4 encouraging signs from the Wolves' blowout win over the Jazz

Minnesota had its largest win of the season on Friday night against Utah.

Nov 7, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves forward Julius Randle (30) celebrates from the bench against the Utah Jazz in the second half at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images | Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

The Timberwolves took care of business against the Jazz on Friday night with a 137-97 win. Let's take a look at three of the most encouraging signs from their largest victory of the season.

Julius Randle's playmaking

Randle recorded his second triple-double in three games on Friday night. He's now averaging 7.5 assists in November, and he's averaging 6.3 assists per game for the season, which would be a career high. With Mike Conley Jr. shifting to a bench role, Minnesota needs a primary facilitator to step up this season, and that looks like Randle's role to take. The Wolves might not have a traditional point guard, but Randle continues to facilitate the offense at a high level.

winning is all that matters. pic.twitter.com/owm9GBlUgn

— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) November 8, 2025

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Anthony Edwards looks healthy

Minnesota suffered its biggest loss of the season in Edwards' long-awaited return to the lineup on Wednesday against the Knicks. He only had 15 points in that game, but he responded with 37 points in only 26 minutes against the Jazz. He looked like he was back performing like his former self on Friday night at the Target Center.

Nov 7, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) drives to the basket against the Utah Jazz in the second half at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images | Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

Jaden McDaniels' scoring

It's already year six in the NBA for McDaniels, and the Wolves have been looking for him to take a leap in his scoring ability. After another 20-point game on Friday night, he might finally be doing it this season. He's averaging 18.3 points per game this season, which would be a huge jump from his previous career-high of 12.2 points per game. What's even more encouraging is that he has been scoring efficiently. His 53.8% field goal percentage would also be a career-best, despite attempting a career-high in shots per game. Minnesota's outlook completely changes if he continues to score at this level.

Blowing out an inferior opponent

The Jazz and Timberwolves are on two very different timelines as franchises. Utah is in the middle of a rebuild, and Minnesota is looking to get over the Western Conference Finals hump. The Wolves were expected to blow out the Jazz, which is sometimes easier said than done. You don't get style points for a 40-point win, but it can generate some confidence amongst a team. The Wolves didn't even let Utah feel like it had a chance for a minute on Friday night. The killer instinct is sometimes hard for an NBA team to find, but Minnesota had it on Friday night.