The fate of a small market! A regular in the Western Conference Finals! What do the wolves rely on to reach the top?

To a certain extent, the Timberwolves, who have been running in the playoffs every year in recent years, are likely to become the tough opponents that the Western Conference giants least want to face in the new season.

Throughout the offseason, many people were discussing the Rockets trading Durant, the Thunder defending their title, and even whether the Nuggets could return to the top, but almost no one mentioned the Timberwolves. But it is undeniable that this overlooked team has accomplished what many teams have failed to accomplish:

Reaching the Western Conference Finals for two consecutive years.

If you want to ask why this team is attracting attention, the story starts from last summer.

Turn the time back to last season, when the Timberwolves had not yet stepped onto the stage. In the regular season, they recorded 49 wins and 33 losses. Although it is not amazing, when they advanced to the playoffs, the situation was completely different. In the first round, they met the Lakers led by James. Everyone was optimistic about the veteran James, but the Timberwolves turned out to be like a pack of unreasonable wolves.

In the second round, they met the Warriors and lost the first game. However, after Curry fell, the Timberwolves showed no mercy and advanced in four consecutive cities. Although they were defeated by the Thunder in the Western Conference Finals, the rise of this team has quietly become the most exciting dark horse story in the league.

For this unnoticed team, if you want to find the watershed in their rise, it mainly comes from the questionable transaction:

In the 2024 offseason, the Timberwolves gritted their teeth and sent Towns away in exchange for Randall and DiVincenzo from the Knicks.

As soon as the trade broke out, fans were scolded. For the Timberwolves at that time, Towns was the well-deserved foundation of the team. But subsequent stories proved that the Timberwolves made textbook-level lineup adjustments.

After Towns left the team, the Timberwolves' luxury tax pressure was instantly reduced by nearly 40 million, and he also got rid of his four-year, 224 million yuan contract; in contrast, Randle brought enough toughness, averaging 21.7 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists per game in the playoffs last season. Compared to Towns, who occupies the core position, Randall is more pragmatic and more willing to step back and serve as Edwards' deputy.

As for DiVincenzo, he is also worthy of the team's treatment on the defensive end. He can support single defense, cut and run, cover and assist defense, and is everywhere in the game. Although I don't expect him to get explosive high scores, he is definitely the sharp-edged warrior that opponents are least willing to face.

After the above two, Edwards is the well-deserved ace core of the Timberwolves.

As a 24-year-old young star, he has led the team to the playoffs for four consecutive years and reached the Western Conference Finals twice. Last season, he averaged 27.6 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game, especially in his three-point shooting. He made 320 field goals in a single season, ranking first in the league. He has a growing trend of taking over the future appearance of the league.

Although there are also superstars in the lineup, judging from the Timberwolves' two-year success, they can maintain their combat effectiveness after the transaction, and their advantages outside the system are more obvious. After Towns left, the Wolves quickly established an eight-man rotation: Edwards + Gobert + Randle + McDaniels + Reid + DiVincenzo + Conley, plus a mobile player to fill in. This team can attack and defend, and basically has no shortcomings in the lineup.

Especially Naz Reed, who is connecting the rotation, this 26-year-old forward may be the most underestimated high-quality player in the Timberwolves.

Last season, he averaged 14.2 points and 6 rebounds per game, and shot nearly 40% from three-point range. He is one of the few mobile insiders in the league who can shoot from the outside and protect the frame. The three-point shooting rate in the past two seasons was 39.5%, and he was tied with Boshen and Wenbanyama as the frontcourt players who averaged more than 5.8 three-pointers per game last season. In addition, he is also one of only three substitute players in the league to score more than 2,000 points in the past three seasons.

For such a mobile insider with great abilities and small abilities, the Wolves only spent 125 million on signing him in five years. This transaction is a complete profit.

Even though most of the team has high-quality contracts, it is undeniable that the Timberwolves' salary pressure is still quite serious. The team let Walker go in the offseason because of salary pressure. If the Wolves force to keep Walker this year, they will have to pay an extra 70 million in luxury tax alone. And even if they choose to let him go, the combined salary of the main seven-person rotation in the new season will still be as high as 180 million, the total salary of the team is 203 million, and there will still be a luxury tax of up to 24.4 million.

【Edwards (45.55 million), Gobert (35 million), Randle (30.86 million), McDaniels (24.39 million), Naz Reid (21.55 million), DiVincenzo (11.99 million), Conley (10.77 million)】

This is almost the limit operation of small and medium-sized market teams. A stable eight-man rotation is also the key to the success of the Timberwolves in the past two seasons. However, in the above list, they still need to find the last complement to their strength, and in this link, they need to focus on the young blood in the team.

Rob Dillingham, Jaylen Clark, and Terrence Shannon Jr., this group of young players are still waiting to realize their talents and compete for the eighth and ninth man rotation in the future.

Especially considering that Conley is old, the team is in urgent need of a ball-carrying successor, and these young guards are the Wolves' last hope.

For the new season, the Western Conference is still a chaotic battle. The Thunder are determined to defend their title, the Rockets are ambitious, and the new Nuggets are well equipped. However, it is best not to forget that in the cold north, there are still a group of wolves licking their wounds, waiting for the next opportunity to encircle and suppress their opponents.

Edwards is still growing, and the Wolves' ceiling has not yet been fully reached. Maybe they will not win the championship immediately, but when everyone is ignoring them, this group of people may have quietly become the most dangerous hunters in the West.