Date: 4/20/2016
Outlet: Fox Sports North
Author: Nate Gotlieb
Six takeaways from the Timberwolves 2015-16 season
The Minnesota Timberwolves showed their potential toward the end of this season, going 15-17 over the final 32 games, which included an upset win over Golden State. FOX Sports North takes a look at how several players improved over the course of the season and what the team as a whole needs to improve upon.
Karl-Anthony Towns is as good -- or perhaps better -- than everyone thought
Remember when there was some debate about Jahlil Okafor vs. Towns for the No. 1 pick of last year''s draft? Towns quashed any such debate with one of the greatest rookie seasons in NBA history. He won every single Rookie of the Month honor and was one of just six NBA players to start all 82 games this season, averaging 18.3 points, 10.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.7 blocks. He ranked eighth in the top 10 in the league in field-goal percentage (54.2 percent), rebounding and blocks. His player efficiency rating of 22.5 ranked him 13th in the league and ahead of stars such as Damian Lillard and Kyle Lowry. The 20-year-old certainly showed his star potential.
Andrew Wiggins took another step forward after a strong rookie year
Wiggins continued to play high volumes of minutes this season and made the most of it, averaging a team-high 20.7 points per game, which was good for 19th in the NBA. He got to the free-throw line more and improved on his shooting percentage in year two, averaging nearly four more points per game. The 21-year-old improved in most advanced statistical measures, too, and is a foundational player around whom the Wolves will build. 3
LaVine started at shooting guard for 28 of the 30 games after the All-Star break and played arguably his best basketball of the season in that stretch, averaging 16.4 points and 35 minutes per game. He was especially effective during the 15 games in March, averaging 17.8 points and 37.2 minutes while shooting 49.8 percent from the field and 47.4 percent from 3-point range. The 21-year-old showed that he can be an outside-shooting threat in addition to a flashy dunker, something the Wolves will need in future years.
Rubio shot 39.6 percent from the field and 36.9 percent from 3-point range in 28 games after the All-Star break, better than his 36.8 percent career field-goal percentage and 31.8 career 3-point percentage. He posted career highs this season in player efficient rating (17.6), true-shooting percentage (52.9) while ranking in the top 10 in the NBA in assists and steals per game. He may never be an elite scorer, but he proved he can at least be a threat.
Nemanja Bjelica could be a contributor off the bench
The 27-year-old rookie had a nice start to the season, averaging 7.5 points and 26.1 minutes per game in the first 13 games of the year. He struggled for most of the middle of the season, however, and played just three games in February because of an injury. Bjelica came back strong to end the season, averaging 10 points, six rebounds and 24.8 minutes in seven April games. The Wolves still likely need another big man, but Bjelica showed he can give some scoring punch off the bench.
Minnesota allowed 106 points per game this season, which ranked 23rd in the league. That was better than 2014-15, when the team ranked last in the NBA in points allowed per game, but it''s something upon which the Wolves will need to improve. Arguably more problematic, the team ranked 29th in the NBA in total rebounding while allowing opponents to rank seventh. Minnesota will have to improve upon its rebounding in order to eliminate second-chance opportunities.
Wolves Press Clippings
Date: 4/21/2016
Outlet: Yahoo Sports
Author: Adrian Wojnarowski
Tom Thibodeau agrees to deal with Timberwolves
Tom Thibodeau agreed to a five-year, $40 million deal to become president of basketball operations and head coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves.
San Antonio Spurs assistant general manager Scott Layden also agreed to a deal to join Thibodeau as general manager.
Thibodeau emerged as the frontrunner in pursuit of the job in recent days, selling owner Glen Taylor on his vision of sustained success and playoff basketball in Minnesota.
"I started my NBA career with the Minnesota Timberwolves and it is an incredible opportunity to rejoin the organization at a time when they have what I believe to be the best young roster in the NBA," Thibodeau said in a statement. "Together with a great owner in Glen Taylor and a terrific basketball partner in Scott Layden, I look forward to building a winning culture that Minnesota sports fans can be proud of."
Thibodeau was drawn to the full control of the organization and the chance to coach a talented young core that includes rookie center Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins.
Jeff Van Gundy was among the finalists for the job.
Thibodeau, 58, had clashes with Chicago management in his successful five-year run with the Bulls and embraced a Minnesota management model based upon Stan Van Gundy's setup with general manager Jeff Bower in Detroit.
Thibodeau has a strong relationship with Timberwolves legend Kevin Garnett, who has yet to announce he's playing another season with the team. Garnett has had aspirations of joining the team's ownership group upon retirement. Thibodeau and Garnett were part of Boston's 2008 NBA championship team.
Layden has previously been the general manager for the Utah Jazz and New York Knicks.
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