While the NBA Playoffs are in full swing, now is a good time to recap the fantasy basketball season for all 30 teams.
In the following weeks, we will provide a recap for each team, starting with the team with the worst record and concluding with the NBA champion in June.
Next up in the season review series are the Minnesota Timberwolves, who reached the Western Conference Finals for the second consecutive year. With the front office's decision to trade Karl-Anthony Towns just before training camp, this season's group had a far different look, especially in the frontcourt. With the Western Conference being a battle of attrition throughout the season, Minnesota entered the playoffs as the 6-seed, but Chris Finch's team did not lose any sleep over that. Anthony Edwards led the way as the Timberwolves dispatched the Lakers and Warriors before falling to Oklahoma City.
Minnesota Timberwolves 2024-2025 Season Recap
Record: 49-33 (6th, West)
Offensive Rating: 115.7 (8th)
Defensive Rating: 110.8 (6th)
Net Rating: 4.9 (4th)
Pace: 97.95 (25th)
2025 NBA Draft Picks: 17, 31
While the way Minnesota's season concluded was disappointing, as they fell to the Thunder in five games, returning to the conference finals represents success. For the first time in over two decades, the Timberwolves have won 49 games or more in consecutive seasons, and the franchise has its unquestioned cornerstone in Anthony Edwards. After an inconsistent start to the season, Minnesota would get going in March, ripping off an eight-game win streak and going 17-4 in their last 21 games.
However, they go into the offseason with some significant questions to answer thanks to the NBA's ever-changing finances. Julius Randle and Naz Reid have player options for next season that, if not picked up, will make them unrestricted free agents. Nickeil Alexander-Walker will be an unrestricted free agent, leaving the new ownership group (yes, that saga concluded during the season) to decide how much money it wants to spend to keep the rotation intact. And if a few of those key players depart, how much will the team be willing to compensate to account for those exits?
Fantasy Standout: Anthony Edwards
Edwards was expected to be Minnesota's best fantasy option, especially after the Towns trade, and he met the expectations. Appearing in 79 games for the third straight season, he averaged 27.6 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.2 steals, 0.6 blocks and 4.1 three-pointers, shooting 44.7 percent from the field and 83.7 percent from the foul line. Finishing with a career-high scoring average, Edwards scored 30 points or more in 26 games, including his 53-point effort in a January 4 loss to the Pistons.
Early in the season, much was made of Edwards' increased three-point volume, with the attempts per game increasing from 6.7 in 2023-24 to 10.3 this season. However, he made a career-best 39.5 percent of his attempts, increasing his percentage by nearly four points. While Edwards did not reach his Yahoo! ADP (10), he finished the regular season as a top-20 player in eight- and nine-cat formats. Regarding total value, he was a top-10 player due to his availability. Even with the various maladies players can pick up throughout a season, fantasy managers can safely assume that Edwards is going to play as long as he isn't dealing with a serious issue. That makes him incredibly valuable in fantasy basketball, and the 23-year-old has yet to reach his ceiling.
Fantasy Revelation: Jaden McDaniels
Entering the season with a Yahoo! ADP of 142, McDaniels was not expected to be a difference-maker by many fantasy managers. However, he would prove to be an excellent option to have rostered, especially among those who needed reliable defensive production and solid percentages. For the first time in his NBA career, McDaniels played in all 82 regular-season games, and he finished with career-high averages in points, rebounds, assists and steals. Averaging 31.9 minutes, he accounted for 12.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.3 steals, 0.9 blocks and 1.2 three-pointers per game, shooting 47.7 percent from the field and 81.3 percent from the foul line.
While McDaniels only shot 33.0 percent from three, his lowest mark since the 2021-22 campaign, that is not a scoring category in most fantasy leagues. He finished as a top-100 player in eight-cat formats and nearly cracked the top-75 in nine-cat formats. While this was his first season playing all 82 games, the availability is not a fluke, as McDaniels has played in 70 games or more in four consecutive seasons. After scoring 20 points or more on seven occasions during the 2023-24 campaign, Jaden had 12 such games this season, including a career-high 30 in a February 8 win over the Trail Blazers. While the production from this season may prompt some to consider using a middle-round pick on McDaniels next fall, he's a player many will be able to get around pick 100, if not slightly later. However, that could change if the Timberwolves lose multiple free agents this summer.
Fantasy Disappointment: Nickeil Alexander-Walker
Alexander-Walker boasted a similar Yahoo! ADP to McDaniels, but he failed to live up to the expectations. Playing all 82 games, he averaged 9.4 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 0.6 steals, 0.4 blocks and 1.7 three-pointers in 25.3 minutes. Shooting 43.8 percent from the field and 78.0 percent from the foul line, Alexander-Walker finished the regular season ranked outside the top-200 in eight- and nine-cat formats. However, his performances when allowed to start and during Minnesota's run to the conference finals likely raised NAW's profile as he heads for unrestricted free agency this summer.
In 10 starts, he averaged 12.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 0.9 steals, 0.5 blocks and 2.6 three-pointers in 33.6 minutes, shooting 41.0 percent from the field and 93.3 percent from the foul line. Alexander-Walker also had six games in which he scored 10 points or more during the playoffs, including a 23-point effort in Minnesota's Game 4 loss to Oklahoma City. While it has been reported that the Timberwolves want to bring NAW back, how much would it cost? And what would his role be if that were to happen? With Mike Conley not getting any younger, could there be a scenario in which Alexander-Walker starts if he re-signs? And there will likely be other teams interested in his services, with Orlando reportedly being a team to watch. While Alexander-Walker's fantasy season was a disappointment, he likely earned himself a nice payday in free agency.
Fantasy Recaps/Look-Aheads
Rudy Gobert
With Towns no longer in the equation, Gobert was the lone seven-footer in the Timberwolves' starting lineup this season. However, those who hoped for a boost to his fantasy value were likely let down, as the "Stifle Tower" finished the regular season ranked outside the top-50 in eight- and nine-cat formats. Making 72 appearances, Gobert averaged 12.0 points, 10.9 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.8 steals and 1.4 blocks in 33.2 minutes. His percentages from the field (66.9) and the foul line (67.4) were the best for Rudy since arriving in Minnesota, but his scoring and rebounding output decreased noticeably, as did the blocked shots.
Gobert's scoring average was the lowest for him since the 2015-16 campaign, while the rebounding average was the lowest it has been since 2017-18. A sixth-round player in nine-cat formats, Rudy was a seventh-round player in eight-cat formats according to Basketball Monster. Set to turn 33 at the end of June, it's fair to question if Gobert's best days regarding fantasy value are in the rearview mirror. That said, he can still provide decent value to standard league managers; he just isn't at the point where he should be selected with a top-50 pick.
Julius Randle
After five seasons and three All-Star Game selections while with the Knicks, Randle was sent to Minneapolis as part of the Towns trade just days before training camp began. An offensive focal point in New York, Randle absorbed a hit playing alongside Anthony Edwards. His usage dropped nearly five percentage points, and in 69 games he averaged 18.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 0.7 steals and 1.6 three-pointers while shooting 48.5 percent from the field and 80.6 percent from the foul line.
However, while his scoring, rebounding and assist averages decreased, so did Randle's turnovers, while the percentages increased. Playing in a lineup that included Edwards and Conley resulted in better shots for Randle. After the expected adjustment period, there appeared to be fewer moments in which the ball "stuck" in his hands. As evidenced by his play during the conference finals, there is still room for growth. But where will that take place? Randle can opt out of the final season of his contract and hit free agency, but it isn't as if there's a surplus of teams with cap space. If he remains in Minnesota, Randle is capable of providing middle-round value in standard leagues, with the turnovers making him a superior option for eight-cat formats and managers willing to punt that category.
Naz Reid
Reid is another Timberwolves player who faces an interesting decision, as he has a player option worth approximately $15 million. According to NBA insider Jake Fischer, the expectation around the league is that he will opt out. The 2024 NBA Sixth Man of the Year has been incredibly valuable to the Timberwolves, despite his defensive flaws. And Reid was more productive this season than last, increasing his averages in points (14.2), rebounds (6.0), assists (2.3) and three-pointers (2.2) while shooting 46.2 percent from the field and 77.6 percent from the foul line.
However, that did not translate into consistently reliable fantasy value, with Reid finishing the regular season as an eighth-round player in nine-cat formats and a ninth-round player in eight-cat formats according to Basketball Monster. He made 17 starts during the regular season, averaging 18.3 points, 9.0 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 0.7 steals, 1.3 blocks and 2.8 three-pointers in 35.4 minutes. A return to Minnesota will likely keep Reid in a reserve role, with him being most valuable to fantasy managers on nights when Gobert cannot play due to injury.
Donte DiVincenzo
Like Randle, DiVincenzo was part of the stunning Towns trade just before training camps opened. Coming off of his best season as a professional, he struggled early, shooting 35.4 percent from the field and averaging 8.9 points per game in Minnesota's first 10 games. DiVincenzo would get going just before Christmas, but a grade 3 sprain of his left big toe sidelined the Timberwolves guard for more than a month. His run of 12 straight games in double figures coincided with Minnesota going 9-3, with the Timberwolves ultimately doing enough to earn the 6-seed in the West and avoid the Play-In tournament.
In 62 games, DiVincenzo averaged 11.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.2 steals and 2.8 three-pointers in 25.9 minutes, shooting 42.2 percent from the field and 77.8 percent from the foul line. As expected, he finished the regular season ranked outside the top-100 in eight- and nine-cat formats, providing 10th-round value in the former. While eligible for point guard, shooting guard and small forward in Yahoo! leagues, DiVincenzo's status as a bench scorer lowered his fantasy ceiling after an excellent 2023-24 season in New York. How valuable he is next season will depend on what happens with Alexander-Walker, not to mention the development of 2024 first-round picks Rob Dillingham and Terrence Shannon Jr.
Mike Conley
While Conley continued to provide the Timberwolves with valuable leadership, his numbers took a hit in 2024-25. Making 71 appearances, the 37-year-old point guard accounted for 8.2 points, 2.6 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.8 three-pointers in 24.7 minutes. Conley's scoring average was the lowest of his career, and the assists were the lowest for him since his penultimate season in Memphis (2017-18). Conley being a late-round option in standard leagues was expected, but he finished the regular season ranked outside the top-150 in eight-cat formats, and just inside that threshold in nine-cat formats.
With Conley turning 38 just before the start of next season and the veteran guard coming off a season in which he failed to average 25 minutes per night, it's fair to wonder if his role in 2025-26 will be significant enough to merit being rostered in standard leagues. And that doesn't even touch on Dillingham's potential development, Alexander-Walker's free agency, or Anthony Edwards' already sky-high usage potentially increasing even more. For the first time in years, Conley will likely go into training camp as a player who does not have to be selected in standard league drafts.
Restricted Free Agents: Jesse Edwards, Bones Hyland, Tristen Newton
Unrestricted Free Agents: Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Joe Ingles
Player Option: Julius Randle, Naz Reid
Team Option: Luka Garza, Josh Minott
