Halfway through the season, the Wolves have fans wondering how far this team could go
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Karl-Anthony Towns, Anthony Edwards, and Rudy Gobert. Photo: Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images
First it was just a hot start. Then they beat the reigning champion Denver Nuggets and Boston Celtics — who have the NBA's best record.
- Then they stared down the league's toughest first-half schedule and came out with the best record in the Western Conference.
Is this for real? That's the question Timberwolves fans are asking themselves. Is this woebegone franchise, with the worst all-time winning percentage of any NBA team, really as good as it looks?
State of play: Halfway through the season, the Wolves sport a 30-11 record. They've already won more games this season than in half of the franchise's 34 seasons.
Between the lines: This is the team fans envisioned when the Wolves traded for Rudy Gobert 18 months ago. It just took some maturation, good health, and patience to get there.
Catch up fast: In case you wrote the Wolves off after last season, here's the lowdown.
- Their massive frontcourt and physical brand of basketball have them ranked No. 1 in defense.
- They've beat up on bad teams, which they couldn't do last year. And they've eliminated some — but not all — of the whining to referees that seemed to disrupt their focus last season.
- Gobert has gone back to the rim-protecting big man who has been one of the best defensive players of the past decade.
Plus: Anthony Edwards took another step forward, and Karl-Anthony Towns is playing great in a No. 2 role behind him. The addition of Mike Conley Jr. late last year has provided the veteran leadership that the team needed.
- And fan favorite Naz Reid has blossomed into one of the best bench players in the NBA.
Reality check: This is Minnesota sports, which means if something could go wrong, it probably would.
- There's a lack of depth at point guard behind the 36-year-old Conley.
- Towns, Edwards, and Gobert have logged heavy minutes and have had little rest, stoking fears that they could wear down over the final half of the season or be at higher risk of injury.
What to watch: A game in person, because the energy is high. Average attendance at Target Center — at just over 18,000 a game — is at the highest mark since at least 2001, according to ESPN data.