The Minnesota Timberwolves are the most difficult team to predict in the Western Conference right now.

As of March 1, they sit in sole possession of third place in the Western Conference and 3.5 games ahead of the ninth-place Denver Nuggets. Over the next few weeks, they’ll have to maintain their playoff position without the services of Jimmy Butler following meniscus surgery.

Despite missing Butler, the Timberwolves have as much talent as anyone in the Western Conference playoff scrum behind the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets. Karl-Anthony Towns, Andrew Wiggins, and Jeff Teague are capable of scoring in bunches. Offense won’t be an issue.

Life without Jimmy Butler

Minnesota is 2-0 since losing Butler, averaging 120 points against the cupcake Chicago Bulls and Sacramento Kings. The Timberwolves have been vulnerable to letdown games in the past, so it’s a good sign to see them take care of business; especially with a daunting eight-game stretch against teams who would be in the playoffs if they started today.

Even more encouraging is the play of Teague, who appears to have found his mojo after the All-Star break.

With Teague regaining his elite quickness and ability to change direction, Minnesota has been pushing the ball up the floor with a lot more regularity. The Timberwolves are bringing the ball up the court quicker, getting into their half-court sets.

Of course, their playoff hopes rest squarely on their two budding stars, Towns and Wiggins. They will now get the chance to show Butler wasn't the only reason for Minnesota's turnaround this season. After wilting down the stretch last season, how these two hold up this time around will speak volumes about their growth and development over the past year.

Defending their position

Even without Butler, the duo are a proven offensive tandem. It’s the defensive end where they’ll have to focus their effort to lock up a playoff spot for the first time in 14 seasons.

Wiggins will be tasked with taking over for Butler as the team's best two-way perimeter player. He will shadow the opposing teams best wing all over the floor against the likes of Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal and James Harden over the next three weeks.

Since December, Towns has been a consistent defensive anchor. If he truly wants to be the face of the franchise, he’ll have to prove that play wasn’t a mirage. When Towns has played well on the defensive end of the floor, the Timberwolves have fared well. When he’s gotten lazy and ditched his fundamentals, they’ve suffered exponentially.

Despite the Timberwolves hellish schedule over the next few weeks, I expect them to display incredible resiliency. They will play decent enough defense to eek out enough victories to secure a spot on top of the Northwest Division and home-court advantage for the first round of the playoffs.