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Minnesota Timberwolves

So much of the Timberwolves future is dependent on the return for Jimmy Butler. It’s a dangerous assumption, but for now, let’s assume they return an above-average starter, intriguing prospect, and a draft pick.

Last season, Minnesota was really good when Jimmy Butler was on the court. When he was off the court, not so much.

With Jimmy Butler on the floor, the Timberwolves outscored opponents by 8.3 points per 100 possessions. That would rank second in the NBA. However, when Jimmy Butler was off the floor, the Timberwolves were outscored by 4.5 points per 100 possessions. That would rank 25th in the NBA, behind the New York Knicks.

Some of that can be attributed to a large number of minutes spent with Karl-Anthony Towns, but Minnesota’s struggles when Butler missed time with a knee injury proved his worth to this team.

With Butler gone, the Timberwolves will need to rely more on Andrew Wiggins, a scary proposition. Wiggins hasn’t been an efficient player at this point in this career, and if he wants to be viewed as a real second option, he’ll need to make major strides.

If the T-Wolves receive a decent return in the Butler deal, Wiggins takes a jump, and the team improves its defense as a whole, the talent is there to win 50+ games. That’s a lot of ifs, and chances are Minnesota regresses below the playoff threshold this season.