Everyone can learn a lot from how the NBA and its media partners view certain players and teams based on how the scheduling shakes up. The marquee matchups between the most marketable teams and players are usually reserved for special occasions, such as Opening Night and Christmas Day, and the Minnesota Timberwolves, after an incredible 2023-24 campaign, appears to be drawing the respect of the schedule-makers.

With a marketable and entertaining player in Anthony Edwards leading the way for the Timberwolves, there are “rumblings” around the league that “the Timberwolves are under strong consideration to play both on Opening Night — in the Western Conference game that follows Boston's TBA ring-night season opener on TNT on Oct. 22 — as well as on Christmas Day”, according to NBA insider Marc Stein.

It's not too big of a surprise to see Edwards transform the Timberwolves franchise to this degree. Stein pointed out that the last time the Timberwolves were included in a Christmas Day slate was back in 2017, when Minnesota assembled one of its best teams in franchise history led by Jimmy Butler.

In fact, the Timberwolves have only played on Christmas Day just twice in their 35-year history to this point. The only other time came in 2016, when the Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins-led team suffered a 112-100 defeat to Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Timberwolves have certainly struck gold with Anthony Edwards, and with him being under contract for five more seasons, Minnesota should have plenty of national TV attention for the next half-decade or so.

Dissecting the Timberwolves' best potential Opening Night/Christmas Day matchups

The matchups on opening night are typically reserved for the big-market teams such as the Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics, and Golden State Warriors, just to name a few. With the other Opening Night game on TNT being an Eastern Conference matchup involving the reigning champion Celtics, it makes sense that either the Lakers or Warriors will be the Timberwolves' matchup to tip off the season. After all, over the past five seasons, one of the Lakers and Warriors have always played on the first night of the regular season.

There is always a possibility that the schedule-makers pit the Celtics against the Lakers amid Boston's raising of banner 18 to rekindle the NBA's oldest rivalry. Thus, the Warriors may be the Timberwolves' most likely matchup, provided that Minnesota actually gets chosen for the opening night doubleheader.

On Christmas Day, however, there should only be one matchup for the Timberwolves: the Denver Nuggets. The Timberwolves and Nuggets went to war against each other in last year's playoffs, and that battle should be an entertaining one in a slate full of enthralling matchups.

There is always a chance that the league pits the Timberwolves against the Dallas Mavericks in a Western Conference Finals rematch, or against the Celtics in a matchup that delivered two neck-and-neck games during the 2023-24 season. The Mavs, however, may be matched up against the Warriors for the narrative factor, while the Celtics may be pitted against the Philadelphia 76ers, New York Knicks, or Milwaukee Bucks in a battle of Eastern Conference heavyweights.