The Timberwolves are coming off one of the most successful seasons in franchise history. Expectations have never been higher as the Canis Hoopus staff share their predictions.
The previous Minnesota Timberwolves season ended on May 30th, as the Minnesota Lynx season was already in week three. That bridged us over to NBA Las Vegas Summer League which ended on July 21st. There was just a four day “rest” before men’s and women’s Olympic basketball began, running all the way through August 10th. Another four day “break” before the Lynx season resumed and ran all the way through yesterday, October 20th. The Wolves preseason had already concluded and less than two days later, we’re here.
The 2024-2025 NBA season is already upon us.
In what was perhaps the shortest offseason for Timberwolves fans, it still hits in a special way. Every year, all 30 teams line up at the same spot in their quest for the Larry O’Brien trophy. In the eternal words of Kevin Garnett, “Anything is possible!” Our writing staff uncorks their hottest takes for our ninth opening night predictions.
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1st Prediction (’16-’17)
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4thAnnual Prediction (’19-’20)
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2024-25 Wolves Predictions
Will the Wolves eclipse their 2024-25 win total of 52.5? (Line provided by DraftKings Sportsbook)
No — Leo Sun
This is the fifth time I’m taking part in our annual predictions. In the previous four seasons, I’ve gone a perfect 100% in predicting the wrong outcome. To be fair, I intentionally mashed the under last year to reverse jinx the outcome and guess what? It worked. I will continue to work my juju and say the Wolves will come up short again. You’re welcome (again).
Yes — Derek Hanson
As good as the Wolves’ season was in 2023-24, there’s no denying that it should have been even better. Karl-Anthony Towns’ late-season injury likely cost the team the West’s top seed. We also can’t forget the painful games the Wolves let slip away like the season opener at Toronto, the February implosions against the Charlotte Hornets and San Antonio Spurs, or the Rudy Gobert “money gesture” defeat at the hands of the referees in Cleveland. If the Wolves can stay healthy and avoid shooting themselves in the foot multiple times, there’s no reason they can’t eclipse last year’s win total in 2025.
No — Thilo Latrell Widder
I feel like a lot of people are looking at progression linearly, not just in Minnesota but all across the league, even though that has been proven to be decidedly wrong. In the same way, people are viewing Julius Randle and Karl-Anthony Towns as replaceable pieces because they play the same position at a similar All-Star level. This is not how that works.
Even trusting Finch, this will be a huge change to the system. If the Wolves leave 2024 at 15-15, I would call that a rousing success as a starting point. To match their over/under total, they’d need to go 37-15 from there on out. That is a hard number to reach. There are simply too many shifting roles and rotation questions for me to believe that the Wolves can’t find the pace needed to reach 53 wins early and likely won’t be able to catch up to it either.
Yes — Charlie Walton
The timing at which the Julius Randle-Karl-Anthony Towns trade went down was less than ideal, but after the dust settled, and we have seen the Wolves play a few preseason games, they still look like a team on a mission to repeat the success they found last season. There will be a feeling-out process as Randle gets on the same page as his teammates and Rob Dillingham continues to get acclimated to the NBA’s pace and physicality. Subsequently, there will be some head-scratching losses early in the year. However, Donte DiVincenzo — at least in the preseason — appears to be the lynchpin for the bench’s success. The Wolves have sought him out for his three-point shooting for years, but he will most likely be Minnesota’s backup point guard right away, which will take pressure off Dillingham and allow Nickeil Alexander-Walker to play his preferred style of off-ball offense. The Wolves are deeper than they were a month ago, and Chris Finch should have a blast coaching the roster. They might not record 57 wins as they did a season ago, with teams around them in the Western Conference improving, but finishing over/right around 53 seems like a safe bet.
Yes — Benny Hughes
As we have seen with most major trades (look no further than Rudy Gobert) it can take some time to work out the kinks before a team is firing on all cylinders. Randle and DiVincenzo arrived right before training camp started and the Julius Randle-Rudy Gobert frontcourt saw just one game of preseason action. It will likely take some games before that starts to gel. With this being said, this Wolves team has a ton of top-end talent, is maybe the deepest team in the league, and has a superstar in Anthony Edwards leading the charge. Sheer talent and depth wins in the NBA and the Wolves have an abundance of both. Don’t panic if everything does not look perfect in Game 1, but the Wolves are poised to be a top tier team in the West and I fully expect them to hit the over on their line of 52.5 again.
Yes — Ryan Eichten
The main reason I believe the Wolves will go over 52.5 is the depth on the roster. They have seven starting-caliber players who any playoff team would be happy to put in their starting lineup. Their eight man, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, is a prototypical “3-and-D” player. Beyond that, Joe Ingles, Josh Minott, Rob Dillingham, and Luke Garza will all provide value when given minutes. If, and more likely when, injuries and missed games occur, this Wolves roster is built to win games without their top of the depth chart start.
No — Will Tzavaras
The Western Conference is always stacked with talent, and some of the teams that finished below the Wolves in the standings got better and the two teams that finished above them in the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Denver Nuggets are going to be just fine, by my beliefs. I think the Wolves struggle a bit in the early stages as Randle finds the right fit alongside Edwards and the rest of the crew. The Wolves are loaded, sure, but taking into account other teams getting better and some potential fit issues to begin, I can definitely see some more losses stacking up throughout the course of the season.
No — Andrew Carlson
I think two things can be true — this team is incredibly talented and has roughly 10 NBA rotation players on the roster. That also doesn’t mean that I think they’ll win 53 regular season games. There’s a couple reasons for that:
- There’s going to be an adjustment period with Julius Randle. It will look sloppy at times. I think ultimately they look a lot better towards the end of the season, but whatever spacing ends up looking like is going to be a change from what it was last year. I think the casualty of that might be a few games earlier in the season that they’re expected to win.
- Depth pieces are going to play more. In the anticipation of the playoffs, I don’t think Mike Conley is going to play as much. There’s going to be more facilitation offloaded onto other guys on the roster. In an 82 game season for a team that’s fresh off a Western Conference Finals appearance, they’re going to try some new things (not mail it in) in the interest of preserving their heavy minute players through the course of the season. Does that mean dropping a couple Tuesday night games in February? Perhaps.
I still think this can and probably will be a 50-win team. But I think it’s going to be very close to that total in an incredibly tough Western Conference.
Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images
On a scale of 1-10, how much faith do you still have in the post-Karl-Anthony Towns Timberwolves?
8 — LS
If Karl-Anthony Towns was still on the team, my “faith in the team” score would have been 9 or 10. However, because Employee Number 5 still wears our (hopefully soon to be rebranded) jersey, I’m still optimistic for this season’s team. Anthony Edwards, along with Jaden McDaniels and Naz Reid, are only creeping closer to their primes. Meanwhile I still can’t figure out how Donte DiVincenzo is about to play for his fifth team in seven seasons, considering the winning style of basketball he plays.
9 — DH
Call me a foolish optimist, but I actually think the Wolves have a chance to be better in the wake of the Towns trade. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate KAT and everything he stood for during his nine seasons in a Wolves uniform. However, there’s no denying his knack for bad fouls and bone-headed plays. For every game that he would catch fire offensively and look like an All-NBA player, there was a game where he’d play himself off the floor. The additions of Randle and DiVincenzo could pay huge dividends for the team. Randle is in a contract year and seems to be motivated by this trade. Chris Finch is familiar with Julius from their shared time in New Orleans and should be able to scheme up ways to fit him within the flow of the offense. When it comes to DDV, I like everything I’ve seen so far. He’s exactly the type of spark plug that the Wolves need coming off the bench. Ultimately, the trade may have made the Wolves deeper and more well-rounded, even if their top-level talent took a step back with the departure of Towns.
9 — TLW
I’ll echo everyone else here. Everyone I’ve spoken to with real NBA ties thinks this trade was a long term masterclass for the Wolves that, at worst, won’t hurt them short term. I have huge worries about replacing Mike Conley (who has potential understudies on the roster) and Rudy Gobert (who does not), but those are questions for the future. I have few worries about losing KAT, although I will miss the man and the shoes he filled immensely.
8 — CW
Anthony Edwards is close to, if not already on the level of, “if he is on the team, they need to be taken seriously.” The Wolves are more suited to go deep in the postseason now than before the KAT trade. As we saw against Dallas last year, depth is vital. As I already mentioned, there will be a feeling-out process, but the question ultimately comes down to how long that will last. It took a full year for Edwards and Rudy Gobert to play at a level together that could anchor a deep postseason team. Will it take Edwards and Randle the same amount of time? I don’t believe so. Minnesota’s roster is built in a way that Chris Finch loves to coach, and Edwards has two more years under his belt. Before the KAT trade, I would have put my “how much faith” number at nine.
9 — BH
While it was extremely difficult to say goodbye to Karl-Anthony Towns, I do believe that the Wolves have a chance to be even better than before with the additions of Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo. I will bet on any Anthony Edwards led team to be extremely good and with him having another year of experience featuring a deep postseason run, I think he is poised to take yet another leap this season. The Knicks were my second-most watched team outside of the Wolves last season, and Donte DiVincenzo is easily one of my favorite players in the league. His package of shooting, defense and overall do-it-all mentality is perfect for what the Wolves need and I think he will be even better than advertised (which is saying something as he already has had raving reviews). Obviously, I get the question marks about the Randle-Gobert fit, but for all the reasons Derek pointed out above, I believe that Julius could have a great year here in Minnesota.
8 — RE
The only reason this isn’t a 9 or 10 is because of the ownership situation. Until we know who exactly owns and controls this franchise, it’s impossible to be fully confident in the future. That aside, Tim Connelly has shown to be able to make very successful trades, even when they don’t make sense on initial. There is certainly risk that comes with trading KAT, but the Timberwolves franchise is much better setup to build a competitive team around Anthony Edwards each and every season.
7 — WT
Randle is a former All-NBA player and Chris Finch is one of the best coaches in the league. It also helps that both parties have a mutual respect for each other. When you put a great talent on the floor paired with a great coach on the sideline who see eye-to-eye with each other, good things are coming. The reason I am lower on this than others though is because I firmly do not think Randle is willing to be as sacrificial as KAT was on the floor when it comes to letting Ant-Man shine.
9 — AC
Donte DiVincenzo alone has me at a nine. I’ll keep it short; go look at his contract and get back to me. By the end of this season, I think we’ll have the conversation on if it’s the best in the NBA.
Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images
Which player ends up surprising Wolves fans the most?
Julius Randle — LS
Julius Randle is a 29-year-old All-NBA player in his prime, but people are treating him as if he’s 33-year-old OKC Carmelo Anthony. At some point, we need to (Insert Charles Barkley meme) “Have A Conversation” about who Julius Randle is as a basketball player. Is he an Anthony Davis level big? Of course not. Is he as valuable as Karl-Anthony Towns? He could be. He’s certainly a different type of player and will help bring a dimension to the Wolves offense that they didn’t have much of last year. Randle’s ability to rim run with pace and spray passes to the perimeter will surely be valued. I really do think the aggressive passion he plays with will only further galvanize Wolves fans.
Luka Garza — DH
This is a difficult question to answer as many of the returning Wolves are known quantities and I doubt we’ll see an unexpected step forward from any of them. Yes, I expect Anthony Edwards to continue his ascent and I hope Jaden and Naz continue to blossom as well. But the key word is “surprise” and I don’t think any of us would be surprised by these players performing well. It seems like the newcomers, Randle, DiVincenzo, and Dillingham have most fans optimistic as well. That’s why I’m turning my attention to the end of the bench, and predicting that Luka’s contributions will be more than just towel-waving and post-dunk histrionics. In the wake of the Towns trade, there will be minutes to be had at the center position, and Garza may surprise us by how well he’s able to fill them.
Joe Ingles — TLW
Everyone else has taken the serious answers, both obvious and less obvious, so I’ll take the vibes answer. This may be true for some of you already, it likely is for anyone who followed the Orlando Magic social media accounts to hear the song, but you will fall in love with Joe Ingles. The man has the general demeanor of a grumpy house cat who has been forced into wearing a tiny cowboy hat. While he may have already lost his rotation spot to an impressive preseason from Josh Minott, his spot as a lockerroom present will cement him as one of the most beloved Wolves role players of all time by the end of the year.
Julius Randle — CW
I’m with Leo on this one — Julius Randle averaged 24 points per game last season. The Wolves didn’t trade for him simply to back the money work and navigate off Karl-Anthony Towns’ supermax contract, which went into effect this season. That was surely part of it, as Randle could be a free agent after this season if he opts out of his player option, but Randle has blossomed into a polarizing force in the best and sometimes worse sense of the word. I expect Randle to give the Wolves around 20 points per game this year. For the third time, there will be time needed for him to get on the same page with his new team, but Randle played alongside a ball-dominate guard in New York (Jalen Brunson), and most, if not all, of his minutes were next to a non-shooting big. We all know he is a “bully,” as Rudy Gobert put it. However, Randle is also an under-the-radar point-forward. For example, he dished out the most assists to Mitchell Robinson last season (12). Randle will surprise fans simply because their expectations of him appear far lower than they should be.
Donte DiVincenzo— BH
The early returns from DiVincenzo from the preseason have been great and the reviews from New York were gushing, but I still think that the general consensus around him is that he is a shooter and nothing more. I believe he will do a whole lot more on top of his elite shooting for this Wolves team. Last year in New York, DiVincenzo showed the ability to run the offense when asked to, and was also an active defender. He is a great connector on both ends of the floor, and slots in perfectly to any and all lineup combinations. He will bring the shooting in volume and percentage, but I think he will surprise people with how much more he brings as a two-way player. Finch has already spoken of his ability to be an initiator which this team could certainly use.
Josh Minott — RE
Chris Finch has raved about Josh Minott’s summer in the gym right from the start of the year at media day. While it is often smart to take praise of this type with a grain of salt, Minott has looked fantastic in the preseason, featuring a much improved jumpshot along with a refined offensive game. Minott has seemingly set himself up for rotation minutes early on this season and I believe he will surprise some Wolves fans with how ready he is for that role.
Terrence Shannon Jr. — WT
Terrence Shannon Jr. is a big body. He stands at 6’6” and is listed at 215 pounds per the official roster page for the Wolves on NBA.com. Wolves fans have seen him rise up and throw down some viscous dunks early in his professional playing career while he has flashed his athleticism. I believe with his size, he will be more than an average defender in the short stints he plays. His feel for playing out of the corner will lead to him knocking down some important corner threes, and attacking closeouts to get to the rim or make the next play while the defense is scrambling.
Rob Dillingham — AC
I’m going to take this from a pessimistic angle, and I apologize in advance for the negativity. For the circumstances surrounding Rob Dillingham coming into the season, I just don’t a see a world in which he lives up to the hype that surrounds him right away. When the Wolves traded up for him, the immediate expectation was that he was to fill the backup point guard role behind Mike Conley and likely play over 20 minutes a night. Between the acquisition of DiVincenzo and comments from Chris Finch that suggest Dillingham may not be in position to play heavy minutes due to his current grasp of what the Wolves are trying to do offensively, I think at least right away, his role is going to be diminutive compared to what we originally thought.
Chris Finch on Rob Dillingham’s performance in camp and preseason
“Mixed… I think for him, he has to kinda understand the purpose of how he plays… he’s trying to get himself going to hard”#WolvesBack pic.twitter.com/jHs1rxsIXo
— Andrew Dukowitz (@adukeMN) October 18, 2024
Photo by Dylan Goodman/NBAE via Getty Images
Land of 10,000 Hot Takes
Josh Minott is the new Jaden McDaniels
Let me paint you the picture of a 6’8” forward with a near seven-foot wingspan. He strides up and down the court like a young gazelle, terrorizing opponents with length and athleticism that makes them look larger than measured. However, one of them has a stone-faced demeanor that is often mistaken for indifference. The other is constantly wearing his emotions on his sleeve which some may take for lack of control. Much like Ryan’s answer above, I fully believe that a Minott breakout is going to happen. It’s just a matter of when. — LS
Anthony Edwards will be the NBA MVP
The Nuggets will likely take a step back, hurting Jokic’s MVP stock. Joel Embiid won’t play enough games to qualify for the award. And while Luka Dončić and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will make a strong case with ball-dominant play, it will ultimately be Edwards’ charm and stellar play on the court within Chris Finch’s system that earns him the hardware and Minnesota the West’s #1 seed. — DH
Mike Conley is functionally out of the rotation in a year
When the Wolves traded up for Rob Dillingham, the 160 pound soaking wet guard, Mike Conley’s path was clear. He was an elder statesman guiding the tiny guard to learn all of the things that Mike learned centuries earlier when dinosaurs ruled the earth and Ohio State had a basketball team. He was to impart his wisdom, leave a mark, and retire to the countryside in two years when his contract ends.
Now, however, Donte DiVincenzo is also here. A point guard rotation that once had clear starter and backups now has three players demanding serious opportunity. Unfortunately for Mike, the Wolves have the least invested in the 36-year-old good samaritan. While Conley is likely the best fit for the starters and his intelligent play will keep him playing, the choice for this take was either predicting the rotation burial of Dillingham or for Conley, and I personally hope that Robert Deon Potasi Dillingham is too good to keep off the floor. —TLW
Marc Lore & Alex Rodriguez win their suit; Retire KG’s jersey to celebrate
It’s 2:00 a.m. as I write this, and I just watched my New York Liberty win their first title in an admittedly less than fair showing from the refs. Anything is possible. And ARod has skeletons in the closet worth burying… —TLW
Terrence Shannon Jr. has a bigger role than Rob Dillingham
With Donte DiVincenzo seemingly locking up Minnesota’s backup point guard spot for now, Rob Dillingham doesn’t need to have as big of a role. However, Chris Finch leans on Terrence Shannon Jr.’s defensive ability and speed in the open court as Joe Ingles’ role decreases throughout the season. — CW
Donte DiVincenzo becomes a full-time starter
To complete my Donte DiVincenzo focus in this prediction piece, my bold take is that DiVincenzo will take over as a starter by the end of the year. As I said in my last section, he has the perfect skillset to fit in any lineup, and especially next to Anthony Edwards. Edwards has already said he loves playing with him and with his ability to play a few different positions, I think that DiVincenzo might play so well that he forces his way into the starting five. — BH
Wolves finish top-10 in three-point attempts
Last season, the Wolves finished 23rd in three-point attempts, while leading the league in makes by percentage. I believe the Wolves will see the imbalance and make a concerted effort to shoot more from deep. While they did lose KAT, one of their best long-range shooters, Julius Randle shoots a similar number of attempts and DiVincenzo will shoot a very high amount of three-pointers next season, more than replacing the shooting of Towns. — RE
Mike Conley has a bad three-point shooting year with the Wolves
Father Time has yet to lose a battle since his inception, and it finally catches up with Conley this year. Conley struggled with his floaters the prior year and was well below league average when viewing the data on his Shot Zones from NBA.com. That will extend out to three point range this year and will lead to some offensive struggles. —WT
NBA
Terrence Shannon Jr. Will Eventually Demand Minutes
No, I don’t believe he will physically walk into Chris Finch’s office and demand to be played. However, I don’t think we realize how close to being a regular NBA rotation player TJ is and I think he’d be in a rotation for almost half of the league. He’s a very good defender and fearless going to the rim; two things Finch absolutely loves in his wings. His three-ball is a work in progress, but if that comes around, I have a hard time seeing him continue to sit on the bench. If Troy Brown got minutes last year, whether it was due to injury or not, I certainly think TJ ends up getting a few looks this season with Joe Ingles as a wing creator to take that off of him. — AC
Photo by Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
“Shot Clock Winding Down!”
- Julius Randle becomes a fan favorite after he punches Draymond Green. — LS
- The biggest poster dunk of the season will come from Terrence Shannon Jr. — LS
- The NBA on TNT crew will have no choice but to bend the knee to the greatness of the Timberwolves, but will still manage to take shots at Rudy Gobert in the process. — DH
- Ben Simmons ends up on the Timberwolves after a contract buyout. —TLW
- Leonard Miller beats out Luka Garza as the backup center, though neither get playoff minutes anyway. — TLW
- Donte DiVincenzo finishes top-five in Wolves fans’ favorite players of all time. — CW
- Donte DiVincenzo and Anthony Edwards both break the Wolves record for threes in a season. — BH
- Somebody had to do it: Rudy Gobert hits his first three-pointer this year. — BH
- Rob Dillingham shows promise as a rookie, but ultimately is not a consistent part of the Timberwolves’ rotation. — RE
- Donte DiVincenzo leads the league in three-point percentage — WT
- I always make an annual prediction of who gets in the first fight/skirmish of the year. I think this year it’s Joe Ingles, he talks way too much shit not to. — AC
Photo by Danielle Parhizkaran/The Boston Globe via Getty Images
General 2024-25 NBA Predictions
Steph Curry gets traded
After Mike Dunleavy Jr. let franchise cornerstone Klay Thompson walk in free agency, Golden State will show an inability to hang with the playoff contenders by midseason and then the unthinkable happens. Murmurs of an unhappy Steph Curry only grow louder as Draymond Green is suspended for more reckless antics on the court. The worst nightmare of Golden State fans becomes a reality: Curry is traded to his hometown Charlotte Hornets. In return, the Warriors get LaMelo Ball after whiffing on him in the 2020 NBA draft, a promising young Brandon Miller, a mystery box in Tidjane Salaun, and five unprotected first round picks. — LS
Boston misses out on the #1 Seed
The Kristaps Porzingis injury and post-title drama cause Boston to take a step back, allowing Karl-Anthony Towns and the New York Knicks to claim the top spot in the Eastern Conference. — DH
Kawhi ends up on the Thunder as Clippers get their own pick back
The team sucks. The Thunder need to cash in assets. Potato potato, the Los Angeles Clippers are mismanaged and Kawhi Leonard is hurt again. This is moreso a “The Thunder make a huge trade” take, but I am calling a shot. In the dark. In a snowstorm. With an airsoft gun. Trying to hit a target on the moon.
Cade Cunningham gets his third triple-double on March 19, 2025
You know what, Cade Cunningham will have a triple double of March 19th, and will help the Pistons beat the Heat on a night where Tobias Harris adds an efficient 18 points. Take that for data. — TLW
Kings surprise people, finish top five in West
As a big fan of the moves the Sacramento Kings made this summer, I predict Mike Brown’s club will build on their success from the 2022-2023 season. They will finish with a top five record in the Western Conference. As a quick-hitter, Jordan McLaughlin blossoms into Sacramento’s most crucial piece off the bench. — CW
Milwaukee Bucks finish with the number one seed in the East
Similar to Derek, but yet different. If anyone knows a thing or two about major trades involving high-caliber players that looked subpar in its first season, it’s Timberwolves fans. I think with a year under their belt to build continuity and their coaching staff, the Milwaukee Bucks bounce back this season. The Porzingis injury, Towns taking time to integrate with the Knicks, and both Paul George and Joel Embiid’s injury management, the Bucks have a path. — BH
Denver Nuggets take a step back in the West
For the second straight season, the Denver Nuggets lost a key piece of their playoff rotation to free agency. A year ago it was Bruce Brown, and this offseason they last Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to the Orlando Magic. With Nikola Jokić, Denver will always project as a dangerous team in the playoffs, but in the regular season the lack of depth will hurt them. I see them finishing closer to fifth or sixth in the Western Conference standings. — RE
Boston cake walks to another title
Joe Mazzulla is obsessed with the process and winning. He will not allow the Celtics to have a championship hangover. Jaylen Brown is also a silent assassin and he is going to have an even better year than last year. — WT
76ers prove they’re the most overlooked team in the league
Way too many people are writing off the Philadelphia 76ers just because Joel Embiid said he doesn’t want to play back-to-backs anymore. Paul George is still a top 20 player, Tyrese Maxey as well, and I still don’t think there are three better coaches in the NBA than Nick Nurse. If the lack of back-to-backs keeps Embiid fresh for the playoffs, they could very well be an Eastern Conference Finals team. — AC
Get your predictions in before the opening tip in the comments below. This is your time to shoot your shot with a receipt to boot. If there’s ever been a time to wager your Hoopus Pointz, it’s now.