The Minnesota Timberwolves have one of the most exciting collections of young players on an NBA roster. Every Thursday, FOX Sports North tracks the progress of those on the Timberwolves who are in their first or second season in the league.
This is the seventh edition of the 2015-16 Timberpups Tracker.
PER -- Player Efficiency Rating: A measure of per-minute production standardized such that the league average is 15.
TS% -- True Shooting Percentage: A measure of shooting efficiency that takes into account 2-point field goals, 3-point field goals, and free throws.
USG% -- Usage Percentage: An estimate of the percentage of team plays used by a player while he was on the floor.
ORtg -- Offensive Rating: An estimate of points produced per 100 possessions.
DRtg -- Defensive Rating: An estimate of points allowed per 100 possessions.
VORP -- Value over Replacement Player: A box score estimate of the points per 100 TEAM possessions that a player contributed above a replacement-level (-2.0) player, translated to an average team and prorated to an 82-game season.
ANDREW WIGGINS (age 20, second season)
Statistical season averages (last week): 20.6 points (18.0), 3.8 rebounds (5.0), 1.7 assists (2.0), 0.6 blocks (0.0), 0.6 steals (1.3), 35.1 minutes (38.7), 43.4 FG% (43.4), 24.0 3PT% (0.0).
Advanced stats, season: 15.6 PER, 51.3 percent TS%, 28.3 percent USG%, 101 ORtg, 110 DRtg, -0.2 VORP.
Notable: Wiggins' offense hit a mild downturn in the past week, as he failed to surpass 20 points in any game. Yet, the reigning rookie of the year continues to see his all-around game evolve, evidenced by his six-rebound, four-assist performance in Wednesday's 14-point win over Utah. Wiggins continues to log heavy minutes, too; the 20-year-old has averaged 38.7 minutes of action over his past three outings. The Wolves are getting their money's worth out of the native Canadian, to be sure.
ZACH LAVINE (age 20, second season)
Statistical season averages (last week): 14.2 points (8.7), 3.2 rebounds (1.0), 3.3 assists (2.0), 0.1 blocks (0.0), 0.6 steals (0.3), 24.4 minutes (21.0), 42.8 FG% (30.0), 32.1 3PT% (14.3).
Advanced stats, season: 16.4 PER, 52.1 percent TS%, 28.7 percent USG%, 101 ORtg, 109 DRtg, 0.3 VORP.
Notable: LaVine has encountered a cold stretch with regard to his shooting. The 20-year-old UCLA product went just 1 for 6 for 2 points in 12 minutes on Wednesday against Utah. A game earlier, he scored 15 points on 5-for-14 shooting in 25 minutes against San Antonio. The rail-thin guard has just three total rebounds over his last three games, too, suggesting he might be getting a bit worn out of late.
ADREIAN PAYNE (age 24, second season)
Statistical season averages (last week): 3.0 points (5.0), 2.4 rebounds (2.0), 0.5 assists (0.3), 0.3 blocks (1.0), 0.3 steals (1.0), 10.2 minutes (13.3), 42.6 FG% (46.2), 47.1 3PT% (60.0).
Advanced stats, season: 8.3 PER, 50.3 percent TS%, 16.1 percent USG%, 90 ORtg, 103 DRtg, -0.1 VORP.
Notable: Payne doesn't do anything exciting on most nights, but he does have a proven knack for rebounding. On Wednesday, for example, the power forward pulled down four rebounds in just 16 minutes of action. If the 24-year-old bides his time professionally in the coming weeks, he might get to steal some minutes from the aging Kevin Garnett in the season's second half.
KARL-ANTHONY TOWNS (age 20, first season)
Statistical season averages (last week): 16.2 points (19.7), 9.4 rebounds (10.0), 1.0 assists (1.7), 1.9 blocks (1.0), 0.7 steals (1.0), 28.9 minutes (34.3), 53.8 FG% (61.5), 37.0 3PT% (0.0).
Advanced stats, season: 22.3 PER, 59.2 percent TS%, 24.4 percent USG%, 110 ORtg, 101 DRtg, 1.0 VORP.
Notable: Towns served further notice on Wednesday that he's a prime candidate for Rookie of the Year honors. The 7-footer put his versatility on full display, scoring 25 points on 10-for-16 shooting while adding 10 rebounds, two blocks, an assist and a steal. Last Saturday, the 20-year-old produced 24 points and eight boards in a whopping 40 minutes. Towns has the undeniable look of a budding superstar.
NEMANJA BJELICA (age 27, first season)
Statistical season averages (last week): 4.6 points (0.0), 3,9 rebounds (0.0), 1.4 assists (0.5), 0.4 blocks (0.0), 0.4 steals (1.0), 18.8 minutes (5.0), 41.7 FG% (0.0), 32.8 3PT% (0.0).
Advanced stats, season: 9.6 PER, 52.7 percent TS%, 11.9 percent USG%, 107 ORtg, 106 DRtg, 0.4 VORP.
Notable: We have reached the "Crisis of Confidence" stage in Bjelica's rookie season in the NBA. The 27-year-old Yugoslavian failed to score a point in three games over the last week, in 10 combined minutes of action. The renowned 3-point marksman only attempted one shot, too, which suggests he's getting gun shy at this point.
TYUS JONES (age 19, first season)
Statistical season averages (last week): 2.3 points (2.3), 1.0 rebounds (1.3), 1.3 assists (1.7), 0.2 blocks (0.3), 0.7 steals (0.3), 11.5 minutes (11.7), 31.6 FG% (42.9), 33.3 3PT% (100.0).
Advanced stats, season: 4.7 PER, 35.2 percent TS%, 16.1 percent USG%, 71 ORtg, 105 DRtg, -0.1 VORP.
Notable: Jones' highlight moments remain few, but Wednesday's win over Utah marked an encouraging step forward. In that contest the Apple Valley product scored five points on 2-for-4 shooting, in 12 minutes. Over his last four games, the Duke product has averaged 13.5 minutes per contest, representing a steep increase in playing time. That's certainly better than life toiling with Idaho in the D-League, which Jones learned all about earlier in the month.
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