Timberwolves 2015-16 Schedule: Top Games, Championship Odds, Record Predictions
The Minnesota Timberwolves are mired in the NBA's longest postseason drought (11 years and counting), but the future is starting to look bright thanks to an influx of young talent.
Andrew Wiggins took home 2014-15 Rookie of the Year honors after going on a post-All-Star break tear, and 2015 No. 1 overall pick Karl-Anthony Towns is in the fold to help the bouncy Canadian swingman usher in a new era.
Kevin Garnett's mentorship of the Timberwolves' young guns will add another compelling layer of intrigue to Minnesota's developmental campaign, but the spotlight will ultimately shine on the top picks in the last two drafts.
Towns may not be an instant-impact contributor right away, but his upside is worth salivating over, as head coach Flip Saunders told reporters following the draft, according to the Star Tribune's Sid Hartman:
"Like most young players, what you have to do is keep working to get stronger as you keep maturing. I mean he’s only 19 years old, which basically the top three kids in the draft are all 19. The one guy who doesn’t have to worry about strength is [Jahlil] Okafor, because of his size. But like I said before, they all have different qualities. There is no question that Towns was probably by far the best two-way player in college basketball when you look at what he can do offensively and what he can do defensively.
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With the athleticism to guard multiple frontcourt positions and a work-in-progress jump shot that could make him a matchup nightmare as he expands his range, Towns is built in the mold of the ideal modern big man. Minnesota can also throw him in pick-and-roll and pick-and-pop looks with point guard Ricky Rubio and hope for some aesthetically pleasing results.
Since the Timberwolves finally have a core worth getting excited over, that should be enough to help fans forget that the team's championship odds sit at 150-1 entering the 2015-16 season, per Odds Shark.
Check out the team's full schedule on NBA.com.
Analyzing Marquee Matchups
Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Los Angeles Lakers
When: Wednesday, Oct. 28
Towns and Los Angeles Lakers point guard D'Angelo Russell share a bond after being selected first and second, respectively, in the 2015 NBA draft.
So when the Timberwolves and Lakers square off, it'll be time to take an early gauge of how the prospects' development is going.
While each player's acclimation to the professional game will take serious time, Towns and Russell both have redeeming qualities to offer right away.
Towns' Las Vegas Summer League stint proved as much.
"We saw back-to-the-basket post moves and a handful of face-up or fallaway jumpers while isolated one-on-one in the mid-range," Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman wrote. "He also made a few high-level passes out of double-teams to cutters and shooters."
Meanwhile, Russell will attempt to put his crafty distributive prowess and silky off-the-dribble moves to work against an athletic and speedy Minnesota backcourt.
Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Cleveland Cavaliers
When: Friday, Jan. 8
After getting traded to Minnesota by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Kevin Love blockbuster last summer, Wiggins will forever be linked to the reigning Eastern Conference champions. And if last season was any indication, he'll turn his game up when the Timberwolves square off against the Wine and Gold.
In two games against the Cavs last season, Wiggins averaged 30 points on an absurd 56.1 percent shooting from the field and 85.7 percent shooting from three. Not surprisingly, that 30-point-per-game average was Wiggins' highest against any single team during the 2014-15 campaign.
"I love a big stage," he said after dropping a career-high 33 points on Jan. 31 against Cleveland, according to the Associated Press (via ESPN.com). "I love playing in the spotlight. A lot of fans. Big crowd."
Anytime Wiggins and LeBron James clash, consider it appointment viewing.
Record Prediction
The Timberwolves finished 16-66 last season, and incremental improvement is on the horizon.
And while that may not mean coming close to cracking the postseason picture in a crowded Western Conference, the Timberwolves should be able to break the 20-win barrier after finishing with the league's worst record a season ago.
Now, 24 wins doesn't seem like a particularly impressive feat. But if Wiggins continues to make positive developmental strides and Towns looks like the versatile tour de force he was billed as, Minnesota could feasibly experience a 50 percent increase in the win column.
Wiggins rounded out his rookie season by averaging 20 points on 44.6 percent shooting over his final 29 games, and that consistent alpha dog mentality could lift him to the next rung on the developmental ladder.
Wins will prove to be relatively few and far between in the year ahead, but the Timberwolves have the foundation in place to eventually throttle up the Western Conference power structure.
Regular-Season Record Prediction: 24-58
All statistics courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and NBA.com unless noted otherwise.
