On Thursday, the NBA released its annual survey of general managers, with many Minnesota Timberwolves players and coaches featured prominently.
In the survey, the Timberwolves were picked to finish fourth in the Western Conference behind the Oklahoma City Thunder, Denver Nuggets, and Houston Rockets. The difference in voting between the Wolves and those top three teams was somewhat sizable, signalling that GMs believe the Wolves are closer to teams like the Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers,
and Los Angeles Lakers than the top teams in the west.
The Wolves did not receive any votes for who could win the 2026 NBA Finals, with the Thunder, Nuggets, Rockets, Cleveland Cavaliers, and New York Knicks as the only five teams to receive a vote in that category.
Anthony Edwards was named as the top shooting guard in the NBA, finishing with 70 percent of the votes. Donovan Mitchell, who came in second place, was the only other true shooting guard in the top five of voting, as Luka Dončić, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Stephen Curry are all more known as point guards.
Edwards has cemented his status as the league’s best shooting guard in the past year. While he was voted the best shooting guard last year, he received less than half the votes he received this season, at 33 percent. Ant was also named the second most athletic player in the NBA behind Houston’s Amen Thompson.
Joan Beringer was selected as one of the biggest steals of the NBA draft, finishing in a tie for fourth. Many Timberwolves staffers have spoken highly of Beringer, and that hype has apparently spread to the rest of the NBA.
Rudy Gobert got his annual nod as one of the best defensive players in the NBA, finishing in a tie for second with reigning Defensive Player of the Year Evan Mobley and behind preseason DPOY front-runner Victor Wembanyama. The Wolves as a team were voted tied for the second-best defensive team in the NBA behind the Thunder.
Chris Finch received votes in many categories as head coach of the Timberwolves, including best in-game adjustments, best well-run offense, and best defensive schemes.
Micah Nori was named the best assistant coach in the NBA, receiving 25 percent of the vote. Wolves fans are well-acquainted with Nori, but it’s a nice sign for him to be recognized on the national scale as well.
A few smaller acknowledgments the Wolves received included being tied for the fourth most fun to watch, Mike Conley being voted as one of the players that would make the best coach, and Edwards and Conley receiving votes for being the best leaders on their teams.
It wasn’t that long ago that you could read the entire GM survey and only see the Wolves mentioned once or twice. Now, with the organization thriving, the Wolves have become one of the more widely recognized franchises in the NBA.
