NBA Fantasy Preview 2021-22: Minnesota Timberwolves

Anthony Edwards (YouTube)

In a 30-part series leading up to the start of the 2021 National Basketball Association season, we will take a look at each NBA franchise from a fantasy perspective. The 18th team we will review is the Minnesota Timberwolves.

We all know how much the Minnesota Timberwolves have struggled while in the NBA. That is what happens when you have an all-time winning percentage of .394 and won only two playoff series in 32 years.

There are no expectations for Minnesota this season, however there should be some signs of minimal improvement at the small forward position. Anthony Edwards, who was the first overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, had a solid rookie season and lost out to LaMelo Ball of the Charlotte Hornets for the NBA rookie of the year. 

Edwards’s greatest sign of brilliance last season came on March 18, when he scored 42 points and became the third youngest player ever to score 40 points in a game in a 123-119 Minnesota win over the Phoenix Suns. The only two players who were younger and scored 40 points in a game were LeBron James and Kevin Durant.

In 2020-21, Edwards was ranked eighth among small forwards and ninth among shooting guards with 2032 fantasy points*. He had a .417 field goal percentage, .776 free throw percentage, made 171 three-pointers, and had 1392 points, 336 rebounds, 211 assists, 82 steals, and 160 turnovers.

Another Timberwolves player worth considering is center Karl-Anthony Towns. The first overall pick from the 2015 NBA Draft experienced heartbreak during the pandemic as he lost his mother to coronavirus in April of 2020. Ranked 12th among centers, Towns had a field goal percentage of .486, field goal percentage of .859, along with 1239 points, 529 rebounds, 225 assists, 39 steals, 57 blocked shots, and 100 turnovers for 1938 fantasy points.

Other Timberwolves worth considering in the later rounds are D’Angelo Russell and Malik Beasley. Russell only had 1204 fantasy points last year, while Beasley only played 37 games due to a suspension and injuries.

*Please note: To calculate NBA fantasy points for point guards, shooting guards and small forwards, I use the formula (3PTM+Points+Rebounds+Assists+Steals-Turnovers). For power forwards and centers, I use the formula (Points+Rebounds+Assists+Steals+Blocks-Turnovers).

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