Last updated: 9/30/2019
Last updated: 9/30/2019
Last updated: 9/30/2019
NBA Over/Under Regular Season Wins
Minnesota Timberwolves - 44.5 wins
October 22, 2023
The Case for the Over
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Karl-Anthony Towns only played 26 games last season, so it’s likely he will play significantly more than that this season. Considering the Wolves won 42 games last year, they don’t need that much improvement to beat this number.
Anthony Edwards continues to make huge strides, and after what he showed in his FIBA play over the summer, he could be primed for a breakout season where he becomes a legitimate All-NBA player. On a lesser note, Jaden McDaniels is young and improving, and could become one of the better two-way wings if his offense develops.
They were better after trading D’Angelo Russell for Mike Conley last year, and will have a full year of Conley. Nickeil Alexander-Walker also showed some things in Minnesota after coming over in that trade, and could continue to improve as he enters his mid-30’s.
Rudy Gobert really struggled in his first season outside of Utah. He didn’t provide nearly the same level of rim protection that we are accustomed to seeing from him. That may have just been an outlier, and he could improve as
he gets more comfortable with a new situation.
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The Case for the Under
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Gobert could just be on the decline, as he wouldn’t be the first center to start to fall off after hitting age 30. If he continues to provide just good rim protection, rather than elite rim protection like he used to provide, that will be a problem going forward. Conley is 35 years old and also could be a regression candidate, as that tends to happen with small guards.
Outside of Towns, they were fairly healthy last year, with Edwards and McDaniels playing 79 games each and Gobert (70), Kyle Anderson (69), and Naz Reid (68) each playing a good number of games.
They don’t have much shooting on this team, and will need guys like Alexander-Walker, Shake Milton, and Troy Brown to hit shots. Especially considering three of the top seven or eight rotation players are centers, they need to surround those two-big lineups with shooting.
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Conclusion
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While there are certainly some fit issues on this team, I think they’re simply talented enough to hit this over. Getting a full year of Towns will be extremely helpful, and he and Edwards should be able to carry this offense to good enough while McDaniels and Gobert can anchor the defense. I think Chris Finch is a good coach and will help this team win games during the regular season. The fit issues might become more of a problem when trying to win a playoff series or two, but I like the over.