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The 2020-21 NBA season is a few weeks away and training camp is underway. The Minnesota Timberwolves were able to acquire Karl-Anthony Towns a co-star in D’Angelo Russell last season and drafted Anthony Edwards with the top pick in this year’s draft. They’re looking to push for the playoffs this year in the loaded Western Conference. They’d have to improve significantly to contend for a postseason spot just months after finishing with the second-worst record in the NBA. Here we’re going to take a look at the Timberwolves’ offseason, plus look ahead to the 2020-21 season.
2020 offseason
Key additions
Anthony Edwards, SG (draft)
Ricky Rubio, PG (trade)
Jaden McDaniels, PF (draft)
Key losses
None
2020-21 odds
Title odds: +20000
Win percentage: O/U 41.5
Karl-Anthony Towns MVP odds: +10000
Anthony Edwards ROTY odds: +450
2020-21 roster
Depth Chart
PG: Ricky Rubio, D’Angelo Russell, Anthony Edwards
SG: D’Angelo Russell, Anthony Edwards, Malik Beasley
SF: Anthony Edwards, Malik Beasley, Josh Okogie
PF: Juancho Hernangomez, Jake Layman, Naz Reid
C: Karl-Anthony Towns, Naz Reid, Ed Davis
Roster battles
Backup C: Naz Reid vs. Ed Davis
6th man: Malik Beasley vs. Josh Okogie
Fantasy basketball
Best Sleeper
Juancho Hernangomez — Hernangomez averaged nearly 30 minutes per game last season after being traded to the Timberwolves and has retained his starting spot. Layman is more of a wing than a big, so I expect Hernangomez to continue getting most of the minutes at power forward. His stats will drop off with a healthy KAT back in the mix, but he’ll have some big nights here and there because of his ability to stretch the floor.
Likely Bust
Anthony Edwards — Edwards was far from an efficient scorer in college and he’ll face a ton of length at the small forward position in the NBA. I don’t expect a rookie who shot 40 percent from the field and 29 percent from three in college to blossom into an elite scorer against 6’8” wings when he’s typically been a guard. Edwards will trail Russell and Towns in shots and could fall behind Beasley, who averaged 20 points per game while shooting better than 42 percent from three through 14 games with the Timberwolves last season.