On Thursday, it was reported that Kyle Anderson will be reuniting with the Minnesota Timberwolves following a buyout with the Memphis Grizzlies.
Anderson signed a two-year contract with the Timberwolves during the 2022 offseason and ended up being one of the best free agent signings in the franchise’s history. He played an outsized role throughout the team’s playoff push in the 2022-23 season, as well as during the franchise’s first trip to the Western Conference Finals in 20 years in the 2024 Playoffs.
Let’s take a trip down memory lane and look at some of the most memorable moments of Slo-Mo’s previous stint in Minnesota.
#5: The Punch Heard Round the World
This one probably fits better in the dishonourable mention category.
In the final game of the 2022-23 regular season, the Wolves found themselves locked into the Play-In Tournament, leaving a matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans that would determine their seed and matchup. With a win, Minnesota would be the 8-seed and would need just one more win to clinch a playoff spot. A loss would have dropped them to ninth, meaning a date with the upstart Oklahoma City Thunder to save their season.
It had already been a difficult season to that point. The Wolves came into the game 41-40, underachieving some lofty goals following the trade for Rudy Gobert in the offseason. With Wolves down 12 in the second quarter, emotions finally boiled over when Gobert punched Anderson during a timeout.
Despite the fight and losing Jaden McDaniels earlier in the game when he punched a wall and ended his season, the Wolves turned the game around and won 113-108 in one of the weirdest games in Timberwolves history. Anderson finished the game with eight points, nine rebounds, four assists, two blocks, and a steal.
With Gobert suspended for the team’s first Play-In Game, the Wolves went on to lose to the Los Angeles Lakers in overtime before defeating the Thunder to secure the franchise’s second straight playoff appearance, in which they lost to the one seed and eventual champion Denver Nuggets in five games.
#4: A Spin Move Past DiVicenzo and the Knicks
After the disappointing 2022-23 season, the Wolves decided not to make any major roster changes heading into the next season, believing in the twin towers pair of Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns that had struggled the season prior.
That decision proved to be the correct one as, after a 1-2 start to the season, the Wolves went 12-3 in November, setting the franchise record for wins in a calendar month. The winning streak took the Wolves from a bit of a laughing stock to a powerhouse in the Western Conference and stands as one of the best months in the history of the Timberwolves.
Anderson had one of his classic Slo-Mo moves during the Wolves’ tenth win of the season, hitting Donte DiVincenzo and the New York Knicks with a pretty spin move for a layup.
#3: Season-High Against His Former Team
Before joining the Timberwolves in the summer of 2022, Anderson spent four seasons with the Memphis Grizzlies, making the playoffs twice, including a six-game defeat of the Timberwolves in the 2022 Playoffs.
The next season with Anderson on the Wolves, Slo-Mo, against his former team, put together his highest scoring performance in a Timberwolves uniform, putting up 23 points on 9-16 shooting, including 4-7 from beyond the arc over 27 minutes while starting in place of Towns, who was injured.
The late-January win put the Wolves’ record at 26-25, putting them over .500 for the first time in over two months.
#2: Game-Winning Steal Against Golden State
It’s difficult to overstate Anderson’s importance to the Wolves making the Playoffs in the 2022-23 season. Slo-Mo provided phenomenal playing, defense, and leadership the entire season, often serving Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch’s safety valve off the bench when the game wasn’t going Minnesota’s way.
Anderson’s most clutch play of the season came in late March against the Golden State Warriors. With the Wolves down by one and only a four-second differential, Minnesota likely needed to foul to prolong the game. Anderson had other ideas as he deflected and stole a pass from Draymond Green before finding Towns for the go-ahead 3-pointer.
It was Towns’s just second game back after a 53-game absence. The previous game, KAT also had the go-ahead points as he knocked down two late free throws to put the Wolves up one over the Atlanta Hawks, leading to his famous “This is what movies is made of” quote.
#1 Navigating Traffic in the West Finals
The 2024 Western Conference Finals did not go as planned for the Timberwolves. Despite having home-court over the fifth-seeded Dallas Mavericks, the Wolves fell behind 3-0 in the series, eventually losing to the Mavs in five games.
In the Wolves’ lone win of the series in Game 4, Slo-Mo had a gigantic impact on the game. With the Wolves up two late in the game, Anderson motioned to Towns to stand in the left corner. When Edwards drove to the paint, Slo-Mo called for Towns to get the ball and screened off Kyrie Irving to give the Wolves a five-point lead.
The play is a perfect example of what Anderson brought throughout his time in Minnesota. His leadership both on and off the court became invaluable for a Wolves team learning on the fly about how to be a championship contender in the NBA, and he had countless plays like this one, where he took the young players under his wing and put the Wolves in a position to win games.
