If there’s one buzzword surrounding the Minnesota Timberwolves’ season, it’s undoubtedly continuity. After back-to-back conference finals appearances, the Wolves returned a nearly identical roster. Yes, they lost Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who signed with the Atlanta Hawks. However, Minnesota brought back the rest of its top seven rotation players and opted not to replace Alexander-Walker.
This is in stark contrast to last season, when the Wolves traded Karl-Anthony Towns for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo just days before training camp. The Wolves will rely on their continuity and internal growth to make a leap into the NBA Finals.
It is logical and yet risky for the Wolves to bet on their continuity
Minnesota finished with a 17–4 record to end the season, losing only two games in the first two rounds of the playoffs. It is clear that this core is capable of playing at an elite level. Given the way they finished the season and got off to a slow start last year, integrating Randle and DiVincenzo, it makes sense to grow this core together. Additionally, the Wolves need to see what they have with their young talent, including Terrence Shannon Jr., Rob Dillingham and Jaylen Clark.
Growing as a core sounds fun. However, it’s worth noting that the last three champions all made significant offseason moves. The Oklahoma City Thunder traded for Alex Caruso and signed Isaiah Hartenstein. The Boston Celtics traded for Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porziņģis in the 2024 offseason. Before that, the Denver Nuggets traded for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and signed Bruce Brown, while Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. returned to court.
Of course, it’s possible the Timberwolves break this trend and win the championship without making a major move this offseason. With a 24-year-old superstar in Anthony Edwards with a well-rounded core around him, that is certainly possible. Nevertheless, recent history makes it clear that teams typically take offseason steps to make this leap into the championship.
Last year’s Nuggets are an example of the challenges of banking on internal growth and continuity. While Christian Braun stepped up to fill KCP’s void, the rest of the Nuggets’ young talent struggled to find consistent roles.
On the plus side, the Indiana Pacers are an example of continuity paying off. After a conference finals appearance in 2024, they took it one step further with a finals appearance this past playoffs. The Timberwolves’ big move before last season was trading for Randle. Likewise, the Pacers’ big move was trading for Pascal Siakam midway through the 2023-24 season.
While continuity isn’t the traditional thing many teams want to lean on in the Championship, it could ultimately work for the Wolves.
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