Previewing the Minnesota Timberwolves for the 2026-27 Season
The Timberwolves are going into this new season with some optimism. The organization made several roster changes this offseason and overall had a pretty solid summer. Trading for LaMelo Ball brings a new level of excitement and should take some of the offensive pressure off Anthony Edwards, which could help him thrive even more. Re-signing Ayo Dosunmu was huge, and adding Jonathan Kuminga could end up being a massive move if he can thrive in his role.
The Roster
Point Guards: LaMelo Ball, Donte DiVincenzo (Currently Injured), Nah’Shon Hyland, Zyon Pullin (Two-Way Contract)
Shooting Guards: Anthony Edwards, Ayo Dosunmu, Jaylen Clark, Isaiah Evans
Small Forwards: Jaden McDaniels, Terrence Shannon Jr., Cody Williams
Power Forwards: Jonathan Kuminga, Trey Lyles, Enrique Freeman (Two-Way Contract)
Centers: Rudy Gobert, Joan Beringer, Rocco Zikarsky (Two-Way Contract)
The roster is definitely different from last season. Trading Julius Randle, and then Naz Reid and draft capital for LaMelo Ball, is a major upgrade at the second-option spot for the team. Cody Williams is an interesting depth piece because he was drafted very high in 2024. Joan Beringer is going to need to crack the rotation and play well, as he is currently the only clear backup center. Donte DiVincenzo will also be out to start the season after rupturing his Achilles in the playoffs last year.
Biggest Questions
The biggest question for this team is its depth. The depth at positions like point guard, power forward, and center will all be questionable to start the season. The point guard room should be fine once DiVincenzo returns, but the big-man depth could become an issue. Rudy Gobert is not getting any younger and will likely have an even bigger workload this season. Joan Beringer is going to need to develop into a solid backup piece.
Jonathan Kuminga starting at the four should be fine, but the depth behind him is less certain. Trey Lyles played overseas last season and will now likely be asked to return to the NBA and immediately become a rotational piece for Minnesota.
The Timberwolves have not exactly been known for dominant regular-season success in recent years. They have typically been a team that does enough to secure a playoff spot without consistently dominating the regular-season standings. It will be interesting to see if the roster changes they made this offseason, specifically bringing in LaMelo Ball, add enough firepower to help them become a top-three seed in the Western Conference and win more games than they have in recent years.
I believe they definitely have the potential to do that, but with the limited amount of depth on the roster, a few injuries could cause things to go sideways quickly.
Another obvious question for this team is how the LaMelo Ball and Anthony Edwards backcourt will operate. This has the potential to be one of, if not the best, backcourts in the league. These are two players who have the ability to completely take over a game and carry their team to a win on any given night because of how explosive they can be.
Over the last couple of years in the playoffs, one of Minnesota's biggest struggles has been teams double-teaming Anthony Edwards. Having LaMelo Ball should make it much more difficult for opponents to send constant double teams at Edwards. The ceiling for this duo is extremely high if they can click together, and they could bring a new level of excitement and offensive firepower to Minnesota, especially come playoff time.
Prediction Markets
Win Total: 47.5
To Win the NBA Finals: +2500 (8th-best odds)
To Win the Western Conference: +1300 (4th-best odds)
To Reach the Conference Finals: +450 (4th-best odds)
To Reach the Conference Semifinals: +110 (4th-best odds)
To Win the Division: +1100 (3rd-best odds)
To Make the Playoffs: -900
To Miss the Playoffs: +600
To Participate in the Play-In Tournament: +240
To Win the NBA Cup: +2000 (9th-best odds)
These odds are in the upper half of the NBA. They suggest that the Timberwolves are expected to finish somewhere around the No. 3 to No. 5 seed in the Western Conference. Minnesota sits in that tier just behind teams like the Spurs and Thunder.
This team should make the playoffs at the bare minimum and be ready to make a run once April comes around.
Final Prediction and Outlook
I believe the ceiling of this Timberwolves group is very high, but the floor could still be a Play-In team. Because of the lack of depth on the roster, injuries could quickly lead to losses.
I think LaMelo Ball and Anthony Edwards will thrive together if they stay healthy and could quickly become one of the best duos in the NBA. I also think the Timberwolves will have a very solid regular season and be ready once playoff time arrives, as they usually have been under Chris Finch.
This time, however, having LaMelo Ball to help Anthony Edwards carry the offensive workload could lead to an even deeper run. I believe the Timberwolves will put a lot of people on notice this season.
Final Prediction: 52-30, No. 3 seed, NBA Finals loss
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