When the Minnesota Timberwolves acquired Jimmy Butler last summer, he was supposed to be the missing piece to finally get them over the hump and transform them into true contenders in the West. For the most part, they accomplished that goal. They ended a 13-year playoff drought and finished with their first winning season since the Kevin Garnett era.
But after the Wolves were promptly bounced out of the first round by the Houston Rockets, rumors started to trickle in about just how dicey things had been behind the scenes at times. It all started after Karl-Anthony Towns’ high-profile struggles in his inaugural postseason appearance.
It wasn’t long before there were whispers that Jimmy Butler wasn’t pleased with the effort from his young co-stars in Towns and Andrew Wiggins, and it soon emerged that they likewise weren’t thrilled with the idea of taking a backseat to Butler. This was particularly true for Wiggins after he signed a massive extension last summer.
But Wiggins has also owned up to his shortcomings this past season, perhaps seeing the writing on the wall that he could very well be on the trading block because of the disharmony. Fortunately for him, owner Glen Taylor appears to have his back, saying in a recent episode of The Scoop podcast with Darren Wolfson of ESPN that he’s still confident in Wiggins’ ability to get better.
“I just think you want to take a person and not give up on them when they’re that young, no matter what,” Taylor said. “I just think you have to be really careful not to give up on him.”
The key for Wiggins, in terms of playing alongside Butler and under a defense-minded coach like Tom Thibodeau, will be both a willingness to defer on offense and more focused efforts on the other side of the ball, where he should be able to use his length and athleticism to become a formidable force against opponents.
Wiggins has both the contract and the verbal backing of the owner, so this season could be his last opportunity to prove he can adjust; otherwise, his days in Minnesota might be numbered.
