As a Timberwolves fan, we’re flying high. The Minnesota Timberwolves have won six games in a row, and this team is ready to make a playoff push. With the rest of their schedule, the second easiest (in terms of win %) in the league, the Wolves are becoming a team no one wants to face as a round-one matchup.
On March 12th, the Wolves soundly defeated the Denver Nuggets 115-95, which was the first time since November 17th, a streak of 53 straight games. The game was a perfect test for this team, and they passed, improving their record to 38-29. The return of stretch-big Julius Randle has greatly influenced the Wolves’ current six-game win streak.
In hindsight, Wolves fans needed to be more patient with this squad. After Donte Divincenzo & Julius Randle went down with injuries, then Rudy Gobert a little later, the Karl-Anthony Towns trade looked as bad as ever. They just needed time to work out the chemistry, and now that it’s there, the Wolves are rightfully winning the games they’re supposed to and in big fashion, too. The Timberwolves have won eleven straight games with Julius Randle in the lineup, stretching back before his injury.
Throughout the win streak, they have defeated the struggling Phoenix Suns 116-98, the depleted Philadelphia 76ers 126-112, the tanking Charlotte Hornets 125-110, the Jimmy Butler-less Miami Heat 106-104, and the Victor Wembanyama-less San Antonio Spurs 141-124. The stretch has been favorable, but they’ve all been in dominant fashion aside from the Heat game. This is why the Nuggets game was a huge test for this squad: to really see if they could compete with the top teams in the league. They proved it with that win, arguably the season’s best win.
Another huge factor in the Wolves’ recent success has been the surge of the role players. Most notably, Jaden McDaniels. He’s never really been the focal point of the wolves’ offense, but Jaden rose to the occasion as the injuries piled up. He’s now averaging career highs in PPG, RPG, APG, SPG, MPG, and FT%. The offensive leap Jaden has taken is becoming more and more valuable after each game. Among Jaden, other role players who have quickly jumped into the rotation have also stepped up. Rookies Terrence Shannon Jr & Jaylen Clark have molded themselves into valuable depth players for this team after the injuries gave them minutes. While neither of them stuff the stat sheet, their impacts on the court go beyond the numbers. Terrence Shannon Jr adds a bit of explosiveness whenever he’s on the court, and Jaylen Clark’s defensive presence locks down anyone.
It’s hard not to overreact, but this Wolves team looks a lot different from the start of the year without making any roster changes. They finally feel like they’re playing as a team and proved that they can be competitive against anyone else in the league. Wolves fans, breathe easy. We’re back.
