Wolves are Streaking
After going 59 straight games without winning two games in a row, Minnesota held on for a 105-104 win over the Utah Jazz on April 26th, led by a 27-point, 12-assist night from DeAngelo Russell off the bench. Minnesota had also beaten the Jazz just two days prior and are now a perfect 3-0 against them this season. The Wolves continued their great play to beat the Rockets and Warriors for their first four-game winning-streak since November of 2018.
The Warriors/Wolves Pick Conundrum
This begs the question, should Minnesota keep trying to win? If the Wolves draft pick ends up in the top 3, they would keep their draft pick. However, if the lottery treats them poorly and their pick lands as 4 or lower, Golden State would take over their selection. What once looked like a lock that the Wolves would end up as a bottom three team in the league and secure a 40.1% chance to keep their pick, is now in serious jeopardy. As the 4th worst team currently, they are set for only a 36.6% chance to keep their pick and if they keep winning, those odds get even worse.
Some NBA fans believe that the Wolves need to stop winning in order to try to keep their pick in this draft, where they could potentially grab a Cade Cunningham, Jalen Suggs, or Evan Mobley. Even if they lose every game to end the season, their odds are still worse than a coin-flip to land one of those top three prospects. For a team that has already fired their original head coach, Ryan Saunders, and agreed to sell the franchise to Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore this season, there have been practically no bright spots this season until this recent win streak.
The Answer: Keep Winning and Fix the Culture
The difficult but correct answer to the question of whether or not to tank is to keep winning as much as possible to end out the season. The likelihood that Minnesota is keeping their pick in the upcoming draft is so low regardless and beginning to create good vibes and promote a winning culture is more meaningful and impactful than any potential draft pick. Minnesota has won 6 of their last 8 games, including wins over Miami, Golden State, and Utah twice. Their team is beginning to look capable of competing despite still missing players like Jarret Culver (who will miss the rest of the season) and Malik Beasley.
The most important factor in this franchise is to keep All-star big, Karl-Anthony Towns, happy. That is done through winning games, not tanking to try to get another pick. With so many young and promising players already signed through the 2022-2023 season, it is time to build up their confidence and continue to compete. Here are the key players Minnesota has to work with moving forward:
Karl-Anthony Towns (25) – Signed through 2023-2024
D’Angelo Russell (25) – Signed through 2022-2023
Malik Beasley (24) – Signed through 2023-2024
Anthony Edwards (19) – Signed through 2023-2024
Jarret Culver (22) – Signed through 2022-2023
Jaden McDaniels (20) – Signed through 2023-2024
Naz Reid (21) – Signed through 2022-2023
Those are seven young pieces that could make up a lot of the core group of guys next season as well as future seasons. All they have to do is build rapport and get some time actually playing together and developing together. Tanking would set this team back. Winning will help change the current losing culture and allow Minnesota to look forward to brighter times.
