Biggest Surprises and Disappointments for Minnesota Timberwolves
The Minnesota Timberwolves (5-22), last place in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference, have had their fair share of disappointments this season, but they've also had a few pleasant surprises.
Their record may be ugly, but no one outside of Minnesota really expected the Wolves to be a winning team, especially after trading away three-time All-Star Kevin Love to the Cleveland Cavaliers. The additions of Zach LaVine, Andrew Wiggins and Anthony Bennett officially turned the competitive Wolves into a rebuilding team filled with young potential talent.
A few games into the regular season, they were bit by the injury bug, which completely tanked the Wolves, putting them into super-rebuilding mode. They were forced to start their younger players; some impressed, others struggled.
Disappointment: Andrew Wiggins and Zach LaVine Struggling
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Obviously, the two 19-year-old rookies were going to struggle, but no one predicted Andrew Wiggins and Zach LaVine would be this bad.
According to Basketball-Reference.com, these two rookies rank dead last among all NBA players in win shares. Yikes.
In LaVine's defense, he wasn't even supposed to play this season. He only had one collegiate start, and many experts predicted that LaVine would spend most of his rookie campaign on the bench.
Wiggins, however, was the first overall pick, and even without the injuries to the Wolves roster, he was predicted to be a starter. Right now, Wiggins is on track to have the second-worst rookie season for a first overall pick of all time, only behind fellow teammate Anthony Bennett.
Wiggins currently holds a 9.76 player efficiency rating, even worse than Kwame Brown's first season (11.2 PER), which many considered the worst rookie year ever before Bennett came along.
Surprise: Wolves Are Finally Embracing the Rebuilding Mode
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After such a disastrous start, President of Basketball Operations Flip Saunders has finally decided that the Wolves should look to the future.
“Now you look at a situation where we might be going into a rebuild, which changes the dynamics of everything,” said Saunders, per Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune.
This decision took longer than it should have considering the Wolves didn't make the playoffs last year with Kevin Love still on their roster, not to mention the Western Conference is stacked with great teams. It's going to be a few years before the West calms down, which means the Wolves should start from scratch.
Disappointment: Injuries
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The Wolves' fate was sealed this season when three of their starting five players went down with injuries. Nikola Pekovic, Kevin Martin and Ricky Rubio have been out for an extended period of time, leaving the Wolves without their best offensive players.
Pekovic and Martin were the Wolves' second- and third-best scorers last season (behind Kevin Love), and Rubio led the team in assists.
On the bright side, these injuries forced the Wolves to play their younger guys. Zach LaVine, Gorgui Dieng and Shabazz Muhammad all received playing time they most likely would not have been given if the team was fully healthy.
Surprise: Mo Williams
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He's missed a lot of games this season due to nagging injuries, but when he's been healthy, Mo Williams has been great.
Since Ricky Rubio went down with a high ankle sprain, Williams has really performed at a high level. From November 19 to December 21, he recorded five double-doubles. His best game came on November 28 in a thrilling 120-119 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers, where Williams racked up 25 points (while shooting 8-of-13), 11 assists and a pair of steals.
Due to Williams' age—he recently turned 32—he's had problems staying on the court, but he's been the only solid veteran on this team (maybe barring Corey Brewer).
Disappointment: Thaddeus Young's Performance
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After a career year last season with the Philadelphia 76ers, many fans and experts were predicting Thaddeus Young to break out and finally become an All-Star-caliber player, but that has not been the case.
He's shooting only 44 percent from the field this season, well below his career average of 49.7 percent. He also has a 12.8 player efficiency rating, which is less than the league average (15).
In Young's defense, he missed several games this year due to the unfortunate passing of his mother, which may be affecting his performance.
Young is a solid player, and by the season's end, he may be the best all-around player on this team, but so far, he's been a disappointment.
Surprise: Shabazz Muhammad's Success
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After being labeled a "bust," Shabazz Muhammad has bounced back with an impressive sophomore season.
He is currently averaging 13.4 points per game while shooting an efficient 50.7 percent from the field. He also has a team-best 21.7 player efficiency rating. According to SportingCharts.com, having a PER of 20 categorizes the player as a "borderline All-Star."
Since Kevin Martin was sidelined, Muhammad has stepped up as the team's No. 1 scoring option. Per 36 minutes, he's averaging 23 points and 3.2 offensive rebounds.
Andrew Wiggins and Zach LaVine may get all the hype, but in reality, Muhammad is the Wolves' best young prospect.
All stats are courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted
Love the T-Wolves? Follow me on Twitter: @JosephZapataIII
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