ESPN rolled out its annual NBA summer prognosis this week. On Wednesday they presented the projected classification for both the eastern and Western Conference for the 2025-26 season. They have the Minnesota Timberwolves that enlarge their victory to two of last season.
Timberwolves are expected to finish fourth in the Western Conference
The NBA experts from ESPN predicted the rankings for the 2025-26 season, and it has certainly been lifted in the West. The predicted record of the Timberwolves is 51-31, a slight improvement compared to their 49-33 record in 2024-25. It would be bound by the third largest victories in the history of franchise, only behind their 58 in 2003-04 and their 56 in 2023-24.
Just like last season, it is expected that the top of the Western Conference classification, outside the Thunder (64 victories), will be tight. The second missed missiles (54 victories) are only four games better than the sixth placed Lakers (50 victories).
The Timberwolves are expected to finish fourth, after being the sixth seed last year. Again, Minnesota looks like it will be in a tight race with the rival Nuggets. Denver has achieved a victory than the Wolves each of the last two seasons, and is predicted that he will be in third place this year in the conference with a record of 53-29.
It also guarantees having a top-four seed that benefit of the team for home field for at least the opening round. The 51 wins of Minnesota only place one game on the two Los Angeles teams in the clippers and Lakers.
10 teams in the West predicted to end up at .500
Although they finished fourth, the Timberwolves the play-in teams are not far ahead. All four (Warriors, Mavericks, Spurs and Grizzlies) are expected to end more than .500. The seventh placed warriors are only three games behind the Timberwolves in ESPN’s NBA summer prognosis.
That is similar to last season. Seeds two to eight in the Western Conference were separated by only four games. The three teams directly for the Timberwolves in 2024-25 each had 50 victories, one more than 49 from Minnesota.
It was clear, just as it has been in recent years, that the Western Conference is full of good to large teams. The projected classification shows how important it is for Minnesota and other contenders in the West not to play insufficient basketball for a long -term piece.
That is very different from the Eastern Conference. Only seven teams are expected to end more than .500, and it is predicted that only three more than 50 games will win.
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