Minnesota Timberwolves

Timberpups Tracker: Muhammad sets bench mark

Published Apr. 6, 2017 11:30 a.m. ET

Tom Dierberger

The Minnesota Timberwolves have one of the most exciting collections of young players on an NBA roster with nearly half of their players 25 or younger. Every Thursday, FOX Sports North tracks the progress of those young Timberwolves.

This is the 20th edition of the 2016-17 Timberpups Tracker.

(A glossary of the advanced statistics used for season totals, which are from basketball-reference.com. can be found at the end of this article)

KRIS DUNN (age 23, first season)

Statistical season averages: 17.1 minutes, 3.8 points, 2.2 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.0 steals, 0.5 blocks, 38.1 FG%, 28.6 3PT%

Statistical averages, last week: 18.8 minutes, 1.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.5 steals, 0.0 blocks, 18.8 FG%, 0.0 3PT%

Advanced stats, season: 8.1 PER, 43.9 TS%, 14.2 USG%, 90 ORtg, 109 DRtg, 0.0 VORP

Notable: Dunn scored just six points on 3-of-16 shooting this week, his worst seven-day stretch since coming back from a hand injury in early February. The 23-year-old rookie was also frustrated on the defensive end while guarding Klay Thompson, who finished with 41 points for Golden State on Tuesday.

TYUS JONES (age 20, second season)

Statistical season averages: 12.7 minutes, 3.4 points, 1.1 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 0.8 steals, 0.1 blocks, 40.2 FG%, 33.8 3PT%

Statistical averages, last week: 10.9 minutes, 3.0 points, 1.0 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 0.5 steals, 0.0 blocks, 46.2 FG%, 0.0 3PT%

Advanced stats, season: 13.3 PER, 51.2 TS%, 13.7 USG%, 112 ORtg, 111 DRtg, 0.0 VORP

Notable: Jones has improved in almost every category since last season. But the stat that stands out the most is his ORtg -- currently 14 points higher than 2015-16 (98).

SHABAZZ MUHAMMAD (age 24, fourth season)

Statistical season averages: 19.6 minutes, 9.7 points, 2.9 rebounds, 0.5 assists, 0.3 steals, 0.1 blocks, 48.0 FG%, 35.6 3PT%

Statistical averages, last week: 17.9 minutes, 10.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, 0.3 assists, 0.0 steals, 0.0 blocks, 46.9 FG%, 50.0 3PT%

Advanced stats, season: 14.8 PER, 56.7 TS%, 21.0 USG%, 115 ORtg, 116 DRtg, -0.8 VORP

Notable: Shabazz scored 24 points against the Warriors on Tuesday, making him the sole leader of career 20-point games off the bench in Timberwolves franchise history (22).

KARL-ANTHONY TOWNS (age 21, second season)

Statistical season averages: 36.9 minutes, 24.8 points, 12.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 0.7 steals, 1.3 blocks, 53.7 FG%, 35.7 3PT%

Statistical averages, last week: 36.8 minutes, 28.3 points, 9.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.3 steals, 0.8 blocks, 56.8 FG%, 44.4 3PT%

Advanced stats, season: 25.5 PER, 61.2 TS%, 27.5 USG%, 120 ORtg, 110 DRtg, 4.8 VORP

Notable: Towns has scored over 30 points in three of his last five games. He has hit the 30-point mark in 19 games this season.

ANDREW WIGGINS (age 22, third season)

Statistical season averages: 37.2 minutes, 23.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.0 steals, 0.4 blocks, 45.3 FG%, 36.3 3PT%

Statistical averages, last week: 36.6 minutes, 28.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.0 steals, 0.3 blocks, 50.0 FG%, 47.4 3PT%

Advanced stats, season: 16.4 PER, 53.5 TS%, 28.6 USG%, 107 ORtg, 115 DRtg, -0.4 VORP

Notable: The recent switch to Kawhi Leonard-looking cornrows seemed to pay off for the third-year small forward, recording his highest scoring week since late February. Let's just hope he never changes his shoes.

Out for the season: Zach LaVine

GLOSSARY OF TERMS

PER -- Player Efficiency Rating: A measure of per-minute production standardized such that the league average is 15.

TS% -- True Shooting Percentage: A measure of shooting efficiency that takes into account 2-point field goals, 3-point field goals, and free throws.

USG% -- Usage Percentage: An estimate of the percentage of team plays used by a player while he was on the floor.

ORtg -- Offensive Rating: An estimate of points produced per 100 possessions.

DRtg -- Defensive Rating: An estimate of points allowed per 100 possessions.

VORP -- Value over Replacement Player: A box score estimate of the points per 100 TEAM possessions that a player contributed above a replacement-level (-2.0) player, translated to an average team and prorated to an 82-game season.