Get to know the Phoenix Suns’ first round opponent.
The Phoenix Suns are set to face the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs.
While the Suns have owned the Wolves in the regular season of late, they are a 56-win team who dominated for several stretches this season.
How exactly did they position themselves in the 3rd seed out West and claim one of the best home records in the NBA? We’ll dive into everything you need to know about the Minnesota Timberwolves.
- Team Identity: Defensive Minded + Well Balanced Attack (rim protection & size)
- Record: 56-26, 3rd in West (second-best record in franchise history)
- Home Record: 30-11 (fourth-best in the NBA)
- PPG: 113.0 PPG (18th)
- OPPG: 106.5 (1st)
- DEF RTG: 108.4 (1st)
- ORTG: 114.6 (17th)
- FG%: 48.5% (10th)
- Leading Scorer: Anthony Edwards — 25.9 PPG
- Record vs. Devin Booker in his last 10 games: 0-10
Devin Booker is 10-0 in his last 10 games against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
13-1 in his last 14 games vs. them. pic.twitter.com/weknFAXtJf
— Zona (@AZSportsZone) April 18, 2024
And no, this doesn’t matter. The playoffs are a different animal.
Key Storylines
KAT Watch: Karl Anthony Towns missed 18 games due to a meniscus tear. He returned for the final two games of the season and put up these numbers:
- vs. ATL — 11 points, 8 assists, 5 rebounds, 1 block, 4-11 FG, 1-6 3PFG in 28 minutes
- vs. PHX — 10 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 3-8 FG, 1-4 3PFG in 29 minutes
The Wolves star big man will get some needed rest between games to ramp up for the playoffs and should be closer to 100% now than he was in his initial return. His status could be the deciding factor in how this series plays out, so we will monitor that closely.
DPOY’s Impact: Rudy Gobert is a three-time defensive player of the year, and could be winning his fourth this season. In the past, he has been exposed (guarding in space) come playoff time, but his rim protection and interior defense are inevitable.
Some of those issues were probably overblown and due to Utah’s lack of perimeter defense putting him in tough spots. Minnesota is better equipped than the Jazz teams were to prevent those attacks.
His impact on that end changes how teams attack and Phoenix needs to be ready for it.
Vanilla Gameplan: Did Minnesota purposefully not show much last time these two teams met?
According to Minnesota assistant coach Mitch Nori: “Point being, Phoenix was going to be the matchup so we didn’t want to show an awful lot,” Nori told KFAN-FM 100.3’s Power Trip Morning Show (h/t All Timberwolves). “There’s some things we can do that they haven’t seen that hopefully will help us. Game 1 will be very, very important to get that one at home and be off and running in the series.”
Minnesota assistant coach Mitch Nori in a radio interview on the last matchup versus Phoenix: “Point being, Phoenix was going to be the matchup so we didn’t want to show an awful lot. There’s some things we can do that they haven’t seen that hopefully will help us.”
— Zona (@AZSportsZone) April 19, 2024
The Players
Minnesota will likely deploy a 9-man rotation so we will focus on those nine guys in this breakdown.
Guards
- Mike Conley, PG
- Monte Morris, PG
- Anthony Edwards, SG
- Nickeil Alexander-Walker, SG
Minnesota has a strong guard core, with four players who excel at their roles. Mike Conley is a stable veteran who controls the flow of the offense when needed and makes savvy veteran decisions. Anthony Edwards is their engine offensively, capable of bursting for 40 points on any given night.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker is a tough defender and capable scorer/shooter. He’s had some big games for Minnesota this season and could be the x-factor for their squad. Monte Morris may not play a ton depending on matchups, but he is another sound decision-maker who can hit shots.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker took the 6th most corner 3s in the NBA and hit 44.5% (!) this year
Gifted defender—corals & keeps excellent ball handlers in front, disrupts rhythm with deflections, chases shooters and navigates screens excellently
Turned himself into an elite 3&D stud pic.twitter.com/ve8yvcEZhS
— NBA University (@NBA_University) April 19, 2024
Wings/Forwards
- Jaden McDaniels, F
- Kyle Anderson, F
The Wolves’ wings and forwards aren’t world-beaters, but Jaden McDaniels is a tough defender and Kyle Anderson aka “Slow Mo” plays his role well as a jack of all trades.
Anthony Edwards and NAW can roam as third guards alongside the two bigs and they deploy some unique lineups that aren’t traditional or modern.
This matchup is going to be fun.
KD vs Jaden McDaniels first round.
— StatMuse (@statmuse) April 14, 2024
Bigs
- Rudy Gobert, C
- Karl Anthony-Towns, F/C
- Naz Reid, F/C
Phoenix could find itself in trouble here depending on how the series goes from a physicality/size standpoint, starting with interior play.
Rudy Gobert is the DPOY favorite for a reason and will cause problems throughout the series. Phoenix needs to find creative ways to attack him and KAT in space.
Naz Reid is Minnesota’s Wild Card and has been one of the most productive bench players in the NBA this season. Phoenix will need to contain him defensively and make him work on the other end.
Naz Reid does some really outrageous stuff pic.twitter.com/KfMU2IuthO
— Jackson Frank (@jackfrank_jjf) April 12, 2024
Like Phoenix, Minnesota has never won an NBA Championship. Let’s hope we prevent them from another one this season. It will be a battle against a tough team and an excited state that is playoff-hungry.
The Minnesota Timberwolves, ladies and gentlemen.
For a more in-depth look at the Timberwolves roster, look at this comprehensive “report card” by Patrick Flavin of Canishoopus.com.
Related: A Timberwolves writer’s perspective on the upcoming playoff series