Could the Timberwolves actually make the playoffs?
The Timberwolves won only 16 games last year and had the worst record in the NBA, but does that mean a playoff appearance in 2016 is impossible?
Unlikely, sure. How many teams have jumped from such a disgraceful win total to the postseason in only one year? Not many. But the Wolves, given a slight infusion of talent and a 2014-15 roster which sustained more injuries than the upcoming one might, may have a better chance than the average fan realizes, according to Carlos Campos at ISportsWeb:
Even so, the prospect of the postseason does sound a little ridiculous. The Bucks may have jumped from the worst record in the league to the playoffs last year, but they did so in the Eastern Conference. Milwaukee still won just 41 games last year. That would've put the Bucks way short of the playoffs in the West, the conference the Wolves call home.
(h/t ISportsWeb)
There are a few things that plague the Timberwolves, most notable is how ridiculously young they are. I talked about this in some past articles, noting that they have plenty of room to grow, but that growth probably won’t happen anytime soon. Nonetheless, it’s still worth a look to examine exactly why the Timberwolves will have a great difficulty even scratching at the door of the playoffs. Since I’ve already looked at the team’s youth and how instrumentally detrimental it is to the team’s success this year we’ve ought to not bother with that anymore. Instead, let’s look at the next two reasons why they won’t be making the playoffs.
Player roles. It’s becomes redundantly evident that the players for the Timberwolves are especially young. But another dimension to that issue that will pose yet another dilemma will be how they operate with one another. Spacing will surely be one of the biggest issues the team faces since many of the players are most comfortable in the same place as some of their own teams. But even if they do manage to solve that issue, they will still be doomed for the following reason.
