16. Timberwolves: Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns
The Minnesota Timberwolves have gone all in this offseason as their core of Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns led them to the playoffs last season. They did so by mortgaging their future for Rudy Gobert.
Only time will tell if that move will pay off, but the acquisition certainly changes the projection and the dynamic of the team. D’Angelo Russell and newly signed Kyle Anderson will certainly play a big part in that change next season as well. However, the roles of their dynamic duo will change entering next season as well.
Towns will see the biggest change in his role on both ends of the floor. Defensively he will be guarding power forwards, which is something new for the big man. On offense, he’s going to have to score primarily on the perimeter when he shares the floor with Gobert.
The bigger adjustment will be asked of Edwards. The acquisition of Gobert is essentially the front office telling Edwards that they believe that he can be a true superstar in this league. This means he’s going to have to be a superstar in the NBA moving forward if they want a chance to win.