Timberwolves ranked as having the 7th best young core in NBA
Tim Connelly has put together a deep roster of young talent despite supposedly leveraging the entire future of the Wolves organization for Rudy Gobert last summer.
That's according to Bleacher Report, which has ranked the Timberwolves 7th in the NBA for "young cores," ranking teams based on the players they have entering their age 23 or younger season.
For the Wolves that means Anthony Edwards (21), Jaden McDaniels (22), newly drafted Leonard Miller (19), Josh Minott (20), Wendell Moore Jr. (21) – and that doesn't even take into account the recently extended Naz Reid (23) and Luka Garza (24).
Despite this surplus of talent, the B/R ranking of the Best Young NBA Cores still has the Wolves behind the Pelicans, Rockets and Pistons, three teams who missed the playoffs with their young cores last season.
The part of B/R's criteria where there is some very notable grievance for Wolves fans is "what everyone in this talent pool has already shown."
Bleacher Report even goes so far as to say: "Pay special attention to that last part. Teams with a relatively small number of 23-and-under players can slingshot up the rankings if they're spearheaded by an entrenched superstar."
Oh, like, I don't know, Anthony Edwards?
Edwards, at just 21, lead the Wolves to their second consecutive playoff berth and lead his team in scoring, steals and minutes.
Here's what the article says about the Wolves young core:
"It's tempting to put the Timberwolves higher. Edwards is #ThatDude, in every way and shape and form. Jaden McDaniels partners relentless defense and dependable shooting with a disarming and burgeoning floor game. We need to see more from the rest before jacking up Minnesota' collective ranking."
Beyond Edwards, the Wolves have the aforementioned McDaniels, who was snubbed for All-Defensive Team this year. That's not just Wolves fans and media saying it, national media and players were saying it as well.
The tweet below cuts it off but the Wolves are the ONLY team over the last two seasons to hold LeBron below 25 points per game. They held him to just 21.8 points per game, in large part because of McDaniels' lockdown defense.
Despite those two alone already showing what they can do, the Wolves get slotted below a Rockets core that went 22-60 last season, as well as a Pistons group that went a league worst 17-65.
Then we get to the placement of the Pelicans a whole four spots above the Wolves.
The main focus of the writeup on the young "core" of the Pelicans was Zion Williamson. No doubt there's star potential with Williamson, but he's missed 194 of a possible 308 regular-season games in his NBA career, Edwards has missed 13 games in three years.
If we expand the scope a little to take into account Reid and Garza the Wolves' future looks even more promising despite the surplus of draft picks they sent to Utah for Gobert.
Reid is coming off a career year, averaging a career-high 11.4 points and 4.9 rebounds per game last season. Garza averaged 6.5 points per game in limited action with the Wolves this season but lead the Iowa Wolves in scoring with 29.8 points per game in nine games in the G-League.
Minnesota will add second-round pick Leonard Miller to their young core this season. Miller, 19, has balled out in Summer League action for the Wolves where he's averaged 16 points, 8.25 rebounds, 1.5 steals, 1 block through four games.
