LaMelo Ball Brings a Mix of Scoring and Playmaking the Timberwolves Have Never Seen

LaMelo Ball has the opportunity to have the best point guard season the Timberwolves have ever seen as Minnesota looks to put together the best team they've ever had.

Apr 14, 2026; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (1) moves the ball during the second half during the play-in rounds between the Charlotte Hornets and the Miami Heat of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It is no secret that the Minnesota Timberwolves do not have a rich history of success. The point guard position specifically has seen very little talent come through the doors at Target Center, especially compared to the other 29 NBA franchises.

The Timberwolves have never had a point guard finish an entire season scoring 20 or more points per game. Next season, LaMelo Ball is very likely to become the first as he has hit that scoring mark each of the last five seasons with the Charlotte Hornets.

Ball, who has averaged 7.3 assists per game in his career, will also look to become just the ninth different point guard in Timberwolves to average seven or more assists per game. Recently, D'Angelo Russell, Jeff Teague and Ricky Rubio all hit that mark.

The best point guard season the Timberwolves franchise has seen was Sam Cassell's 2003-04 season. Cassell averaged 19.8 points and 7.3 assists per game while playing 81 out of 82 games. It wasn't just the counting stats that stood out. Advanced numbers like Value over Replacement Player (VORP) and Win Shares put Cassell's 2003-04 point guard campaign at the top of Wolves history.

It isn't a coincidence that the Wolves had their most successful season in their history that year. They won a franchise record 58 games, claimed the franchise's first two playoff series wins, and may have had a chance to win the championship if not for Cassell injuring his hip in Game 7 of the Wolves' Western Conference Semifinals series against the Sacramento Kings.

Other point guards have had seasons to remember for the Wolves, including Terrell Brandon's 1999-2000 and 2000-01 seasons, when he averaged more than 16 points and seven assists in both seasons, as well as Mike Conley's 2023-24 season when he led the Wolves as the floor general to their first Western Conference Finals appearance since Cassell did so 20 years earlier.

It cannot be overstated how important having an excellent point guard on the roster has been to successful past seasons in Minnesota. Among the five seasons in Wolves history that they have won 50 or more games, four are mentioned above as some of the best point guard play in the history of the team.

Ball has a chance to join the ranks of Cassell, Brandon and Conley and possibly even surpass them with the best point guard season in Wolves history. The Wolves have never had a point guard who can score at the level of Ball. Combine that with his playmaking ability, and the ceiling for Ball as a player is not something Target Center has ever seen.

The advanced numbers for Ball indicate he is a player that drives winning when he is on the court. His VORP from his past two healthy seasons would both rank fourth best in Wolves franchise history and his Win Shares from those same seasons would each be in the top ten of most productive years the Timberwolves have ever had.

Pair all of that in the backcourt with Anthony Edwards, especially the outmatched shooting ability of both players, and it's easy to see why the Timberwolves are so high on the addition of Ball to the roster.

There are sure to be bumps on the road, though. The integration process with new players has not been a smooth one. Playing with Rudy Gobert, especially, has taken previous point guards in Minnesota a half-season to figure out where Gobert likes the ball and other idiosyncrasies of playing with the four-time Defensive Player of the Year.

The Wolves are also missing a locker room leader, with Conley departing for the Boston Celtics, Kyle Anderson signing with the Toronto Raptors, and Joe Ingles going back home to Australia. Ball comes to Minnesota as one of the team's most veteran players and will need to take on some of the responsibility of keeping the team on track.

All of that will be on Ball's shoulders to start the year. He will have help from Edwards, Gobert and others, but will need to navigate the transition from Charlotte to Minnesota well if the Timberwolves are going to reach their highest potential.