In three days, the 2018-19 Timberwolves season will mercifully come to an end.
Minnesota plays its final home game Tuesday against the Raptors, then finishes the season Wednesday night at the Nuggets. With a record of 36-44, Minnesota will either finish with a final record of 36-46, 37-45 or 38-46.
Regardless, it’s almost a lock that they’ll finish with the 10th- or 11th-worst record in the NBA as they essentially battle the Lakers for positioning. The LeBron-less Lakers are 37-44, so just a 1/2 game better than the Wolves.
What’s that mean for the May 14 NBA draft lottery?
If the Wolves finish with the 10th-worst record, they’ll have a 13.9% chance at a top-four pick. If they finish 11th worst, they’ll have a 9.4% shot at a top-four pick, according to Tankathon.
If the Wolves would’ve stunk it up just a bit more this season and finished with the ninth-worst record, they could’ve had a 20.3% chance at a top-four pick.
The offseason will be loaded with questions:
- Will Ryan Saunders return as head coach?
- Will Tyus Jones accept a qualifying offer or test free agency?
- Will Minnesota trust Jeff Teague as the starting point guard in 2019-20?
- Will Andrew Wiggins ever become the player he’s capable of becoming?
- How will the Wolves attack free agency?
- Will Minnesota find a stud in the NBA Draft?
Minnesota should be better next season if they can just stay healthy. By the time the season is over, Teague, Derrick Rose, Jones and Robert Covington will have missed a combined 129 games.
- Teague: 40 games missed
- Rose: 31 games missed
- Jones: 14 games missed
- Covington: 44 games missed
If Teague is again handed the keys to the starting point guard job next season, and there’s no indication that he won’t be, the potential starting lineup with the current roster construction would include Teague, Wiggins, Covington, Dario Saric and Karl-Anthony Towns, with Josh Okogie and Gorgui Dieng playing big minutes off the bench.
