It's training camp season and spirits are high for all 30 NBA teams. The Minnesota Timberwolves don't fall far from that description, as an injury-plagued side is now healthy enough to take the court, starting with point guard Jeff Teague, who sees big things ahead for teammates Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns.
“I expect a big year from (Wiggins) because of the space and the opportunity to crack people off the dribble with the spacing we have,” said Teague, according to Christopher Hine of The Minneapolis Star Tribune. “It should be easier, but I guess we got to see.”
Wiggins has fallen well shy of expectations since peaking during his third year in the league, as the forward took a steep decline in his fourth season and followed it with a career-worst field goal percentage, despite slight improvements in his rebounding and playmaking. The latter two are only whiskers in comparison to what the organization has expected of him after doling out a max extension worth $147 million over five years.
On the other hand, Towns has started to blossom into the dominant big man Wolves brass is expecting him to be, leaving only his defense as the last part of the blade to sharpen. The 7-footer is coming off a career-high season in assists, something the Wolves look to implement more in his game as he's worked extensively in his ball-handling over the offseason.
Teague seems to have no issues with big KAT taking on more of the playmaking role:
“I love it. Believe it or not, I’m not a guy who wants to dribble, dribble, dribble,” said Teague. “That’s just something I had to in past years when I played on other teams.”
The Wolves point man had an up-and-down, injury-riddled season and will have a lot to prove as well in a contract year, likely looking for that one last long-term deal of his career ahead of the end of this season.
Follow Us
Subscribe