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The Minnesota Timberwolves have high hopes for the 2022-23 season after an explosive offseason. So far, the results have been good, although the Timberwolves haven't exactly been battle-tested by some of the top teams in the league. In fact, Minnesota has had arguably the easiest opening stretch to the season of any team in the league.
The Timberwolves have already played against the Oklahoma City Thunder twice, winning both games, while picking up a loss to the surprising Utah Jazz. Minnesota will follow that up with another game against a rebuilding Western Conference team in the San Antonio Spurs on Monday night.
Minnesota has looked good, and it's been an encouraging start given the high hopes that are surrounding them this season. With the opening week of the season in the books, we decided to take a look at three hot takes for the Timberwolves that have popped up after their first three games of the season.
3. Timberwolves SG Jaylen Nowell needs to stop taking so many shots
Jaylen Nowell has unexpectedly emerged as the 43rd overall pick of the 2019 NBA Draft to become a key piece of the Timberwolves rotation. And early on this season, he hasn't been shy when it comes to getting his own shots up. It's beginning to get to the point where it's hurting Minnesota's offense now, though.
Nowell averaged 6.7 shots per game last season for Minnesota, but that number has jumped up to 13.7 through three games this season. Nowell isn't shooting horribly (43.9 percent from the field, 31.3 percent from behind the arc) but considering the fact that he's only averaging 15 points per game, that's not very good efficiency.
It's fine that Nowell is scoring, but the only players that are taking more shots per game than him right now are Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns. Nowell shouldn't be taking more shots than guys like Rudy Gobert, D'Angelo Russell, and Jaden McDaniels off the bench. Nowell is improving, but he needs to reel back his shooting considering all the talent he's surrounded by.
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2. Timberwolves C Rudy Gobert will win his fourth career DPOY award, and it won't be close
Speaking of Rudy Gobert, he's had a pretty explosive start to his career with the Timberwolves. Playing alongside another big in Towns is giving him the freedom to stay in the paint, and boy is he making the most of it. It's looking like Gobert will once again be making a push for the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year award.
Gobert is scoring at a high clip early in the season, as he's averaging 15.7 points per game. But it's Gobert's defensive numbers that have caught folks' attention. He logged 16 boards to go with 23 points in the season opener, before hauling in an otherworldly 23 rebounds in the loss against the Jazz. Gobert posted a strong 15 point, 15 rebound line in the second game against the Thunder, and the Timberwolves will gladly take that type of performance every night.
Gobert has already made a big impact for the Timberwolves on both sides of the ball, but it feels like he still has room to grow as a defender. Once Gobert fully settles in on defense, he will really begin to take off, which is tough to imagine since he's already been so good for Minnesota. If Gobert can continue to improve, the DPOY award will be his for the fourth time in his career.
1. Anthony Edwards, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Rudy Gobert will all be All-Stars
The Timberwolves' new star trio has looked good to start the season. Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns had slow starts to their seasons, with Gobert looking phenomenal right out of the gate. Edwards has scored 30 points in back-to-back games, so he's heating up, but Towns is still trying to figure out his fit alongside Gobert.
Towns and Gobert will become more comfortable working together the more they play together. They aren't going to have all the answers after just three games, but nobody is really expecting them to. We all knew this trio could be dominant for Minnesota this season, and early on, it's looking like the Timberwolves may have quite a dynamic group of stars.
Towns needs to get more involved in the offense moving forward, and if he can do that, it's tough to see how these three wouldn't all be All-Stars. Edwards looks set to take another scoring leap this season, and Gobert has already had a huge start on the defensive end as we previously mentioned. The Timberwolves have three All-Star caliber players in their starting lineup, and it says here they will all be All-Stars when the season reaches its midway point.
