Look for more Wolves Preview material all week leading up to the season-opener on Wednesday.
Anthony Bennett- Anthony Bennett grew leaps and bounds in the Summer League for Cleveland and so far in the preseason for the Timberwolves. He will look to build on the season in which many called him one of the biggest busts of the Draft. He is starting to show that youth and inexperience will not be one of his weaknesses but something we can be excited about. At only 21 years old he will have plenty of time to prove us right or wrong. The 6’8” 245lb 2nd year forward looks to improve on his 4.2PPG/3.0RPG he posted last season. He has an absolutely huge chip on his shoulder that will give him a huge amount of motivation for this year. It will be interesting to see how he will fit into the rotation under Flip Saunders.
Corey Brewer- He proved to be one of the most important pieces on last year’s team. 12.3PPG/2.6RPG was a welcome surprise from an uncertain signing last summer. He will most likely slide into a bench role with the coming of Andrew Wiggins, but his knowledge of the game and veteran presence is a great asset for the young Timberwolves. He can show our crop of young guys how to play the game the right way and be successful. Overall hustle and defense will be needed from him throughout the season. Highlight of last season was Brew Crew scoring 51 points against the Houston Rockets and becoming only the 4th player in NBA history to collect 50+ points and 6+ steals in a single game. Joining Rick Barry, Allen Iverson, and Michael Jordan.
Chase Budinger- Rumors are swirling as well about this guy’s future for the upcoming season. I could see him in a different jersey by the All-Star break but for now, the athletic forward is playing for the Wolves. 6.7PPG/2.5RPG was certainly not what we expected from him when we signed him, but injuries continue to hamper the ability of Chase. When healthy he shows great jumping ability and can shoot the ball quite well but after all of his leg injuries it has been hard to count on him day in and day out. I would expect decent contributions off of the bench from Budinger but playing time will be tough to earn with that being a loaded position as far as bodies.
Robbie Hummel- The 2nd year forward out of Purdue instilled some serious hustle when he played for the Wolves last season and that carried over into another year on the roster. Sure his spot was up in the air last year, but the way he played and performed and the work he put in the off-season helped to make the decision easy to keep him this year. He hit some clutch 3’s for us last season and made hustle plays and earned respect from teammates and fans. He will play sparingly this season but will make his presence known through hustle plays.
Shabazz Muhammad- It was made pretty public his physical transformation in the off-season. He worked so hard in the off-season to change his physique and conditioning, and it has started to pay off losing 20 pounds heading into the season. He looks like a different player, hustling more and more every game and shooting with more confidence. His stint in the D-League has really shown that he has the ability to score and just needs to get some confidence. He will have to work for all the time he plays under a coach like Flip. In the end, it will be up to Shabazz how much he plays. He played in 37 games last year, and I expect to see him play a lot more in the 2014-2015 season and make more of an impact on the stat sheet.
Glenn Robinson III- Maybe the steal of the 2014 NBA Draft. The Timberwolves got a hold of him in the 2nd round and were more than excited to get him on the roster. GRIII has the intangibles and physical ability to be a starter in this league and we could not be more excited to have him playing for us instead of against us. His role on the team right now is a little bit up in the air, but what we can be excited about his the ability he possesses and all the things he brings to the table for us this year. One of the mainstay’s on a very good Michigan team in college, he looks to become the same thing for the Timberwolves heading into a hopefully long career.
Thaddeus Young- After averaging 17.9PPG/6RPG he will look to fill the open spot left by Kevin Love. His outside shooting ability paired with his size (6’8”/221lbs) is a great mix at his power forward position and will surely help to ease the transition in the new era. Entering his 8th season, he is one of the most veteran Wolves and will play a huge role in the turn-around for this franchise. Flip Saunders showed a great deal of faith in Young when he went out and got him from the Sixers in the 3-team trade that sent Luc Mbah a Moute and Alexey Shved to Philly. Expectations will be sky high for Thaddeus because he is replacing Kevin Love, but I wouldn’t expect crazy high number like Love. They are not the same player so we must be realistic. But, what we will get is a guy that is excited to be here and that is already more than we could get from Kevin Love.
Andrew Wiggins- Expect him to slide over to small forward with Kevin Martin already in place, but he will definitely get significant time at shooting guard too. I put him here based on what I expect the starting lineup to be. Obviously he is one of the most-hyped products to come out college in some time. Scoring 17PPG for the Kansas Jayhawks last season and showing great leadership alongside Joel Embiid even though he is only 19 years old. At a tested vertical of 44 inches this guy can almost literally jump out of the gym. LaVine and Wiggins have already dubbed themselves “Bounce Bros” and for good reason; both of them have verticals over 40 inches. Wiggins will play just about as much as he wants for the Wolves this season and hopefully for many years to come. With the potential to be the ‘next big thing’ we should be as excited as ever to watch him and the Timberwolves this season.
Synopsis:
This is an athletic group. I don’t expect the entire forward corps to still be here at the end of the year, but the young guys will stick around and show off their athleticism. The newly re-sculpted Bennett-Muhammed duo will be useful against strong opponents and will be able to run with the speedy ones. At the very least, Wiggins will be an elite defender. I’ll take those chances any day, especially since his offense already seems pretty good too. He might not be a sniper right off the bat, but he has a smooth stroke, and his game is better-suited for the NBA than college anyway. Rookie of the Year if you ask me. Thad, and this whole team for that matter, is also gonna be a steal machine. Look for a lot of forced turnovers and fast-break points with this quick, young group.
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