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Led by their big three, the Wolves appear to have a brand new identity

Once known for their defense, this version of the Timberwolves looks borderline unstoppable on the offensive end.
Will Ragatz|
Nov 9, 2025; Sacramento, California, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) reacts during the third quarter against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center.
Nov 9, 2025; Sacramento, California, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) reacts during the third quarter against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center. | Justine Willard-Imagn Images

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Minnesota Timberwolves

For most of the current golden age of Minnesota Timberwolves basketball, which has featured four straight postseason berths and two consecutive trips to the conference finals, the identity of Chris Finch's team has been centered around defense. That's certainly been the case since they went out and traded for Rudy Gobert in the summer of 2022.

The 2022-23 Wolves, who had to learn how to play with Gobert, finished 10th in defensive rating. The 2023-24 Wolves famously had the best defense in the league by a wide margin. The difference between Minnesota's defensive rating and second place that year was the same as the difference between second place and tenth. The dominance slipped a bit last season, but the Wolves still finished sixth in DRTG.

Eleven games into this season, the identity appears to have shifted. It's a small sample size, and the context of who they've played matters, but right now, the Wolves are 18th in defensive rating. They've been led to their 7-4 record by the No. 4 offense in the NBA.

Behind a big three of Anthony Edwards, Julius Randle, and Jaden McDaniels, the 2025-26 Timberwolves look like a potential juggernaut on the offensive end of the floor. Even if their scoring regresses a bit against better teams and their defense picks up, it seems like there's a real chance that this Wolves team's identity is going to be centered around their three-headed offensive monster.

Perhaps this shift has been coming for a while now. The Wolves ranked 23rd in offensive rating in their first year with Gobert, 17th in '23-24, and then jumped up to eighth last season. They've gradually gotten better and better at scoring the ball efficiently, which has coincided with the ongoing development of young core players like Edwards, McDaniels, and Naz Reid.

Again, it's early in this season, and they've beaten up on some bad defenses. But so far, this version of the Timberwolves looks borderline unstoppable on offense. They're averaging 120 points per 100 possessions, they're second in the NBA in three-point percentage, and they lead the league in true shooting percentage. Recently, the Wolves poured in 281 total points in consecutive wins over the Jazz and Kings, which is a franchise record for a two-game span. They have four 40-point quarters in just their last three games.

It starts with Edwards, who is one of the league's truly elite scorers. He's averaging 27.1 points in his seven games this year, but that jumps to 30.8 if you take out his five-point night against the Pacers when he got injured after just three minutes. Edwards, who led the league in three-pointers last season, is 29 for 58 from beyond the arc so far. For those who struggle with math, that's 50 percent (on over eight attempts per game). Edwards has increased both the volume and efficiency of his isolation possessions as well. It makes sense that he's been studying peak James Harden tape.

Minnesota's No. 2 option is Randle, a two-time All-NBA selection who is back to operating at the peak of his powers to start his second season with the Wolves. Randle is currently averaging 25.4 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 6.2 assists per game on elite 54/40/88 shooting splits. He's playing bully ball at the rim, he's hitting his patented midrange turnaround shots, he's making plays for others, and he's drilling threes at a 40 percent clip. This version of Randle — which we saw in the first two rounds of last year's playoffs — is one of the best second options in the NBA.

The development that has brought the Wolves' offense to another level is the play of McDaniels, who appears to have taken the scoring leap that fans in Minnesota have been hoping to see for a few years now. Early in his sixth season, he's averaging 18.4 points on absurd 55/54/84 splits. That's a huge jump for a player who has never averaged more than 12.2 points in a season. McDaniels is taking more shots than ever, he's getting to the free throw line at times, and he's displaying the entire package of his offensive skill set.

McDaniels might not average 18 points per game all year, but even if he settles in at around 15 a night to go with his fantastic defense, that makes him one of the best third options in the NBA. His three-point percentage will obviously come down, but he's going to continue to get plenty of open looks from deep — especially in the corners — while playing with Edwards and Randle. Most notably, McDaniels has been playing with the ball in his hands and attacking defenders off the dribble, where he uses his length and athleticism to finish at the rim or rise up for mid-range shots.

The Wolves having three players who are extremely difficult to guard in isolation settings is a luxury few teams possess. They've been incredibly efficient in that area so far this season, which has spurred their overall improvement on offense. The trio of Edwards, Randle, and McDaniels is surrounded by big-time complementary pieces on offense, including Gobert, Reid, Donte DiVincenzo, and Mike Conley (who is knocking down threes at a high clip early on this season).

Defense is still going to be a focus and a strength for a team with Gobert and McDaniels. However, this Wolves group doesn't need to be dominant defensively if they're going to be able to outscore their opponents on a nightly basis. It's early, but it's already time to start thinking about the identity of the 2025-26 Timberwolves being their explosive, un-guardable offense.

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Will Ragatz
WILL RAGATZ

Will Ragatz is a senior writer for Vikings On SI, who also covers the Twins, Timberwolves, Gophers, and other Minnesota teams. He is a credentialed Minnesota Vikings beat reporter, covering the team extensively at practices, games and throughout the NFL draft and free agency period. Ragatz attended Northwestern University, where he studied at the prestigious Medill School of Journalism. During his time as a student, he covered Northwestern Wildcats football and basketball for SB Nation’s Inside NU, eventually serving as co-editor-in-chief in his junior year. In the fall of 2018, Will interned in Sports Illustrated’s newsroom in New York City, where he wrote articles on Major League Baseball, college football, and college basketball for SI.com.

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