Although the departure of Kevin Love will likely leave a giant void to fill for the Minnesota Timberwolves, the team is not as bad off as many may think. With the potential in Andrew Wiggins and Anthony Bennett, the Wolves are headed into the 2014-2015 season with quite an interesting line-up.
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Wiggins is expected to put up big numbers this season based off of his exceptional numbers he had already averaged with Kansas this past collegiate year. Wiggins is lengthy and athletic which gives him the ability to effectively put the ball on the floor and really do some damage driving into the lanes. He is an exciting player and his future with the franchise seems to be one in the making.
At 19-years old, Wiggins is way too young to be an immediate leader. However, his energy and youth will help Minnesota keep up and at least contend with other similarly situated teams around the league. As a Freshman for Kansas, Wiggins was already capable of putting up 17.1 points per game and there is no reason why he cannot expand his game in the NBA. Without much other options on the offense, he will have plenty of space to grow and find his comfort zones on the court. There will be plenty of eyes on the 6'8'' rookie but with the sort of coverage the Canadian baller has already embraced thus far, the media and hype should be the least of his worries.
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Unlike Wiggins, Bennett is making his way into his sophomore year in the league. The 2013 first round pick of the NBA had a measly rookie campaign with the Cavaliers, averaging only 4.2 points per game within 12.8 minutes a night. Many have stated that Bennett belongs to the class of NBA players who turned out to be major draft busts but at the same time, the 21-year old small forward still has plenty of time in his career to turn the ship around and show his full capacity as a NBA player. Alongside Wiggins, Bennett may potentially start and in turn, will have much more opportunities to display his talent on the floor. Who knows, perhaps Wiggins and Bennett will form the ultimate Canadian Tandem that will shake the NBA next season.
In addition, the Timberwolves picked up an insanely athletic shooting guard in Zach Lavine. The UCLA guard is known for his crazy hops which he had gladly demonstrated for the NBA during a workout for the Los Angeles Lakers earlier this season. Moreover, Lavine is a relentless slasher who takes it hard to the basket anytime he is able to find some wiggle room in the paint. He is likely going to be a great back up reserve off the bench; an energy guy like Shannon Brown or Gerald Green who could force defenses to collapse.
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As part of the Kevin Love trade, the Wolves also picked up veteran power forward Thaddeus Young who will likely aid Nikola Pekovic in relieving the front court. Young is able to put up mid-range jumpers on an efficient basis which will allow the offense to spread the floor as well as providing Pekovic with more space to operate in the paint. Without a large front court, Minnesota is likely going to play small ball this season and Young fits perfectly into the rebuilding process that the team is undergoing.
Now with these new additions to the team, one must not forget the current ballplayers already on the squad. Veterans including Corey Brewer, Mo Williams, Kevin Martin, Ronny Turiaf, and Ricky Rubio are under contract with the team and will likely prove to be the primary leaders for the team moving forward.
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This is the perfect time for Rubio to assert himself as a dominant point guard who the Wolves can seriously build around. Rubio has been in the league long enough to understand the frustrations of losing out on numerous opportunities to compete in the playoffs and if he is serious about his future in the league, he will definitely work to be the voice that Minnesota so desperately needs; he could be the leader that many expects him to be and if not, well what is wrong with trying it out? With the sort of season approaching, the Wolves have nothing to lose.
In all, Minnesota will not likely make frequent headlines on NBA.com but they do have players that could stir the ship towards the right direction. The Wolves have a future, they just have to work to see it for themselves.
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