{"id":1884982,"date":"2026-04-16T06:00:52","date_gmt":"2026-04-16T03:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1884982"},"modified":"2026-04-16T06:00:52","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T03:00:52","slug":"how-the-timberwolves-kids-table-took-over-from-empty-arenas-to-500-million-stars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1884982","title":{"rendered":"How the Timberwolves\u2019 \u2018kids table\u2019 took over: From empty arenas to $500 million stars"},"content":{"rendered":"
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MINNEAPOLIS \u2014 In an empty arena during the long, cold, COVID-strangled 2020-21 NBA season, the Minnesota Timberwolves hurtled toward rock bottom.<\/p>\n

They were coming off a 19-win season and expected to take a big step forward. Less than a month into the season, things already looked bleak. Karl-Anthony Towns was out with COVID. D\u2019Angelo Russell wasn\u2019t becoming the star they initially envisioned. They were getting nothing from Jarrett Culver, the No. 6 pick in the 2019 draft.<\/p>\n

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Then came Jan. 21, when they let a 20-point lead against the Orlando Magic slip away, <\/a>falling to 3-10 on the season. Desperation was high. With the league\u2019s strict policy on social distancing, building connections between teammates and coaches was proving to be incredibly difficult. Organizational leaders threw a pizza-and-ice cream party at the practice facility to try to reset their minds and lighten the mood, a self-aware nod to the youngest roster in the league.<\/p>\n

As low as they were coming out of that loss, something just kept jumping off the screen when front-office staffers and coaches reviewed the film.<\/p>\n

While so many of the more established players were melting down, Anthony Edwards, Naz Reid and Jaden McDaniels kept showing. A 19-year-old and two 20-year-olds looked more mature and composed than anyone on the floor. Starting for Towns, Reid, who was still shedding the extra pounds<\/a> he put on after a foot injury before his rookie season, scored 14 points and hit a pair of 3-pointers. Edwards, his cheeks still plump<\/a> with baby fat, shot just 3 for 14 from the field, but his defense and decision-making off the bench led to him being a plus-13 in 23 minutes. After getting DNPs in six of the team\u2019s first 11 games, McDaniels, a spindly 6-foot-9 with a pseudo-mohawk<\/a>, had 12 points, eight rebounds and three blocks and was plus-19 in 26 minutes.<\/p>\n

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More than the production, what struck those in charge was the unfazed looks in their eyes. They were not downtrodden as the losses mounted. They did not carry that \u201chere we go again\u201d energy that has defined so many Timberwolves seasons. They marched forward, together, with an unshakeable belief that the suffering felt by everyone in this organization, and this basketball-loving community, was only temporary.<\/p>\n

\u201cDespite Ant shooting poorly, you saw that all of these guys were difference-makers,\u201d one former front-office executive said. \u201cEven with a horrific loss, you saw that there was something. The gym was empty, no one in the world probably saw that game. \u2026 In the end, we knew there was something positive.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Six seasons later, Edwards, the No. 1 pick who faced so many doubters before he was drafted, McDaniels, a 28th pick in 2020 known for getting technical fouls at Washington, and Reid, an undrafted free agent, are still together, lifting the Timberwolves out of the squalor. They are playing on contracts that are worth a total of $500 million guaranteed and are leading the team to its fifth straight playoff appearance, the third-longest active streak in the league.<\/p>\n

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What You Should Read Next<\/div>\n
\n \"Anthony<\/p>\n
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\n Anthony Edwards returns with a fury, just in time for Timberwolves\u2019 playoff push\n <\/div>\n
\n For the Wolves, it has been a season of stops and starts, of missed opportunities. Yet, everything they want is there for them to achieve.\n <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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Most impressively, the trio has been together for six seasons, an eternity in the turnstile NBA. They have played 382 regular-season games together since uniting in 2020, 113 more than the next closest active trio: Boston\u2019s Sam Hauser, Payton Pritchard and Derrick White (269 games), according to Elias Sports Bureau. They\u2019ve reached two straight Western Conference finals, unprecedented success for a franchise that has spent most of its existence toiling in dysfunction and self-pity.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s pretty cool. It\u2019s like going to high school freshman year with your friends and just sticking together the whole way, building each year,\u201d McDaniels said. \u201cEach year we\u2019ve been together, we\u2019ve gotten better and went further (as players) than we have the previous season.\u201d<\/p>\n

Over these last six years, they have endured coaching and front-office changes, blockbuster trades, injuries and deep, personal loss<\/a>. When they take the floor Saturday in Denver for Game 1 of the conference quarterfinals against the Nuggets, they do so knowing that they are largely responsible for a new era in Minnesota.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are obstacles we all have had to go against in our careers,\u201d Reid said. \u201cIt worked out in a better way. We were able to help each other through that and prove we are who we are and that we\u2019ve been that way all along. I think all the questions and stuff are pretty much out the window now.\u201d<\/p>\n

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None of it was preordained. Edwards and McDaniels came off the bench to start their NBA careers while Reid began his in Iowa. Now Edwards is considered a top-10 player in the league, McDaniels is one of the most versatile defenders and Reid won Sixth Man of the Year two years ago.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll of these dudes have been underdogs,\u201d said Wolves assistant coach Chris Hines, who has been with the trio every step of the way. \u201cAll of \u2019em.\u201d<\/p>\n

The shared connection that has been forged through struggle and success is the secret sauce that powers Minnesota.<\/p>\n

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Reid was the first to arrive in Minnesota, signing as an undrafted rookie free agent out of LSU in 2019. He was a highly regarded recruit when he landed in Baton Rouge, a big man with a slick handle and a nice outside shot. But scouts had no idea what to do with a 6-9 center who weighed over 275 pounds. When Hines, who was coaching at the Wolves\u2019 G League affiliate in Iowa at that time, first met Reid, he saw a \u201cchubby kid with a good handle who had a lot of talent but had to learn how to play basketball.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reid stewed over his misfortune in the draft but did not let it derail him. He hated making the drive from Minneapolis to Iowa in his rookie season but knew that was the only option to one day cracking the NBA club\u2019s rotation.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe wasn\u2019t the best athlete. He couldn\u2019t defend. But he was just like, \u2018I\u2019m not going to quit,’\u201d Hines remembered. \u201cHe showed up every day. He showed up on time. He showed up with a smile on his face. He showed up with a good heart and just tried to be a good player and good person. Did I know he was going to make that much money? Yes, because he\u2019s super talented. It clicked.\u201d<\/p>\n

McDaniels was a McDonald\u2019s All-American when he got to the University of Washington and had some mock drafts projecting him as a top-five pick. But an underwhelming freshman season saw him plummet down draft boards due to concerns about his temperament and offensive ceiling.<\/p>\n

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The Timberwolves took him at the bottom of the first round and, in his rookie season, experimented with him in the frontcourt and the post before he settled in at small forward. He did not crack the starting lineup until late March.<\/p>\n

Edwards was the first overall pick, but it came in a year in which there was no overwhelming choice for that spot. The Timberwolves labored over the decision between him, James Wiseman and LaMelo Ball, with pundits expressing concern that Edwards wasn\u2019t in love with the game.<\/p>\n

When Hines confronted Edwards with that critique, he got his answer.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat kid looked me in my eyes and said, \u2018You got me f\u2014-d up,\u201d Hines said. \u201cI want to be the best to ever do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Wolves went 23-49 that first season together. As it dragged on, those embedded with the team started to notice a shift. While some of the older players like Russell, Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt spent more time together, Edwards, McDaniels and Reid stayed close to one another. Observers jokingly called it the \u201ckids\u2019 table,\u201d but the newness of everything made the losing less disheartening.<\/p>\n

They knew they had time and that they were already establishing themselves as important parts of the team\u2019s future. There was no concern about the next contract and little frustration with their roles on the court. They focused on daily improvement, on making sure they\u2019d never feel embarrassed wearing a Wolves uniform again.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt didn\u2019t feel like they were taking the losses home with them,\u201d said coach Chris Finch, who replaced the fired Ryan Saunders as coach midway through the season. \u201cLearning how to be competitive and what that really means and how to compete on a possession-by-possession basis was something that they all had to do together, in different ways.\u201d<\/p>\n

As that bond strengthened, so did the Wolves\u2019 rise in the West.<\/p>\n

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The more time they spent around one another, the more the Wolves benefited. It is not just that their games fit together. Their personalities complement one another in a way that makes it hard to envision the partnership fracturing under the normal stressors of fame and fortune.<\/p>\n

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\u201cJaden is super quiet. Naz is quiet, but he is outgoing around the right people,\u201d Edwards said. \u201cMe, I just don\u2019t care who I\u2019m around. I\u2019m going to be myself no matter what. And I think we all just click.\u201d<\/p>\n

Edwards is the loud one, filling the locker room with his Atlanta slang and vibrant personality. He is usually heard before he is seen, cracking jokes and talking trash to keep the smiles coming after wins and losses. Reid and McDaniels, by far the tightest pair of teammates on the Wolves, are more introverted, serving as perfect wing men for Edwards\u2019 super-sized attitude. They are more liable to sit back and laugh at Ant\u2019s jokes, content to let him command the room while they lob subtle jabs from the peanut gallery.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re just a three-headed goat. That\u2019s what I like to say,\u201d Reid said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI look at them almost like X-Men figures,\u201d Hines added. \u201cThese dudes have superpowers that really light up when they try to win together.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Edwards commands a lot of attention on the court, Reid and McDaniels are the tone-setters in the summer. For years, the Wolves would scatter once the season was over to more exotic locations like Miami, Houston and Los Angeles to do their offseason work. Reid and McDaniels started staying in Minnesota, working out at the team\u2019s practice facility. That compelled Edwards to follow, doing more work here last summer in addition to the time he spent at home in Atlanta.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe talk to each other all the time, every day,\u201d Edwards said. \u201cAnd we get on each other when we\u2019re not doing something right. I think that\u2019s the main thing. We\u2019re able to talk to each other no matter how it is, if it\u2019s in the midst of a game, no matter how it comes out. If I\u2019m cussin\u2019 them out or if they\u2019re cussin\u2019 me out, they know how to respond. That\u2019s what I love about them.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The three Wolfketeers enter their fifth postseason with a lot to prove, even after the success of the last two seasons. Minnesota was beaten soundly in five games in each of its conference finals appearances, ugly ends to thrilling seasons.<\/p>\n

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The Wolves are decided underdogs against a Nuggets team that closed the regular season on a 12-game winning streak.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re all still kind of hungry and got chips on our shoulder,\u201d McDaniels said. \u201cWe haven\u2019t won nothing yet.\u201d<\/p>\n

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What You Should Read Next<\/div>\n
\n \"Timberwolves<\/p>\n
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\n Timberwolves get Jaden McDaniels back in important step before the playoffs\n <\/div>\n
\n Minnesota, locked into the West’s No. 6 seed, rested many regulars and lost to Orlando on Wednesday. But health is the top concern.\n <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

The most exciting part for them is that there is no sign of this ending anytime soon. Edwards has three years left on his five-year, $244 million contract. McDaniels has three more on his five-year, $131 million deal. Reid\u2019s five-year, $125 million deal runs through 2029-30. Wolves fans proudly wave Naz Reid beach towels at WrestleMania<\/a> and tattoo his name on their bodies. They giddily share memes of McDaniels\u2019 never-changing expressions<\/a>. Kids beam when Edwards calls them over<\/a> for autographs. They understand how uncommon their endurance is in this day and age.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been amazing. It\u2019s a brotherhood,\u201d Reid said. \u201cWe\u2019ve grown to love each other outside of basketball. It\u2019s rare to be in this situation.\u201d<\/p>\n

This group has played together more than any trio in the league. Now they may be embarking on their biggest challenge yet. Knee injuries hampered Edwards and McDaniels down the stretch. Reid\u2019s shooting shoulder has been throbbing for more than a month. The doubters are legion<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It all sounds so familiar.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll these dudes have gone through the turmoil of, \u2018Are you really that good?\u2019 And if you\u2019re that good, can you show it and prove it?\u201d Hines said.<\/p>\n

Ant, Jaden and Naz. They have been through so much together. They have taken a once-hapless franchise to heights never seen.<\/p>\n

They are a long way from that frigid January night five years ago. And yet, they still have so much further to go.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

MINNEAPOLIS \u2014 In an empty arena during the long, cold, COVID-strangled 2020-21 NBA season, the Minnesota Timberwolves hurtled toward rock bottom. They were coming off a 19-win season and expected to take a big step forward. Less than a month into the season, things already looked bleak. Karl-Anthony Towns was out with COVID. D\u2019Angelo Russell […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,241],"class_list":["post-1884982","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-nytimes-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1884982","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1884982"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1884982\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1884982"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1884982"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1884982"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}