Plenty of reason for optimism as Wolves open season
The Minnesota Timbewolves open the 2016-17 season looking to improve on last year's finish. And last year, the Wolves had one of the best improvements in the NBA.
Minnesota won 13 more games in 2015-16 then it had he previous season, which was the third-best improvement in the NBA. Charlotte and New York both won 15 more games while Detroit and San Antonio were just behind the Wolves at +12.
There are plenty of reasons for optimism in Minnesota these days, mostly focused around Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns. The pair are the first back-to-back Rookie of the Year winners from the same team since Bob McAdoo and Ernie DiGregorio of the Buffalo Braves back in 1972-73 and '73-'74. It has been done just two other times in NBA history and no team has ever done it three straight years (no pressure, Kris Dunn).
Wiggins and Towns combined to average 39 points per game last season for Minnesota. The Wolves' active roster includes 88.5 percent of their scoring from last season, which is the second-highest percentage in the NBA, behind just Portland's 90.7 percent.
If Minnesota can keep the scoring going, history says the Wolves will be playing better defense this season -- which, in theory, should equate to more wins.
What history, you ask? Well, Minnesota does have a new head coach in Tom Thibodeau, whose last head coaching gig was in Chicago. In five years under Thibodeau, the Bulls never finished worse than 9th in the NBA in scoring defense and were in the top-three four times. The most points per game Chicago allowed in any of those seasons was 97.8 (in 2014-15).
Other notes:
-- Minnesota and Memphis split their four games last season. The Grizzlies averaged 108.0 points in those four games while the Wolves averaged 107.5 points.
-- Memphis is just 3-18 (.143) is season openers in franchise history. That is the lowest win percentage in season openers by any current NBA team.
-- Ricky Rubio (2.23) is just one of two active players (Chris Paul, 2.32) who is averaging 2+ steals per game in his career. Rubio has had at least one steal in 13 straight games; that is the third-longest active streak in the NBA.
-- Memphis' Marc Gasol returns after missing the final 30 games of last season with a broken foot. He is expected to be on a minutes restriction to open the season.
Statistics courtesy STATS LLC
