Previous team recaps: DET, WAS, POR, CHA, SAS, TOR, MEM, UTA, BKN, ATL, CHI, HOU, SAC, GSW, MIA, PHI, ORL, LAL, IND, CLE, PHX, NOR, MIL, NYK, LAC
At a glance:
Record: 56-26 (3rd, West)
Offensive Rating: 114.6 (17th)
Defensive Rating: 108.4 (1st)
Net Rating: 6.2 (3rd)
Pace: 97.7 (23rd)
2024 NBA Draft Picks: 27, 37
After a disappointing 2022-23 campaign, Minnesota delivered one of its best seasons in franchise history. Minnesota went 46-36 in 2021-22, but the team finished 42-40 in Rudy Gobert’s first season and got bounced in the first round of the playoffs. The Wolves went 56-26 for a third straight winning season and finished just one game behind Oklahoma City for the best record in the West.
Anthony Edwards had a monstrous 2022-23, but he broke out this season, cementing himself as one of the NBA’s best young stars as he led his team past the defending champs in the Western Conference semifinals and guided Minnesota to its first Western Conference Finals appearance in 20 years.
Led by Defensive Player of the Year Gobert, the Wolves sported the NBA’s best defense, and Edwards provided an elite scoring punch on the other end of the floor. Minnesota has a number of strong fantasy options, and as it stands now, the team will run it back with mostly the same group in 2024-25. How should fantasy managers treat Timberwolves players in next season’s fantasy drafts?
Fantasy Standout: Anthony Edwards
After a tremendous Year 3 and a strong showing in the playoffs (albeit in only one round played), expectations were high for Ant-Man heading into the 2023-24 campaign. He did not disappoint.
Edwards finished 30th in per-game fantasy value behind averages of 25.9 points, 5.4 boards, 5.1 assists, 1.3 steals, 0.5 blocks and 2.4 triples while shooting 46.1% from the floor and 83.6% from the charity stripe. The points, assists and shooting percentages were all career-bests for the fourth-year man out of Georgia.
A CAREER NIGHT FOR ANTHONY EDWARDS 🔥
— NBA (@NBA) April 10, 2024
🐜 51 PTS (career-high)
🐜17-29 FGM
🐜 6 3PM pic.twitter.com/OrKZl8sq6h
Edwards logged 79 games, and he’s appeared in at least 72 contests in all four years of his career. He’s been a top-70 player in total fantasy value in four straight, and in 2023-24, he finished ninth. Not too shabby.
Edwards’ breakout season hit full stride in the playoffs, as he averaged 27.6 points, 7.0 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 1.5 steals, 0.6 blocks and 2.9 triples to lead his team to the Western Conference Finals for the first time in 20 seasons. Edwards is on an upward trajectory, he’s always available, and he’ll turn just 23 years old before the 2024-25 campaign tips off. We haven’t seen his best basketball, and he should be taken in the first two rounds of fantasy drafts.
Fantasy Revelation: Naz Reid
Time to get Naz-ty? You betcha! Reid earned Sixth Man of the Year honors while averaging 13.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.3 dimes, 0.8 steals, 0.9 blocks and 2.1 triples. He appeared in 81 games and logged 24.5 minutes per tilt. Aside from the blocks, Reid put up career-best numbers across the board.
DIRECTOR'S CUT: Naz Reid
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) March 12, 2024
We watch back his career-high 34-point performance Friday vs. CLE.
- How he torches defenses who go into drop against him
- Why his teammates call him "The Tip-Toer"
- Final play of regulation defending Darius Garland and how he knew what was coming pic.twitter.com/wtGg0I3cs0
Reid was 131st in per-game fantasy value and 64th in totals, both easily the best marks of his career. The big man displayed his abilities on both ends of the court, most notably showcasing his microwave scoring and three-point shooting. Reid dropped a career-high 34 points in a regular-season matchup with Cleveland, hitting seven triples in the process. He knocked down seven more triples in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals, keeping Minnesota in that game despite offensive struggles from his teammates.
Reid will turn 25 this summer, and like Edwards, he hasn’t yet reached his peak. His 141.5 ADP from 2023-24 drafts will surely rise next season, and Reid is worth a look in the final rounds of 12-team drafts.
Fantasy Disappointment: Karl-Anthony Towns
Towns opened his career with seven straight top-12 fantasy finishes. Last season, he finished 29th, and fantasy managers bemoaned his performance. He was seen as a disappointment in 2022-23, but his fantasy value slipped further last season, as he finished 45th. KAT averaged 21.8 points, 8.3 boards, 3.0 assists, 0.7 steals, 0.7 blocks and 2.2 triples while shooting 50.4% from the floor and 87.3% from the charity stripe. As noted in other articles, per-game fantasy value is nuanced and doesn’t always tell the whole story, but it does still mean something. Towns’ per-game finish at the end of the fourth round isn’t a cause for alarm, but it shows that managers shouldn’t count on first or second-round production anymore.
Karl-Anthony Towns tonight:
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) January 23, 2024
62 points
8 rebounds
21/35 FG
10/15 3PT
10/14 FT pic.twitter.com/fe18zQVf04
Towns has been an enigma over the last two seasons. He’ll deliver monster games, such as his franchise-record 62 points and 10 triples against Charlotte on January 22, and he’ll post duds like his 7-point, 10-rebound, 7-turnover effort against Boston on November 6. KAT was hot and cold in the playoffs as well, and fantasy managers who draft him in 2024-25 should count on peaks and valleys. He’s worth a look in the third round or later.
Fantasy Recaps/Look-Aheads
Rudy Gobert: After a disappointing first season with the Wolves in 2022-23, Gobert enjoyed a much better Year 2 with the franchise, averaging 14.0 points, 12.9 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.7 steals and 2.1 bocks while shooting 66.1% from the floor and 63.8% from the free-throw line. His statistical output was slightly better across the board, and he finished 59th in per-game fantasy value for the second straight season. The big man finished 31 in total fantasy value and was available for 76 games.
Gobert anchored Minnesota’s top-ranked defense and won his fourth DPOY award, though he struggled in the playoffs. Gobert averaged just 12.1 points, 9.8 boards and 1.0 blocks, and Minnesota’s defense couldn’t contain the Mavericks in the five-game series loss in the Western Conference Finals. Gobert should be taken as a mid-round center in 2024-25 fantasy drafts. Managers should expect a double-double average, elite FG% and strong blocks.
Mike Conley: Conley was considered for the “fantasy revelation” section, but there was nothing revolutionary about what he did this season. That’s not a slight at Conley. In fact, it’s high praise. The veteran has displayed continued excellence throughout his long career. He finished inside the top 75 in per-game fantasy hoops value, reaching that mark for the 12th time in the last 14 seasons.
Mike Conley has played 17 years & has been assessed 0 technical fouls/ejections https://t.co/qfusJv1Tf8 pic.twitter.com/8SJvmhLwAz
— SuttonImpaQt, JD (@suttonimpaQt) June 7, 2024
The veteran averaged 11.4 points, 2.9 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 1.2 steals and 2.4 triples. Conley shot 45.7/91.1 splits and logged 28.9 minutes per contest. His 76 games played were his most since 2012-13, and he finished 36th in total fantasy hoops value, earning a top-100 finish for the 14th time in his 17-year career. Conley’s fantasy production is steady and dependable each and every year, and while he’s far from an elite option, he’s certainly worth drafting as a late-rounder in 2024-25 fantasy drafts.
Jaden McDaniels: McDaniels finished inside the top 125 in per-game fantasy hoops value and inside the top 75 in totals in 2022-23, but he took a step back last season. He averaged 10.5 points, 3.1 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 0.9 steals, 0.6 blocks and 1.2 triples while shooting 48.9% from the floor and 72.2% from the charity stripe. McDaniels averaged 29.2 minutes across 72 appearances, and despite ample playing time, his statistical contributions were minimal. He showed that he can get hot throughout the season, and he posted three straight 20-point games in the playoffs. The scoring was not consistent, and he’s much better as a defender and real-life option than someone to rely on in fantasy hoops outside of deeper leagues. McDaniels doesn’t need to be drafted in 12-team leagues in 2024-25.
Kyle Anderson: Slow Mo Anderson averaged 6.4 points, 3.5 boards, 4.2 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.6 blocks across 22.6 minutes in 79 games last season. He finished well outside the top 200 in per-game fantasy hoops value, but he was just inside the top 140 in totals. As usual, he did a little bit of everything in the box score and was solid on a per-minute basis. He’ll be a free agent this summer, and it’s not clear if the Wolves will bring him back or not. Wherever he lands, he’ll continue to be a glue guy on the court and a strong streaming option for fantasy managers when he’s given big minutes. He’s worth a look in deeper leagues but can go undrafted in 12-team leagues in 2024-25 drafts.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker: NAW logged a career-high 23.4 minutes and appeared in all 82 regular-season games in 2023-24. He put up modest averages of 8.0 points, 2.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 0.8 steals, 0.5 blocks and 1.6 triples while shooting 43.9% from the floor and 80.0% from the charity stripe.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker is the most underrated perimeter defender in the league. He makes life miserable for opponents — nothing comes easy. pic.twitter.com/w6TaQdJAeZ
— Steph Noh (@StephNoh) April 25, 2024
He finished outside the top 200 in per-game value, but he was 114 in total value, easily the best finish of his career. Alexander-Walker is a much better option in real life thanks to his strong perimeter defense and his occasional microwave scoring. He’s not worth drafting in 12-team leagues, but he can be helpful in deeper leagues for managers in need of defensive stats and triples.
Restricted Free Agents: Daishen Nix, A.J. Lawson, Luka Garza
Unrestricted Free Agents: T.J. Warren, Kyle Anderson, Monte Morris, Jordan McLaughlin
