobert
B+ (31%)
Quarter 1: B+ (35.3%)
Semester 1: A (33.3%)
Quarter 3: A (28%)
Rudy finished the season as the league-leader in field goal percentage. He was fairly consistent and reliable as that “floor raiser” the Wolves have become used to. Gobert will surely end up on another All-Defensive team after a solid season. Opponents keep trying him in isolation situations, and they keep failing. Rudy did struggle at the charity stripe this season though, reverting to his first sub-60% season in 10 years.
Full voting results:
Donte DiVincenzo
B (35.7%)
Quarter 1: B (35.3%)
Semester 1: B (34.7%)
Quarter 3: B+ (36%)
The real Mr. 82 has been solidly “good” all season. Sometimes great, sometimes not so much, but for the most part, consistent. Donte saw a spike in playing time this season, averaging a career-high 30.4 minutes per game. He launched and sank more three-pointers than he did in his first season with Minnesota, but the efficiency has ticked down at all three levels. No matter how his stroke is feeling, the Big Ragu always is going to put his body on the line and make the hustle plays.
Full voting results:
Ayo Dosunmu
A (42.9%)
Quarter 3: B+ (28%)
Ayo received the highest grade of any player and it’s much deserved. In just 26 games with the Wolves, Dosunmu notched 14.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game on elite shooting splits (.521/.414/.925). He has simply been amazing and will hopefully be a part of the Timberwolves organization for a long, long time. He’s truly one of the biggest X-factors for Minnesota in their postseason run.
Full voting results:
Naz Reid
B (50%)
Quarter 1: B- (35.3%)
Semester 1: B (40.8%)
Quarter 3: B+ (34%)
What a rollercoaster of a season it’s been for Naz. It began with a really tough start to the season on the heels of a heart-breaking family tragedy. He eventually found his form as the year progressed, but has been dealing with a bevy of injuries recently. Naz is trying to get right before the postseason starts because he will play a big role in Minnesota’s success.
Full voting results:
Kyle Anderson
B+ (31.7%)
The Wolves welcomed back their Chinese-Jamaican King! SlowMo has been deployed early and often by Coach Finch. After playing just 24 of 57 possible games this season between Utah and Memphis, Anderson played in 19 of 21 possible games with Minnesota. He’s picked up almost exactly where he left off on the defensive end of the court. You can bet he’s going to see the court during the postseason.
Full voting results:
Mike Conley
C- (28.6%)
Quarter 1: C (29.4%)
Semester 1: C- (23.9%)
Quarter 3: C (30.6%)
Minnesota Mike played in 46 of the Wolves first 60 games, which included a 2-3 week vacation during the NBA trade deadline. Then he essentially received 12 straight healthy scratches after that. Conley has since found opportunities on the court amid Minnesota’s injury spell, and he has taken advantage of those opportunities. Most importantly, he’s hit 45.2% of his three-pointers after shooting just 31.1% earlier in the season. Can he have one more magic (Mike) moment in the playoffs?
Full voting results:
Bones Hyland
B (29.3%)
Quarter 1: Incomplete
Semester 1: B+ (30%)
Quarter 3: B / B- (26.5% each)
Bones has been a revelation for the Wolves this year. Not quite as consistent or versatile as the other half of Twin Turbos, Hyland has provided much-needed bench scoring amid Naz Reid’s struggles. He’s having the most efficient season scoring the ball and is a spark plug that galvanizes both his teammates and fans. The Skelly Celly has also taken a grip around all of Minnesota.
Full voting results:
Jaylen Clark
C (23.8%)
Quarter 1: B+ (21.2%)
Semester 1: B- (31.9%)
Quarter 3: C (22%)
There were a lot of high hopes for Clark County’s role this year. The defensive hole that Nickeil Alexander-Walker left behind was one that many thought Clark could step into, and despite some early season success, has found himself in a bit of a doghouse. Finch has only played Jaylen in 14 of the team’s final 22 games, and under 10 minutes in half of those games. The infamous stat of the Wolves record when Clark plays 15 minutes of more concludes at 20-5, for now.
Full voting results:
Terrence Shannon Jr.
B (24.4%)
Quarter 1: C+ (26.5%)
Semester 1: Incomplete
Quarter 3: Incomplete
TJ Shannon, similar to Clark, was expected to have a significant role with the Wolves this season. Unfortunately, he floundered early. He received just a C+ grade for the Quarter 1 Progress Report, then went missing in action due to a nagging foot injury for the next two quarters of the season. Shannon finished with a bang in this final quarter. Well, more like his final three games, where he averaged 27.3 points on 55.6% shooting from the floor. TJ sunk 3.3 threes and 7.3 free throws during that stretch, just a glimpse of his full potential.
Full voting results:
Joan Beringer
B (26.2%)
Quarter 1: Incomplete
Semester 1: B+ (30%)
Quarter 3: B (22%)
The 19-year-old Frenchman appeared in 40 regular season games, but just double-digit minutes in seven of those games. Finch has been very selective with how he’s deployed the rookie much to the fans chagrin. There’s been enough flashes to be optimistic about his near-term and long-term future. Joan dominated by averaging a double-double in 11 G League games with Iowa, so hopefully we can see him continue next season with Minnesota.
Full voting results:
Joe Ingles
A+ (33.3%)
Quarter 1: Incomplete
Semester 1: Incomplete
Quarter 3: Incomplete
Joe Ingles played basketball! Well, 5.7 minutes in 27 games may not seem like much, that’s actually more than the 19 games he appeared in a season ago. Joe is always bringing the good vibes and as the kids say, “Unc still got it!” In his only non-garbage time game of the season, Ingles posted 15 points, 6 boards, and 10 assists against the Pelicans in game 82! A+ for Joe.
Full voting results:
Rocco Zikarsky / Julian Phillips/ Enrique Freeman / Zyon Pullin
Incomplete
The three two-way players and Julian Phillips each had strong seasons and performances with the Iowa Wolves, helping them end their 11-year playoff drought. They didn’t have any true opportunities to play a meaningful role with the Timberwolves, but if you want to hear more about their seasons, check out my Iowa Wolves coverage.
Coaching staff
B (38.1%)
Quarter 1: B (29.4%)
Semester 1: B+ (33.8%)
Quarter 3: B+ (30%)
Every year, we hear the “Fire Finch” chants. Every year, he proves how silly that would’ve been. This hasn’t been a banner regular season for Chris Finch, but is it all his fault? There’s fervent voices on both sides of this argument, but he has notched the same record with the Wolves as he did last season. There’s been considerably more injuries and roster losses, though many still thought Minnesota should’ve taken a step forward.
Full voting results:
Front office
A (28.6%)
Quarter 1: B (29.4%)
Semester 1: A- (31.9%)
Quarter 3: A (28.6%)
The front office did a great job at the trade deadline and putting together the Twin Turbos. Hindsight always makes it easy to nitpick though. Choosing Naz over NAW. Choosing Rob Dillingham. But in the meantime, the Wolves still have a lot of value on their roster and have the opportunity to keep the core together long-term this summer. There may be a lot of changes in the offseason, but Tim Connelly has done well once again.
Full voting results:
Ownership
A (26.8% each)
Quarter 1: B (26.5%)
Semester 1: A (31.9%)
Quarter 3: A / B+ (20% each)
Wolves fans finally got to enjoy the return of Kevin Garnett at Target Center. It was a beautiful night of basketball with a ton of highlights from the young guys and good vibes all around. Ownership has done their part to make fans enjoy the overall experience this season, but they may need to consider how to get them in the seats with the decline of attendance and rising prices.
Full voting results:
What will be the result of the round one Denver Nuggets matchup?
Wolves in 7 (28.6%)
The result is not too surprising with just 59.5% of voters going with the Timberwolves. There was a dueling pair of 21.4% of votes for Wolves in 6 and Nuggets in 6. Either way, fans are expecting a long and drawn out series between two teams who are 14-14 against each other in all-time postseason games.
Full voting results:
The key for the Timberwolves to defeat the Nuggets is…
Defense and limiting Jamal Murray
More than half the responses included locking in on the defensive end and limiting the non-Jokić players, particularly Jamal Murray. In his four regular season matchups against Minnesota this year, Murray averaged 31.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 7.3 assists. That’s pretty good. The Wolves cannot simply rely on one of two players to slow him down though, as it will be a total team effort.
My hot take from the Wolves-Nuggets series is…
No ice packs will be harmed this time around
In case you forgot, Jamal Murray threw objects onto the court from the bench during a live play that could’ve severely injured players, yet received nothing but a fine.
I was glad to see there was a voter who felt certain that this wouldn’t be the case this time. Some other interesting answers included:
- Jokic will not get a triple double
- TJ Shannon will provide solid bench scoring
- Jaden McDaniels will average more than 20 points per game
- Ayo will be too much for Denver to handle
- Kyle Anderson will have a triple-double
- Jamal Murray crashes out
- Chris Finch will get out coached again and his seat will be burning hot
- Core vs non-core for next season will become obvious
With the regular season over, my feelings on the direction of the Timberwolves are…
Slightly optimistic (61.9%)
Preseason: Very optimistic (63.3%)
Quarter 1: Slightly optimistic (61.8%)
Semester 1: Very optimistic (70.8%)
Quarter 3: Slightly optimistic (54%)
There’s reason to not be overly optimistic considering the difficult task Minnesota has ahead of them. This iteration of the Wolves hasn’t stormed the league, but anything is possible in the playoffs. Will Ant, Jaden, and Naz be at close to full health? Will a fully rested Julius pay dividends? How about the debut of playoff Ayo and Twin Turbos)? There’s plenty of questions ahead.
Full voting results:
The Minnesota Timberwolves finish the season with a 3.19 GPA, just a slight dip from their 3.26 third quarter grades. That’s still an improvement from the 3.05 they finished with last season! Thank you to all who have participated.
