Previous Team Recaps: DET, IT WAS, PER, ACS, SAS, Terms of reference, MEMO, UTA, BKN, ATL, CHI, OR, BAG, GSW, MIA, PHI, ENT, LAL, IND, CLE, PHX, NOR, THOUSAND, NYK, LACQUER
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 turned in 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 was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. The Wolves went 56-26 for their third consecutive winning season and finished just one game behind Oklahoma City for the best record in the West.
Anthony Edwards had a monster 2022-23, but he broke out this season, cementing himself as one of the NBA’s best young stars by leading his team past the defending champions in the Western Conference Semifinals and guiding Minnesota to its first Western Conference Finals appearance. in 20 years.
Led by Defensive Player of the Year Gobert, the Wolves displayed the best defense in the NBA, and Edwards threw an elite punch on the other end of the floor. Minnesota has a number of strong fantasy options, and as it stands now, the team will return with the same group in 2024-25. How should fantasy coaches treat Timberwolves players in next season’s fantasy drafts?
Fantasy Spotlight: Anthony Edwards
After a tremendous Year 3 and a strong playoff performance (albeit in just one round played), expectations were high for Ant-Man heading into the 2023-24 campaign. He did not disappoint.
Edwards finished 30th in fantasy value per game behind averages of 25.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, 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 career highs for the fourth-year Georgia big man.
Edwards recorded 79 games and participated in at least 72 contests in all four years of his career. He has been a top-70 player in total fantasy value in four straight games, and in 2023-24, he finished ninth. Not bad.
Edwards’ rookie season peaked in the playoffs, averaging 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, is always available and will only turn 23 before the start of the 2024-25 campaign. We haven’t seen his best basketball, and he should be picked in the first two rounds of the fantasy draft.
Costume Reveal: Naz Reid
Time to get Naz-ty? You bet! Reid won the Sixth Man of the Year award by 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. In addition to the blocks, Reid put up career-best numbers across the board.
DIRECTOR’S CUT: Naz Reid
We watched his career-high 34-point performance on Friday against CLE.
– How he sets fire to the defenses that fall 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-Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) March 12, 2024
Reid was 131st in fantasy value per game and 64th in total, both easily the best marks of his career. The big man showcased his skills on both ends of the court, most notably showing off 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 his teammates’ offensive struggles.
Reid will be 25 this summer and, like Edwards, has not yet reached his peak. His 141.5 ADP in the 2023-24 drafts will certainly increase next season, and Reid is worth a look in the late rounds of the 12-team drafts.
Fantasy Disappointment: Karl-Anthony Towns
Towns opened his career with seven consecutive top-12 Fantasy finishes. Last season, he finished 29th, and Fantasy officials lamented his performance. He was seen as a disappointment in 2022-23, but his fantasy value dropped further last season when he finished 45th. KAT averaged 21.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, 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 field. charity banner. As noted in other articles, fantasy value per game is nuanced and doesn’t always tell the whole story, but it still means something. Towns’ per-game result at the end of the fourth round is not cause for alarm, but it shows that coaches should no longer count on production in the first or second round.
Towns has been an enigma the past two seasons. He will deliver monster games, like his franchise-record 62 points and 10 triples against Charlotte on January 22, and post duds like his 7-point, 10-rebound, 7-turnover effort against Boston on November 6. KAT has also been hot and cold in the playoffs, and fantasy managers drafting him in 2024-25 should expect ups and downs. It’s worth a look in round three or later.
Fantasy Recaps/Predictions
Rudy Gobert: After a disappointing first season with the Wolves in 2022-23, Gobert had 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 production was slightly better across the board, and he finished 59th in fantasy value per game for the second straight season. The big man finished 31st in total fantasy value and was available for 76 games.
Gobert anchored Minnesota’s best defense and won his fourth DPOY award, although he struggled in the playoffs. Gobert averaged just 12.1 points, 9.8 rebounds and 1.0 blocks, and Minnesota’s defense was unable to contain the Mavericks in their five-game Western Conference finals series loss. Gobert should be considered a mid-range center in the 2024-25 fantasy drafts. Managers should expect an average double-double, elite FG% and strong blocks.
Mike Conley: Conley was considered for the “fantasy breakthrough” section, but there was nothing revolutionary about what he did this season. This is not a slight to Conley. It’s actually quite a compliment. The veteran has demonstrated continued excellence throughout his long career. He finished in the top 75 in fantasy basketball value per game, reaching that mark for the 12th time in the last 14 seasons.
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 the most since 2012-13, and he finished 36th in total Fantasy Hoops value, placing in the top 100 for the 14th time in his 17-year career. Conley’s fantasy production is steady and reliable each year, and while he is far from an elite option, he is certainly worth taking as a late player in the 2024-25 fantasy drafts.
Jaden McDaniels: McDaniels finished in the top 125 in fantasy basketball value per game and top 75 in total in 2022-23, but 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 field. charity banner. McDaniels averaged 29.2 minutes in 72 games, and despite ample playing time, his statistical contributions were minimal. He showed he could get hot throughout the season and recorded three consecutive 20-point games in the playoffs. The scoring hasn’t been consistent, and he’s a much better defender and option in real life than someone to rely on in fantasy games outside of deeper leagues. McDaniels does not need to be drafted into 12-team leagues in 2024-25.
Kyle Anderson: Slow Mo Anderson averaged 6.4 points, 3.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.6 blocks in 22.6 minutes in 79 games last season. He finished well outside the top 200 in fantasy basketball value per game, but was just in the top 140 overall. As always, he did a little bit of everything in the box score and was solid at the minute. He will be a free agent this summer and it is unclear whether the Wolves will bring him back or not. Wherever he lands, he will continue to be a go-to guy on the court and a strong streaming option for fantasy managers when he has big minutes. He’s worth a look in deeper leagues, but he may go undrafted in 12-team leagues in the 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 averaged modest 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 floor. from the charity stripe.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker is the most underrated perimeter defender in the league. He makes life miserable for his opponents – nothing is easy. pic.twitter.com/w6TaQdJAeZ
-Steph Noh (@StephNoh) April 25, 2024
He finished outside the top 200 in value per game, but had 114 in total value, easily the best result of his career. Alexander-Walker is a much better option in real life thanks to his strong perimeter defense and occasional microwave scoring. He’s not worth drafting in 12-team leagues, but he could be useful in deeper leagues for managers who need defensive and triple-team stats.
Restricted Free Agents: Daishen Nix, AJ Lawson, Luka Garza
Unrestricted Free Agents: TJ Warren, Kyle Anderson, Monte Morris, Jordan McLaughlin
