After going 5-0 in the preseason, the Minnesota Timberwolves lost to the Raptors in Toronto and beat the Miami Heat in their home opener. The Timberwolves are currently 1-1 this season, which is the absolute definition of mediocrity. However, there are plenty of takeaways and positives from both games.
Has the Minnesota Timberwolves’ Season Outlook Changed After 2 Games?
Timberwolves vs Raptors Game 1 Recap
A well-rounded effort from the Raptors was enough to sneak past the Wolves 97-94. Like usual, Dennis Schroder torched the Wolves with his 22 points and seven assists. Anthony Edwards, sporting his new number 5, had a solid game with 26 points and 14 rebounds. Rudy Gobert had 15 points and 13 rebounds. Timberwolves coach Chris Finch blamed stagnant ball movement and poor offensive-decision making on the loss.
The Timberwolves were missing Jaden McDaniels, a key starter in the game.
The Raptors have dominated their matchups against the Wolves. Minnesota hasn’t won in Toronto since 2004, the prime Kevin Garnett days. A frustrating game with many positives and negatives for the Timberwolves resulted in a 0-1 start.
Timberwolves vs Heat Game 2 Recap
In a game with no Jimmy Butler (his fourth consecutive game missed against Minnesota), the Wolves got a huge game from Naz Reid and beat the Heat in their home opener 106-90. After a close three quarters, the Wolves pulled away in the fourth to beat the Heat and move to 1-1 on the season.
Another solid effort from Gobert (14 points, 14 rebounds), Karl-Anthony Towns (12 points, 10 rebounds), and Anthony Edwards (19 points) led to the Timberwolves outscoring the Heat 24-4 over a stretch in the fourth quarter.
Tyler Herro (22 points) led the way for Miami along with Bam Adebayo (19 points) but came up short in the fourth.
The Timberwolves looked sluggish in the first half but finished strong.
How This Changes the Minnesota Timberwolves’ Season Outlook
Overall, the Timberwolves’ 2023-24 season outlook remains to improve on last year and get a top seed in the Western Conference. Although premature, there are some glaring takeaways from games 1 and 2.
The Positives:
First, Gobert looks confident and much more like his Utah Jazz self thus far. This would be huge for the Wolves because he looked like a shell of his former self last year. Through the first two games, he has looked confident offensively and, more importantly, dominant on defense. Gobert would be a huge anchor for the Wolves’ defense.
Second, Reid looks amazing. Coming off the bench as the Wolves’ sixth man is a luxury for Minnesota. He brings scoring, energy, and playmaking for the Timberwolves. Reid looks improved from last year, which would be exciting for the team’s outlook.
Third, there has been accountability and action by the players and coaching staff. The Wolves seemed to be lacking this last season, ultimately leading to a Play-In game and losing to the Denver Nuggets. However, after the loss in game one, Finch and Edwards acknowledged the stagnant offense and poor ball movement. In game two, the ball movement was excellent and ultimately led to the win. If the Timberwolves can adjust and move the ball, their ceiling is extremely high.
The Negatives
There have been a couple of takeaways from the first two games that have been disappointing.
The most serious problem/issue has been Towns. He has had two subpar games for his standards and generally has not looked improved in any way. Now, he’s played just two games, which needs to be taken with a grain of salt. But you would like to see your veteran star, the longest-tenured Timberwolf, to start the season better. At the very least, he needs to be engaged on defense if his offense is struggling, and that has not been true thus far. He will have much better games in the future, but the problem with KAT has always been consistency. The talent is there, but the big question is, can he become consistent enough to help this Wolves team get a top seed?
Next, the Timberwolves’ bench (minus Reid) has been underwhelming, and Edwards has not been efficient. This is hardly concerning as two games is a small sample size, but it has been ugly.
What’s Next for the Wolves?
The Timberwolves travel to Atlanta to take on the Hawks on October 30 for their next game. Minnesota is currently the favorite, as the Hawks are 0-2. Keys to the game for the Wolves will be getting KAT and Ant going offensively and continuing their strong defensive start.
