The Western Conference Team Everyone Is Ignoring

By Hayden Shapiro

Teams like the Knicks, Lakers, and Celtics are always going to be talked about during the offseason. As well as teams who make big moves like the Suns trading for veteran Bradley Beal or the Spurs drafting French phenom, Victor Wembanyama. Something I always like to look at is, who was confident enough to keep their team intact and didn’t make too much noise in the prior year? Last year’s team who had this strategy, the Denver Nuggets, went on to win the finals in 2023. Their only main addition that offseason was Bruce Brown and look how that panned out. Brown played almost 28 minutes a game in the finals, being a defensive anchor and vocal leader. This year’s team did not sign someone of this caliber but made a few sneaky moves that really fit with the way they operate. This year’s team to watch, a dark horse if you will, is the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Let’s start off with the big names. Anthony Edwards is a superstar. The work he put in this offseason was evident throughout the FIBA Basketball World Cup, where he averaged just under 19 points a game. Edwards looked much more confident on the defensive side of the ball as well, something people wanted to see more from him last season. Simply put, he has got no ceiling and he made sure the floor is pretty high too. He also signed a major deal with Adidas and has a signature shoe dropping in late 2023. I would not be surprised to see his name on an MVP ballot in the near future.

Next we have the two bigs who people are still claiming can’t work together, but last season one of them just could not stay on the court. Karl-Anthony Towns (KAT) is one of the most unique players in basketball. His three point shooting is near automatic when open and his defense has greatly improved according to advanced analytics. He also averaged eight rebounds and just under five assists, so there is nothing left for him to do offensively because of their other piece at the center position.

When Minnesota traded for Rudy Gobert, it sent the basketball world into a laughing frenzy. I think we are at the point, and more importantly I think that the T-Wolves are at the point where they have realized that they gave up too much and they need to live with it. Gobert was atrocious offensively last season, but most of this came without KAT. With KAT back, lurking on the perimeter, it puts Gobert inside where he really does his dirty work. The three-time defensive player of the year can now be asked to just do his job again which is pivotal to this team’s success. If Gobert can be himself defensively, this offense is going to be scary to face.

With players like Jaden McDaniels, who had an unbelievably underrated year in ’23, and Mike Conley as well, this starting five is eye-catching for NBA fans who reside in Minnesota. Pieces off the bench like former LSU Tiger Naz Reid and “Slo-Mo” Kyle Anderson both do their jobs night in and night out, just what you need from your sixth and seventh man. The small additions are Troy Brown Jr, who has turned himself into a reliable three-and-D bench guy over the last year with the Lakers and they also signed Shake Milton. Milton has shown sparks of great scoring ability and did it in the same role he has now. Even though these free agency signings may not have been all over your social media, it just works for the Wolves.

This team is built to win games. Looking at this roster closely, it simply lacks holes, just like Denver’s did last season. And don’t think I expect Minnesota to win the championship, but the Timberwolves are going to surprise people this season and head coach Chris Finch is going to show people why he deserves to remain in Minnesota.

By Hayden Shapiro