10 things we can’t wait to see with the 2025-26 Minnesota Timberwolves

With training camp opening in fewer than three weeks, excitement is beginning to build for the 2025-26 Minnesota Timberwolves. Today, we're diving into the 10 things — both on and off the court — that we can't wait to see after last year's team made a second consecutive appearance in the conference finals.

1. Jaden McDaniels in Year 6

Ant-Man will steal the show, for sure, but McDaniels is without a doubt the player who needs to take the next step this season. Can he ascend to the level of a two-way star? He's already elite on defense, and taking the step as an offensive weapon would turn him into one of the league's most versatile players.

"Jaden's growth is one of the highlights of the season. He's a legitimate two-way player now. But what we need from him is some more playmaking," head coach Chris Finch said at the conclusion of last season. "Now he's getting the touches, now the shot attempts are up. He's one of the guys who can find Rudy, he can find Ant. That's a dimension I think would really help us."

2. Anthony Edwards in Year 6

Can Edwards blossom into a legitimate MVP candidate in his age-24 season? If you'll recall, Finch has put it on record that he wants Edwards to get to the foul line more often and out-think his opponents.

"Just going to be along the think-the-game route," Finch said in late May. "I think he's got to also figure out a bit of a closing package, and we have to help him there. What shots and places on the floor can he repeatedly get to? Foul drawing. You see right now in the league, you see what gets rewarded and you need to kind of lean into that a little bit even though it's not necessarily how he likes to play. But it seems to be effective."

Edwards has never averaged more than 6.4 free-throw attempts per game in his career. Can he get that number between 8 and 10? If he does, he could see his scoring average reach 30 points per game and put himself among the mostly likely MVP candidates.

3. Kevin Garnett's connection to the franchise

With Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez now the majority owners of hte Timberwolves, will they reconnect with Kevin Garnett? Garnett and now-former owner Glen Taylor didn't get along, so this could be the year that Minnesota finally raises Garnett's No. 21 jersey to the rafters at Target Center. A statue outside Target Center would be cool, too, but if A-Rod and Lore and hoping to build a new arena, maybe the statue waits until that happens?

4. Joan Beringer's role as a rookie

The 2025 first-round pick impressed with his defense during the Las Vegas Summer League, and there has been talk that he's NBA-ready as a defensive big who could give Rudy Gobert breathers. If he's ready and able to protect the rim, Minnesota might finally have a legitimate big man to defend the paint when Gobert is on the bench.

5. Rob Dillingham's growth

Dillingham, 20, needs to produce on both ends of the floor and become a reliable three-point shooter because he'll be sharing the ball with Edwards and Julius Randle, who will surely be the playmakers with the ball in their hands in the half court offense. He could be playing 15-20 minutes per night as Mike Conley's primary backup.

"I think offensively he's gotta figure out how to simplify his game," Finch said in May. "He's got the ability to get to the heart of the defense and create pace and make plays from those spots on the floor. We desperately need that."

6. Terrence Shannon Jr.

Shannon exploded onto the scene as a trusted rotation player late last season. There's no question that he can score points, but Minnesota wants him to become better defensively.

"For him, his biggest area of growth this offseason and into next season is really shoring up his defense. He should be destructive, be able to blow up a lot of stuff. Has a body to contain. Like most young players, what trips him up a little bit at the moment is the awareness that things are happening so fast and just getting a feel for that. That's just repetition," Finch said.

The significance of Donte DiVincenzo's toe injury is unclear, but if the turf toe issue lingers into the start of the season, it could mean a much larger role for Shannon right off the bat.

7. Arena lightning

The Wolves have reportedly spent more than a million dollars to upgrade the arena lighting at Target Center, with rumors that the appearance could resemble Madison Square Garden in New York or Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. That could provide a more brilliant, theatrical vibe in person while making the broadcast experience far superior to what it has been.

8. The trade deadline

With a championship-caliber roster, the Wolves are certainly going to be all-in on getting past the conference finals this season. The current roster might. be good enough to get there, but there will certainly be rumors going into the annual February trade deadline. The most likely outcome, barring unexpected injuries, is the Wolves trying to upgrade at point guard before the deadline. That'll be especially true if Dillingham doesn't meet lofty expectations or if Conley goes down with an injury.

9. First 8 days of the season

The regular season begins Oct. 22 when the Wolves play at Portland. That's the start of five games in eight days, and all of the games are meaty. They play at the Lakers Oct. 22 before three straight home games against the defending Eastern Conference champion Pacers, the rival Nuggets, and the Lakers. If there was ever a season that gave the Wolves to make an early statement, it's this one.

10. The look, sound and feel of national TV games

With ESPN, Amazon and NBC/Peacock taking over the NBA's television and streaming rights, the national broadcasts will have a new look and feel. Gone is the NBA on TNT, but Ernie, Kenny, Shaq and Barkley will be on ESPN and they'll be talking about the Wolves a lot.

Minnesota is due for 28 national TV/streaming games, including Oct. 24 on Prime Video against the Lakers, Oct. 27 on Peacock against the Nuggets, and then Oct. 29 against the Lakers with ESPN at Target Center for the game.

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