The Minnesota Timberwolves are one of the youngest franchises in the NBA, first stepping on the court in the 1989-90 season.
In 29 years of existence, the Wolves have advanced to the postseason nine times. Their best-ever finish happened in the 2004 playoffs when the Wolves advanced to the Western Conference Finals (more on this season way later).
Since their inception, 236 players have played in the Wolves’ jerseys. For this exercise, we are removing 226 of those players to reach the top 10 Timberwolves in franchise history.
All career statistics listed will only include player’s numbers while they played in Minnesota. In some instances, the sheer amount of seasons played for the Wolves will factor more than someone’s better statistics in very few seasons.
Translation: most players on this list played more than a single season for the franchise.
Here are the top 10 Timberwolves of all time.
Honorable Mentions
Ricky Rubio – 6 seasons (2011-2017) – 10.3 points, 4.2 rebounds, 8.3 assists, 2.1 steals
One of the most electric passers in Wolves’ history. Rubio missed the top 10 cut largely because of his lack of shooting efficiency. He was traded in 2017 to the Utah Jazz.
But we will always have his passing flair.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Km6Kpp4igs4
Terrell Brandon – 4 seasons (1998-2002) – 15.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, 8.3 assists, 1.9 steals
Brandon, a small but impactful point guard, helped lead the Wolves to the 2000 and 2001 playoffs. Unfortunately, he hurt his knee in a 2002 game against the San Antonio Spurs, the last time he would ever play in the NBA. His career ended when he was only 31 years old.
Christian Laettner – 4 seasons (1992-1996) – 17.2 points, 8.1 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.2 steals, 1.1 blocks
Laettner, the no. 3 overall pick in 1992 from Duke University, is arguably the greatest college player of all time. While Laettner’s pro career did not meet the expectations based on his days at Duke, he was more than serviceable as a professional.
The Wolves traded Laettner after encountering issues with his attitude, opening up big man minutes for Kevin Garnett.
Andrew Wiggins – 4 seasons (2014-2018), 19.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.0 steals
Wiggins, the only current Timberwolf in the honorable mentions, could believably work his way into the top 10. He possesses considerable athletic gifts and a slowly-improving three-point shot, but he has to keep improving.
Read this piece if you want more Wiggins-centric writing.
Ricky Davis – 2 seasons (2005-2007) – 17.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.0 steals
Okay, so this is the only selection, honorable mention or otherwise, that I did not take very seriously. Davis posted solid numbers during his two seasons, but the main reason I included him was this incredible video:
Two things:
1.) Yes, I know he was on the Cleveland Cavaliers when they play in question occurred.
2.) It is still worth including. He needed a rebound and he did everything he could to circumvent the rules to get one. Legend.
