Timberwolves Place Five on ESPN's Top 100 NBA Players List
The short version
- Anthony Edwards is No. 7, the highest-ranked Timberwolf; Jalen Brunson passed him as the top U.S.-born player.
- Minnesota's five selections trail only Oklahoma City's seven and match the Knicks and 76ers.
- LaMelo Ball jumped from 63 to 35, Rudy Gobert rose from 49 to 42 and Jaden McDaniels climbed from 75 to 56.
- Ayo Dosunmu entered the list at No. 90 after going unranked last season.
- Jonathan Kuminga, No. 83 a year ago, was left off following a move from the Warriors to the Hawks.
Only Oklahoma City, with seven selections, put more players on ESPN's annual ranking than Minnesota, which matched the Knicks and 76ers with five.
Five Minnesota Timberwolves appear on ESPN's annual ranking of the NBA's top 100 players, a total exceeded by only one club. The Oklahoma City Thunder placed seven players on the list, the most of any team.
Minnesota's five selections match those of the New York Knicks, the defending champions, and the Philadelphia 76ers, who added a pair of top-20 players in Jaylen Brown and LeBron James during the offseason. The Timberwolves contingent includes one player in the top 10 and four inside the top 56.
Anthony Edwards leads the group at No. 7. Ahead of him sit Denver's Nikola Jokic at No. 1, San Antonio's Victor Wembanyama at No. 2, Oklahoma City's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander at No. 3, the Los Angeles Lakers' Luka Doncic at No. 4, Miami's Giannis Antetokounmpo at No. 5 and Knicks guard Jalen Brunson at No. 6. Edwards slipped one spot after placing sixth a year ago, when he was the highest U.S.-born player on the list; that distinction now belongs to Brunson, who climbed from 10th after winning NBA Finals MVP.
LaMelo Ball, Minnesota's biggest offseason addition, made one of the largest climbs, rising from 63rd to 35th. He appeared in 72 games after three consecutive injury-shortened seasons of fewer than 50, finished second in the league in three-pointers made, and averaged about 20 points, seven assists and five rebounds. He also guided Charlotte to only its second winning record in the past decade.
Rudy Gobert moved up from 49th to 42nd. At 34, the 7-foot-1 French center remains an elite defensive presence, and Minnesota is a notably better defensive team when he is on the floor. With Julius Randle and Naz Reid no longer with the club, more rebounds will be available to him, and Ball's arrival should create additional lob finishes at the rim.
Jaden McDaniels jumped from 75th to 56th on the strength of a more polished offensive game. His scoring average climbed from 12.2 to 14.8 points per game, his three-point percentage from 33% to 41%, and every one of his shooting percentages improved. The 25-year-old wing reached double figures in all 12 of Minnesota's playoff games, including a career-high 32 points to help close out Denver.
Ayo Dosunmu landed at No. 90 after going unranked a year ago. Acquired from Chicago in a midseason trade, he delivered a career-high 43 points in a Game 5 win over the Nuggets during the playoffs and has since signed a five-year contract to stay in Minnesota. His scoring average rose from 12.3 to 14.8 points per game in a season split between the Bulls and Timberwolves, with gains across all of his shooting percentages.
The Timberwolves could make a case for a sixth entry. Jonathan Kuminga, ranked 83rd last year, missed the cut after a turbulent season that included a trade from Golden State to Atlanta and a dip in his scoring average. Minnesota acquired him in late August, a move expected to leave Dosunmu in a reserve role on most nights. Kuminga, who is about to turn 24, and the team could argue he still belongs on the ranking.
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