Fast forward to now. Minnesota has a record of just 11-42, second worst in the NBA. But there are definitely bright spots in there. You never want to say an injury or injuries are a good thing for a team, but with Kevin Martin, Nikola Pekovic and Ricky Rubio missing much of the first half of the season, Minnesota was able to see what it has in rookies Zach LaVine and Wiggins and second-year big man Gorgui Dieng.
With Martin out, much of the scoring burden was put on the shoulders of the top pick in the draft, and he flourished. He had a stretch in which he scored in double figures in 22 consecutive games, which is second in franchise history (among rookies) to some guy named Kevin Garnett. In that streak was a game in which Wiggins dropped a career-high 33 points on the team that drafted him. He is considered the heavy favorite to win the Rookie of the Year, which would be the franchise's first.The second-year big man Gorgui Dieng has blossomed this season into one of the better young bigs in the game. When Pekovic went down with his obligatory injury this year, Dieng filled in wonderfully. The Louisville product has nearly doubled his points per game and is averaging more than three rebounds per game more as well. Admittedly, some of that is due to more court time, as he has started 38 games compared to 15 last season, but still, he has been quite impressive. His free throw shooting has greatly improved as well. The emergence of Dieng has made Pekovic expendable if the Wolves are able to find a trade partner.
Zach LaVine is quite raw, like most people thought coming out of UCLA. He is just shooting 41 percent and 28 percent from 3-point range, but he has shown flashes. In a game Nov. 28 at the Lakers, Lavine scored 28 points, including 18 in the second quarter, in a 120-119 Wolves victory. And as we all found out this weekend (well, Wolves fans knew, but the rest of the country found out) the hops that this kid has, easily winning the dunk contest, bringing back memories of Vince Carter in his prime.
And how could I ever forget the emergence of another UCLA guy, Shabazz Muhammad? I loved the pick when he was drafted. He is one of the most improved players in the league, in my opinion. His athleticism is through the roof and has drastically improved his 3-point shooting as well. He is averaging 13.6 points per game, mostly coming off the bench. Like LaVine, he came into the NBA after just one season at UCLA, but Muhammad was more polished. It was just that Rick Adelman did not play him a whole lot, unlike what new coach Flip Saunders is doing this year.
Add those four pieces to Ricky Rubio, who is getting healthier by the game, and the Wolves have a solid foundation. With Rubio back, Minnesota has become competitive again, beating Memphis and nearly knocking off Golden State. Kevin Martin and his scoring punch is back again, as is Pekovic. Minnesota has a brutal schedule upcoming, but unlike New York, I doubt Minnesota will tank for a better chance at the No. 1 pick.
In speaking of the draft, Minnesota will have another top five pick to help the rebuild. The prize this year is Duke's Jahlil Okafor. If the Wolves were able to win the lottery (wishful thinking, I know) and draft Okafor, a lineup of Rubio/Wiggins/Muhammad/Dieng/Okafor would be the most exciting in the league. One thing is for sure. This Timberwolves team is a chance
