It's less than 24 hours away until tipoff, so I figured I could get this GDT going!
I am more opTIMistic than most about the upcoming season. I didn't up my win prediction this time around, for obvious reasons, but I think this might be one of my better chances at winning the thing! Here are the key positives I see going into this season:
"Continuity" is more than just a catchphrase this year. The turmoil created with the KAT trade last season had a huge impact on the first half of last season. It's not farfetched to think this season will start the way last season ended.
Our three rookies from last year -- Dilly, Shannon and Clark -- all have a year under their belts and seem ready to contribute. Remember, they all spent time in Iowa early in the season and had various injuries. All three have shown skills that could be very helpful this season. Don't forget it was Minott that had first crack at the 9th man role last season...
We have other young players -- ANT, Jaden and NAZ -- who should also show growth in their games.
Then there is Mike. His wrist injury sidelined his offseason regimen last year and it really showed in the first half of the season. He did come on strong in the latter part of the season, and he should hit the floor running this season.
Even Rudy had a down year by his standards last season. He took the summer off to work on his mind, body and game. He could be a big factor in upping our defensive efficiency.
Those are all reasons why I believe this season will be way stronger than last season. Here are some intriguing things we saw against Denver that I'll be looking for against Indiana:
Our 3-point shooting was lights out! NAZ and Donte hit 3s. Jaden looked damn confident taking and hitting 3s. NAZ had a down year hitting 3s last season, and Donte was a slow starter. If they get off to a good start, and Jaden joins the party? Wow!
Rudy worked with a shooting coach this offseason. We need to see a MUCH bigger sample size, but dang, if Rudy has developed an offensive game in the post like he showed against Denver?!? Another Wow!
Joan and Bones were very good (heck, even Rocco looked good!). While not penciled into the rotation, our depth would seem to be in great shape compared to last year.
Anyway, the game is played at Target Center and broadcast locally on the Fan Duel Network. Looking forward to it!
It's interesting that the Wolves are overlooked as one of the better young cores, as in, they are never brought up at all. Ant, Jaden, Naz, Dilly, TJ, JC, and now Joan, Rocco. Naz is the oldest at 26.
Not bad for a team that traded away their entire future for Rudy Gobert.
Phenom wrote: ↑Mon Oct 06, 2025 9:09 pm
It's interesting that the Wolves are overlooked as one of the better young cores, as in, they are never brought up at all. Ant, Jaden, Naz, Dilly, TJ, JC, and now Joan, Rocco. Naz is the oldest at 26.
Not bad for a team that traded away their entire future for Rudy Gobert.
To be fair... there's a HUGE gap between the first three guys and the rest as far as actual NBA contributions.
Otherwise, almost every team can tout its promising players who haven't actually accomplished anything yet.
[Note: But, the key is that there is promise there. If it starts panning out, then the Wolves' longer term future looks great.]
Phenom wrote: ↑Mon Oct 06, 2025 9:09 pm
It's interesting that the Wolves are overlooked as one of the better young cores, as in, they are never brought up at all. Ant, Jaden, Naz, Dilly, TJ, JC, and now Joan, Rocco. Naz is the oldest at 26.
Not bad for a team that traded away their entire future for Rudy Gobert.
To be fair... there's a HUGE gap between the first three guys and the rest as far as actual NBA contributions.
Otherwise, almost every team can tout its promising players who haven't actually accomplished anything yet.
[Note: But, the key is that there is promise there. If it starts panning out, then the Wolves' longer term future looks great.]
To be fair our top 3 have also accomplished a lot more than most of those other teams can say. I think this probably gets to the root of the perception. That and Conley and Gobert are key pieces.
Still, that the Wolves are never mentioned is careless.
Phenom wrote: ↑Mon Oct 06, 2025 9:09 pm
It's interesting that the Wolves are overlooked as one of the better young cores, as in, they are never brought up at all. Ant, Jaden, Naz, Dilly, TJ, JC, and now Joan, Rocco. Naz is the oldest at 26.
Not bad for a team that traded away their entire future for Rudy Gobert.
simple answer to this:
None of them can currently be viewed as the 2nd player on a core championship. If one of them does, we'll never hear the end of it (and if we wanna compare it to say OKC, Jalen Williams had to fight off "he's not good enough to be the 2nd best guys" stuff all the way until he actually won.)
60WinTim wrote: ↑Tue Oct 07, 2025 6:15 pm
Jaden is out tonight for "personal reasons". We haven't seen the starting lineup announced yet, but my money is on Shannon getting the start.
I lost my money -- NAZ gets the start in place of Jaden.
I mentioned this in another thread. I thought NAZ looked slimmer at the start of training camp. And Finch said they planned to play NAZ some at the 3 last season, but then the KAT trade happened and that bagged that.
Alan Horton with the TV call! Should be an interesting adjustment for him, as it's completely different than flying solo with a radio call where you can be more homer-ish and don't need to worry about a partner.
60WinTim wrote: ↑Tue Oct 07, 2025 6:15 pm
Jaden is out tonight for "personal reasons". We haven't seen the starting lineup announced yet, but my money is on Shannon getting the start.
I lost my money -- NAZ gets the start in place of Jaden.
I mentioned this in another thread. I thought NAZ looked slimmer at the start of training camp. And Finch said they planned to play NAZ some at the 3 last season, but then the KAT trade happened and that bagged that.
Makes sense also just in terms of the pecking order. Naz has paid his dues and just signed the big deal. He'd be our starting PF if Randle wasn't on the roster. Shoe-horning him in at the 3 is interesting, but I get it.
