MINNEAPOLIS — Fresh off last season’s playoff berth, Timberwolves Head Coach Chris Finch and the Wolves are eager to build upon last year’s promising finish.
“We are super excited, as you would imagine, when you start thinking about some of the moves we were able to make from bringing in Tim [Connelly, new President of Basketball Operations,] to Rudy [Gobert,] just kept thinking we were going from one big move to another this summer,” Finch said.
Those moves include trading for three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert, who arrives in the Twin Cities after spending the last nine seasons with the Jazz. While in Utah, Gobert earned six NBA All-Defensive First Team honors, as well as three NBA All-Star honors.
"I don't think there's a ceiling. When you look at the roster and the talent that we have with this group, it's pretty incredible," Gobert said.
“I’ve watched Rudy play his entire career. Obviously at this level, you’ve watched these guys grow up on the court. We felt like it was a potentially seamless match,” Connelly said.
One of the biggest questions in the team’s training camp will be how Gobert adjusts to playing in the frontcourt alongside fellow three-time All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns.
"In a league that trends small, we go big," Finch said.
"I've always loved to play with another dominant big, because I've always thought that I could pass. I know that I can make guys around me better," Gobert explained.
“We think, as these guys get to know each other, they have the potential to be a pretty special dup and a duo that can hopefully lead us to a place that we haven’t been in a long, long time,” Connelly said.
Gobert and Towns will be surrounded by a talented backcourt that features veteran D’Angelo Russell and 2020 #1 overall pick Anthony Edwards, who looks poised to take another step as one of the league's best young guards.
"I think we're going to win a lot of games, and I think we made some really big changes that will make a big impact this season," Edwards said.
The Timberwolves open up the season Oct. 19th at home against Oklahoma City. The team hasn’t won a postseason series since 2004.
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