Grading Minnesota Timberwolves' Final 15-Man Roster

Here it is: The 2014-15 NBA season is finally upon us.  

In one offseason, the Minnesota Timberwolves have gone from a win-now mentality to rebuilding mode.  With the departure of Kevin Love and the additions of Andrew Wiggins and Thaddeus Young, this team's roster looks very different.  

The T-Wolves also added guards Zach LaVine and Mo Williams.  However, they do have a few familiar faces in Ricky Rubio, Kevin Martin, Shabazz Muhammad and Corey Brewer.  

This team has plenty of talent on the wings, but if one of their point guards or centers gets hurt, the T-Wolves could be in serious trouble.

This team will also be dependent on several unproven players such as Wiggins, LaVine, Muhammad and Anthony Bennett. 

But enough talk. Let's check out the grades! 

Point Guard

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No surprise here: Ricky Rubio will be the starting point guard this season for the Timberwolves.

Rubio has struggled as a scorer (36.8 career shooting percentage), but has proven to be one of the best facilitators in the league. According to ESPN.com, Rubio has ranked in the top 10 in assists in each season of his three-year career. 

The 24-year-old had an impressive season debut, racking up 12 points, six rebounds and seven assists per game.

Rubio will be the only familiar face this season at the point guard position. The T-Wolves drafted Zach LaVine with the 13th-overall selection in the 2014 NBA draft and signed free agent Mo Williams to a one-year deal.

At 31 years old, Williams is probably on the back end of his career, but that didn't stop him from having an impressive fall. According to CBSSports.com, Williams led the team in scoring, averaging 12.8 points per game.  

LaVine was drafted as point guard, but due to his size (6'5") and his struggles in the passing game, he may be better suited to be a shooting guard. At UCLA, he only averaged 1.8 assists per game.  

The T-Wolves also bought J.J. Barea's contract, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com, which essentially means they only have two point guards on their roster.  

In Conclusion...

Rubio and Williams are both solid point guards, but due to their lack of depth, this team could be in huge trouble if Rubio gets hurt, especially considering Williams hasn't started a game since the 2012-13 season.  

Grade: B+

Shooting Guard

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Due to injury, Andrew Wiggins is currently the starting shooting guard for the T-Wolves this season.  

When Kevin Martin returns from his ankle injury, he may regain his starting spot. Last season he started 68 games as a shooting guard. Martin is arguably the team's best half-court scorer, averaging 19.1 points per game while shooting 38.7 percent from long range.  

Until Martin's return, Wiggins will be the starter. At 19 years old, he is still raw offensively, but his athleticism and lockdown defense will allow him to make an immediate impact.  

He also had an impressive preseason, being the second leading scorer on the team with 11.8 points per game.  

Unfortunately, Wiggins had a disappointing career debut, scoring only six points while shooting 2-of-5 from the field.

According to the T-Wolves' depth chart on ESPN.com, LaVine is currently listed as the third-string shooting guard. LaVine has huge potential but right now is nothing more than a bench player.  

In Conclusion...

Wiggins is better defensively, and Martin is a better scorer.  Together, these two players combine to make a solid shooting guard duo.  

Grade: B

Small Forward

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The position with the most depth on this team is easily small forward.

Right now, the starter will most likely be Corey Brewer. The seven-year veteran is known for his defensive intensity, but last year he showed glimpses of offensive potential, scoring 51 points in one game. 

"

ICYMI: Corey Brewer scored 51 points last night. You read that right: Corey Brewer. 51 points. pic.twitter.com/XrU7y7Grbg

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 12, 2014 "

Behind Brewer, second-year Shabazz Muhammad is listed as the backup. Last season, per 36 minutes, Muhammad averaged 17.8 points and 6.6 rebounds. He only averaged 7.8 minutes per game last year, but if Muhammad can get more playing time, he could make a huge impact

On the ESPN.com depth chart, rookie Glen Robinson III is listed as the third-stringer but is probably more of a fourth option. The second-round pick from the 2014 draft will probably only average a handful of minutes per game at best, so his impact will probably be very limited.  

Most likely, the T-Wolves' third-string small forward will be Chase Budinger. The 26-year-old is good long-range shooter (35.7 career three-point-shooting percentage), but he is nothing more than an average role player.  

There's also a chance that Wiggins could play a portion of his time at small forward.  

In Conclusion...

The T-Wolves have plenty of depth at this position but do not have any big-time scorers. Brewer and Muhammad are capable of putting up points, but neither player can be depended on to score 15-plus points a night. 

Grade: C+

Power Forward

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Kevin Love is gone, so now it's Thaddeus Young's time to shine. Young won't be able to score as often or as efficiently as Love but is more athletic and much better defensively.  

Young is slightly undersized as a power forward but is usually able to compensate with his lateral quickness. Last season he averaged an impressive 2.1 steals per game, which was also a career high.  

The 26-year-old forward had a solid season debut, scoring 26 points while shooting 10-of-18 from the field. 

According to ESPN, newcomer Anthony Bennett is listed as Young's backup. He struggled mightily throughout his rookie season due to numerous injuries, but there's a reason he was drafted with the first pick in the 2013 NBA draft.  

Bennett is only 21 years old and still has plenty of time to reach his full potential. If he can stay healthy and keep his weight under control, Bennett could be a future All-Star.  

The third-string power forward on this team will most likely be Robbie Hummel. The 25-year-old neophyte has normally played small forward, but due to his size (6'9") will probably be able to adapt quickly.    

In Conclusion...

Young may be the best overall player on the T-Wolves, but Bennett is still unproven and injury-prone. 

Grade: B

Center

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Nikola Pekovic is once again the starting center for the Timberwolves. 

Pekovic is coming off a career year in which he averaged a personal-best 17.9 points per game and ranked in the top 10 in Player Efficiency Rating (PER) of all centers in the NBA. His 20.7 PER ranked higher than other big-name centers such as Joakim Noah and Marc Gasol.    

According to the T-Wolves' depth chart, Gorgui Dieng is listed as backup. Dieng made noise recently by having a remarkable summer playing for Senegal in the FIBA World Cup. According to FIBA.com, Dieng averaged 16 points and 10.7 rebounds per game. 

However, the 24-year-old center is still very raw, which was evident when he struggled against Spain this summer, shooting 1-of-9 from the field. Dieng has tremendous upside but seems to struggle against tougher competition. One day he may be an All-Star-caliber player, but right now he is still unproven.  

The third-string center is 10-year veteran Ronny Turiaf. He is the epitome of a journeyman, having played with seven different teams in his career.  

In Conclusion...

Pekovic is a top-10 center in the league, but Dieng is still unproven and Turiaf is a non-factor. If Dieng can continue to improve, center may be the T-Wolves' best position.  

Grade: B

All stats are courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.

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