Staff picks for Timberwolves' record, playoff fate, non-Ant MVP, best youngster, and more

From bold Finals predictions to breakout stars, our staff breaks down what to expect from the Timberwolves this season.

Jan 11, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) celebrates after making a shot and a foul is called as center Rudy Gobert (27) looks on against the Memphis Grizzlies at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images | Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

The 2025-26 Minnesota Timberwolves season has arrived. With high expectations, the sky is the limit for a veteran team that is tasked with running the Western Conference gauntlet and then smashing through the conference finals wall to reach the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history.

We asked our staff here at Timberwolves On SI to predict the team's final record, non-Ant MVP (they're not allowed to choose Anthony Edwards), most improved player, best rookie or sophomore, and how the Wolves will fare in the playoffs.

Record predictions

Joe Nelson: 60-22 — I called out 60 wins in my bold predictions for the season, and I'm not backing down. I truly believe this team is capable of setting the franchise record for wins (58), largely because I think they'll find a way to be better in the clutch. They were 20-26 in an NBA-high 46 clutch-time games last season. They're going to win a lot more of those games this season, and the result will be a regular season to remember.

Will Ragatz: 54-28 — Somewhere between last year’s 49 wins and the year before’s 56 feels right. The ceiling is 60+, but they’ll need to stay fully healthy and get leaps from several players to get there.

Tony Liebert: 50-32 — The national media seems to be overlooking the Timberwolves' potential heading into 2025-26. Many people seem to be predicting a step back, but I think we could see a step forward with another year of chemistry for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo alongside Minnesota's core. Teams like the Nuggets and Rockets certainly improved, but I think the Wolves have as good of a chance as anyone to unseat the Thunder. The emergence of young players like Terrence Shannon Jr., Rob Dillingham and Jaylen Clark could be what unlocks this team's regular season potential, and I think we see one extra win this season.

Jonathan Harrison: 50-32 — Two years ago, the Wolves finished with a 56-26 record that was good enough for third in the West. Last season, Minnesota dropped a bit to sixth in the West with a 49-33 record. Now that Julius and Donte have settled in a bit more, I expect there to be no growing pains early this season and the Wolves can come out of the gates firing. I’m splitting the difference between the two seasons and going with a 52-30 record that I expect to be good enough for a top-three spot in the West. The continuity, while less exciting for the offseason, will lead to a Timberwolves resurgence.

Non-Ant MVP

Oct 16, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves forward/center Julius Randle (30) dunks the ball against the Chicago Bulls during the first half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | David Banks-Imagn Images

Joe Nelson: Rudy Gobert — The easy picks are Jaden McDaniels and Julius Randle, but Rudy Gobert is going to need to be a force in the paint if Minnesota is going to morph back into the league's No. 1 defense. At 33 years old, Gobert shaved his head and appears to be on a mission. That's bad news for the rest of the league, and I fully expect Gobert to exceed last season's numbers when he averaged 12.0 points, 10.9 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks, all of which were his lowest since being traded to the Wolves.

Will Ragatz: Julius Randle — Jaden McDaniels will have a big year, but Randle is pretty clearly the team’s second-best player for now. I think he’ll hit the ground running in year two with Minnesota, average around 22-7-5, and earn an All-Star nod.

Tony Liebert: Jaden McDaniels — The easiest way for the Wolves to get over the Western Conference Finals hump this season would be McDaniels taking another step in his development. Julius Randle has proven himself as an above average second fiddle to Anthony Edwards, but if McDaniels can perform at a borderline All-Star level, Minnesota's potential would go through the roof. Scoring is the biggest thing missing from his game, and I am expecting a career-year in that department this season.

Jonathan Harrison: Jaden McDaniels — Jaden took a step offensively in the back half of last season, all while being dominant on the defensive end of the court. Head coach Chris Finch called McDaniels a “legitimate two-way player now," while Ant said if McDaniels makes the right plays he makes the Wolves “10 times better.” If Minnesota is going to get back to the upper echelon of the West, they’ll need more than just Ant and Randle to carry the load. Jaden is going to need to step up in a big way this season, and if he does, he’ll be the non-Ant MVP of the team.

Most improved player

Oct 16, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard/forward Terrence Shannon Jr. (1) defends Chicago Bulls forward Dalen Terry (7) during the second half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | David Banks-Imagn Images

Joe Nelson: Terrence Shannon Jr. — TSJ is going to make fans forget Nickeil Alexander-Walker in a hurry. Shannon's ability to get to the basket and draw fouls is a level up from Alexander-Walker's somewhat one-dimensional ability on the offensive end of the floor. If Shannon can provide stout defense like NAW did, then he could rapidly become a go-to option off the bench, perhaps even more valuable than Naz Reid and Donte DiVincenzo.

Will Ragatz: Terrence Shannon Jr. — This is the obvious pick. Shannon averaged 4.3 points per game as a rookie, and I see him jumping up to 10-12 this season while stepping into Nickeil Alexander-Walker’s rotation spot. He’s a talented scorer who gets easy buckets in transition and should get open looks from deep within Chris Finch’s offense.

Tony Liebert: Donte DiVincenzo — DiVincenzo had a relatively down season last year with a drop from 15.5 points per game to 11.7. He took on a new role as lead guard, which he has never really done in his NBA career. I am projecting more of a bounce back campaign more than a significant improvement, but I think we see him return back to his 2023-24 self this season for the Wolves.

Jonathan Harrison: Rob Dillingham — There has been a lot of consternation about the second-year point guard this offseason and early on in the preseason. However, Dillingham impressed in the last two preseason games, giving him some confidence and upward momentum heading into the season. It’s arguably a low bar to clear for him to be the most improved. He averaged only 4.5 points and 2.0 assists per game while playing around 10.5 minutes a night last season. If he can up his minute load and keep the offense running while he’s on the court, Dillingham will run away with this award.

Best rookie or sophomore

Oct 17, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Rob Dillingham (4) dribbles the ball against the Philadelphia 76ers during the first quarter at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Joe Nelson: Terrence Shannon Jr. — Again, no-brainer pick here. TSJ really is that good. What will be interesting to see is how much Rob Dillingham and rookie first-round pick Joan Beringer play. Chris Finch made it sound like Beringer will get opportunities when games are out of hand, but if Gobert gets injured, he'll probably be on the court 20+ minutes per game. Meanwhile, Naz Reid said this week that he expects to be the veteran on the floor with some of the younger guys this season. Who was he referring to? Shannon and Dillingham? Nobody else is young, so that could be a sign that Dillingham will play more than Finch has let on this preseason.

Will Ragatz: Terrence Shannon Jr. — Read above...

Tony Liebert: Terrence Shannon Jr. — TSJ feels like too obvious of a choice to ignore for the best rookie or sophomore on the Wolves' roster. He showed flashes of brilliance last season, notably with 15 points in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals. With Nickeil Alexander-Walker now in Atlanta, it's a no-brainer to expect Shannon to take a big step in his second NBA season.

Jonathan Harrison: Rob Dillingham — Terrence Shannon Jr. was a close second in this award for me, but I’m going to put my faith in Dillingham becoming an impact piece off the bench for Minnesota. The scoring ability is there and if he can just build some confidence, he could take off. It’s not often Tim Connelly makes a mistake, so I’m having trouble believing that he made a big error by moving up as far as he did to get Dillingham in the 2024 draft.

Playoff predictions

May 28, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) shoots the ball against Minnesota Timberwolves guard Mike Conley (10) during the fourth quarter in game five of the western conference finals for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Joe Nelson: NBA Finals (4-3 over Knicks) — Talent, chemistry, and depth are what separate the Timberwolves and Knicks from most teams in the NBA. Yeah, the Thunder are elite. And, yeah, Houston is probably improved. But Minnesota has the core of a roster that has gone to back-to-back Western Conference finals, and this is the season they break down the door. Anthony Edwards might be the regular-season MVP and the Finals MVP.

Will Ragatz: Conference finals — I truly believe it’s realistic to think the Wolves can win a championship this season. They have the pieces. They also have plenty of questions to answer. I know the Nuggets got better this offseason, but the Wolves have always matched up well against them. Unfortunately, I’m just not sure anyone in the West (or the league) is going to beat the Thunder. The Wolves will take them to 6 or 7 games this time but still fall short in the NBA’s semifinal round for a third straight year.

Tony Liebert: Conference finals — If Minnesota wants to get over the Western Conference Finals hump, it will need to beat the Thunder. Barring injuries it's hard to think OKC isn't the best team in the Western Conference. In a playoff format, I trust the Wolves over any other team currently constructed in the West that is now named the Thunder. They have shown they can contain Nikola Jokic to an extent, and I think the postseason will come down the Minnesota, Oklahoma City and Denver. Do I think the Wolves can make it to the NBA Finals? Yes, but do I think it's going to happen? Probably not. I am predicting another crushing exit in the Western Conference Finals.

Jonathan Harrison: NBA Finals (4-2 over Cavs) — There hasn’t been a repeat champion in the NBA since the Warriors did it in 2017 and 2018. In fact there hasn’t been a repeat representative from the West since those Warriors teams. As good as the Thunder were last season, and despite them keeping pretty much everybody their title team, I don’t see them repeating. The West got better and I think this will be a third-time's-the-charm scenario for the Wolves, who will use the past two heartbreaking playoff exits and go on to win it all.