What Did We Learn from Timberwolves Media Day?

Timberwolves President Tim Connelly, Head Coach Chris Finch, Anthony Edwards, and many more players spoke to the media on Monday to discuss the upcoming 2024-25 season.

The Minnesota Timberwolves officially opened the 2024-25 NBA season on Monday by welcoming local and national media to Target Center for their annual Media Day.

It is the first time since the trade of Karl-Anthony Towns to the New York Knicks that any member of the Wolves have spoken to the media publicly. With the trade not yet official, Wolves President Tim Connelly and Chris Finch were unable to comment about the trade.

Let’s take a look at what members of the Timberwolves organization had to say, and what we can take away from this introduction to the season.

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Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post

Building Around Anthony Edwards

Timberwolves President Tim Connelly was the first to speak to the media. While not being able to comment directly on the trade, he did answer some questions relating to the CBA and how it affects team-building moving forward.

“Yeah, it’s great that we have labor peace, but it’s not great that you get a new CBA kind of mid flow and you’re trying to team build so certainly the financials of any team are going to be paramount to how they build teams. Our goal is to be a championship level team. We think we’re at that point. We haven’t certainly haven’t done that, but we think we belong to be in the discussion and we want to be a sustained success team.”

The financial ramifications of the Towns trade to New York cannot be overstated. Towns is set to make $220 million over the next four years. A number that, along with the growing salaries of Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels, would put the Timberwolves in the second apron for years to come.

With the swap of Towns for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo, the Wolves have a plethora of options in front of them including resigning one or all three of Rudy Gobert, Naz Reid, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker who all are either free agents or have a player option they will likely decline this offseason.

They will also have a decision of whether or not to re-sign Julius Randle who also has a player option next season that he will likely decline to become a free agent this coming offseason.

What all of this means for the Timberwolves is, that they have many directions they can go at the trade deadline or in the offseason, something that was not the case before Towns was traded.

Connelly spoke about the Wolves preparing to put quality teams around Edwards year after year.

“We want to have different iterations around Anthony. He’s so young, so we’re to see various teams built around him. And we’re super excited about where we are now and we’re excited about where we’re to be in the future.”

With Randle and DiVincenzo, the Timberwolves have transitioned into the next iteration of the team around Edwards’ prime. While the Wolves may have taken a small step back, depending on who you ask, with this year’s team, they set themselves up to be competitive year after year of Ant’s championship window in Minnesota.

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How the Timberwolves Can Improve on Offense

Wolves Head Coach Chris Finch was next up on the podium. The main question for Finch, who also was unable to comment on the recent trade, was how they would improve on an offense that finished last season ranked 17th in offensive efficiency.

“Three things stick out of my mind, really. I think we can get better in transition. We forced a lot of turnovers. We didn’t really cash them in quick enough. Team speed has always been little bit of an issue, but we should still have more of a quick strike mentality. I know we led the league in turnovers in the crowd, those kind careless ones, are the ones you can control, so that would be number two. And then the most important thing would be clutch offense, just decision making, offensive efficiency kind of at the end of games, and maybe even also throw an end to quarters.”

Finch highlights three areas the Wolves hope to improve on the offensive side of the floor this season; pushing the ball in transition, especially off turnovers, careless turnovers in traffic, and clutch offense.

With the addition of Randle, and the ever-growing role of Naz Reid, the Wolves are better situated to push the ball in transition as that was not the strong suit of Towns who was more likely to trail the play for an in-rhythm shot from deep.

As for turnovers and clutch offense, that will come down to whether or not Edwards and McDaniels can continue to make strides in those areas. Mike Conley will certainly be expected to help the Wolves in those areas, but it will ultimately come down to the Wolves best player, Edwards, setting the tone for the rest of the team.

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Photo by C. Morgan Engel/Getty Images

Players Reflect on Their Time with KAT

While Connelly and Finch couldn’t speak, Timberwolves players had no issue speaking about their former teammate. Edwards was first to speak on his reaction to the blockbuster deal.

“I think everybody knows KAT is my brother. So that definitely hurt. But you know, it’s a business, I just got to roll with it. [Randle and DiVincenzo] aren’t here yet so I’m excited to get to know them and get it figured out as fast as we can, cuz we’re trying to get back to where we were.”

Even at 23 years old, Edwards has been around the NBA long enough to know that it is a business, and no player, even one as deeply rooted with his team and community as Towns, is immune to that fact.

It’s natural to be hurt or sad that someone you are close to is not long is no longer on the team, but Edwards seemed to have the right perspective and was looking forward to meeting his new teammates.

The Wolves superstar also spoke about his on-court relationship with Towns when asked about fully taking over the number one spot within the Wolves locker room.

“I feel like it’s kind of weird to talk about because he just got traded. It was never a number one or two situation. We both were the one, we just played off each other. I’m happy to be whatever the guy they want me be now.”

Ant has always been hesitant to make it about whether or not he or Towns was the number one player. Both players have always been willing to be whatever the team needed and that has continued even now after Towns is no longer in the organization.

It wasn’t all reflecting on the trade for Edwards as he showed off his new colorways by whipping his shoe up onto the table for all to see.

Gobert also spoke about his relationship with Towns and his reaction to the surprising news, echoing some of Edwards’ thoughts.

“It was a big surprise. It’s not something anyone expected a few days before training camp. I am still processing it. KAT is obviously someone that I have a lot of love and respect for. We have two years together and I’m really grateful for the time we spent together. When I got here since day one, he embraced me, he did anything he could to help me be the best on and off the court. I’m really grateful for that. It comes down to the trade part of the business.”

Towns as much as anyone was able to find Gobert on offense for lobs and easy buckets. What started off rough in terms of an on-court pairing blossomed into one of the best front-court pairings in the lead, leading the Timberwolves to the Western Conference Finals.

With Randle likely taking the spot of Towns in the starting lineup, Gobert now has a new partner at power forward for which he will have to find a similar chemistry.

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Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images

The Additions of Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo

After the questions about Towns were answered, players were asked about playing with their new teammates, Randle and DiVincenzo. Veteran point guard Mike Conley spoke about what Randle’s potential role will be in Minnesota.

“With Julius, he’s a guy I think that really utilizes his ability to get up and down. He can space the floor but also be a playmaker. He’s a secondary playmaker that can bring the ball off the court faster than some point guards and be as physical as anybody in the league and get to the free throw line, create mismatches and all that really is gonna be how we’re trying to use him and implement him into what we do as far as our spacing and stuff like that.”

Conley also spoke about DiVincenzo and his ability to shoot the ball on all different types of plays.

“What Dante will bring is something I think we desperately wanted to add. Spacing has been different than KAT’s spacing being big as opposed to somebody who’s moving around, somebody who can shoot off of screens, behind screens, corner spacing, transition, a lot of stuff that KAT does but in a guard form. I just love his attitude, the way that he plays the game. He’s very selfless. And it’s all about winning. He’s a champion. He knows what it takes. I think that he’s one of those guys like Jrue Holliday that you need guys like those individuals to win at a high level. And we’re very excited to have him and Julius on the team.”

From Conley’s perspective, it seems, both Randle and DiVincenzo will both replace different aspects of Towns’ game. Randle will bring secondary playmaking, floor spacing as a big, and the ability to get to the free throw line.

DiVincenzo will replace the three-point volume of Towns, one of the Wolves best shooters at any position last year. DiVincenzo also brings a championship pedigree from his time with the Milwaukee Bucks, something this Timberwolves roster did not have previously.

It is still to be seen how these two will fit in with what the Timberwolves have been building, but it is clear that the Wolves players are looking forward to getting in the gym and working with their new teammates once the trade is finalized.

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Joe Ingles Will Become a Fan Favorite

Joe Ingles had the most lively appearance of any Wolves player, starting his availability by swatting the incorrect name placard off the podium. When asked if the trade of Towns had stolen his thunder as the big signing of the offseason, he quickly threw that notion away.

“Yeah. I’m not trying to be any thunder anyway. I don’t want to do this to be honest. Every time you guys speak to me. Ask away because I might not do any more media the rest of the year.”

He would go on to note that he only has one item he needs got get accomplished this season in Minnesota.

“My only goal this year is to get him T’d up for the first time. I’m going make sure every referee knows and that’s literally my biggest goal this year.”

Ingles also shared a heartwarming story about Gobert, dating back to their time together on the Utah Jazz.

Ingles seems to have quickly ingratiated himself within the Wolves locker room where he already has three former teammates in Conley, Gobert, and Alexander-Walker. It won’t take long before he makes himself a fan favorite of Wolves fans as well.