Stan Van Gundy is not convinced the Minnesota Timberwolves improved enough this offseason to challenge the Western Conference’s top teams, despite acquiring LaMelo Ball to pair with Anthony Edwards.
Speaking on The Zach Lowe Show, the former NBA head coach said he expects Minnesota to remain a playoff team but believes the Timberwolves are behind several Western Conference contenders.
“Everything I read, most people are saying, ‘Oh, Minnesota’s better.’ I just don’t see that at all,” Van Gundy said. “I think they’re going to be fun to watch with that backcourt. I think they’ll put some points on the board, but I’m not sold on them.”
Van Gundy expects Minnesota to finish in the top six, largely because he does not see many other teams capable of displacing the Timberwolves from that group. However, he considers them a likely sixth-place team rather than a serious challenger to the conference’s leading contenders.
“I don’t see them as good as Denver or Houston, and nobody’s close to San Antonio or Oklahoma City,” he said.
Minnesota made Ball the centerpiece of its offseason by acquiring the three-time All-Star from the Charlotte Hornets in a four-team trade. The move was designed to give Edwards another primary creator and address the team’s need for more offense outside its leading scorer.
Ball is expected to share the backcourt with Edwards, who averaged 28.8 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 61 games last season. Donte DiVincenzo and Jaden McDaniels are also expected to remain key pieces of the starting lineup.
MORE FOR YOU
The trade came at a cost in the frontcourt, with Julius Randle sent to Brooklyn and Naz Reid moved to Charlotte. Minnesota subsequently re-signed Ayo Dosunmu to a five-year, $112 million contract and added Jonathan Kuminga on a two-year deal worth $12.4 million.
Kuminga’s arrival gives the Timberwolves another athletic scoring option on the wing, while Dosunmu provides backcourt depth. However, Van Gundy remains unconvinced that the roster changes have elevated Minnesota into the same tier as the West’s leading teams.
He also sees the upcoming season as an important test for Kuminga, whose role in Minnesota could help determine his long-term standing in the league.
“If every single year is like, well, this situation wasn’t good for me. This situation, I was misused. This situation is this. Like at some point you’re the bad roommate and you’re the problem,” Van Gundy said. “And like, it’s either going to work or it’s not.”
