Jarred Vanderbilt played his college ball at Kentucky, and did well enough to earn a spot in the 2018 NBA Draft, a second round selection by Denver.  An excellent leaper and dunker, Vanderbilt did not play much for the Nuggets, as he was assigned mostly with Rio Grande in the G-League, but a trade in 2000 would grant the Power Forward an opportunity for playing time.

Vanderbilt was on the T-Wolves roster going into the 2020-21 Season, staring 30 of his 64 Games, averaging 5.8 Rebounds per Game despite playing less than 20 Minutes per Game.  He started more Games in 2021-22, (67 of 74), again with a healthy Rebound number (8.4 RPG), and helping Minnesota make the playoffs for the first time in years.

As good as he was becoming, Vanderbilt was traded to Utah to get Rudy Gobert, ending Vanderbilt’s time with the Timberwolves.

American players who go undrafted don’t often make it to the NBA, but Naz Reid put in the work to make it where others were have given up.

Playing at LSU, Reid signed with the Timberwolves, splitting time between the parent club and Iowa of the D-League in his rookie year.  Reid stayed with Minnesota for good in his second season, finding a role off of the bench to give a rebounding and blocking percentage, while still taking enough shots to make him viable offensively.  The addidtion of Rudy Gobert would keep Reid on the bench but last season he thrived in that role winning the Sixth Man of the Year off a 13.5 PPG year.  Last year, he was fifth in Sixth Man voting and had his best PPG with 14.2.

Reid's value has been cemented since he arrived in Minnesota, and there is so much more left.

D’Angelo Russell first turned heads with the Los Angeles Lakers, but was traded to the Brooklyn Nets in 2018, where he was an All-Star in 2019.  The Guard was then dealt to Golden State where he was part of the package to bring Kevin Durant.  As good as Russell was, he was part of another deal shortly after, where he was deal to his current squad, Minnesota, who sent Andrew Wiggins the other way.

Highly regarded going into both the University of Georgia and the NBA as the #1 Pick in 2020, Anthony Edwards had an excellent rookie season, earning All-Rookie accolades, and averaging 19.3 Points per Game.  This was the scoring touch they expected from Edwards as a rookie, but there were plenty of mistakes, as displayed by his advanced metrics, namely his sub-15.0 PER. 

This was common for rookies, and Edwards progressed nicely in his sophomore campaign, breaking the 20 PPG threshold and minimizing miscues.  Edwards took it to the next level in his third year, where he crept within a hair of 25 Points per Game and made his first All-Star Game.  In that off-season, he was the best player for the United States at the FIBA World Basketball Championship, but that was just a launching pad.

In 2023-24, Edwards was again an All-Star and added a Second Team All-Star. An MVP contender, Edwards broke the 25 PPG threshold and led the Timberwolves to the Western Conference Finals.  Basically, Edwards entered the competition to become the face of the Association!

Last season, Ant had very similar stats (27.6 PPG), and was again an All-Star, a Second Team All-NBA player, and was seventh (just like the previous year) in MVP voting.  Oh, and he also brought the Timberwolves back to the WCF.

Already a top-five player in franchise history, Edwards continues to get better, and do we finally have a player that could supplant Kevin Garnett one day?