Minnesota Timberwolves Playoff Grades: Round 2 vs Denver Nuggets Report Card (2024)

On May 19, 2004, I was a high school kid pacing breathlessly around my room while I watched the Minnesota Timberwolves play the Sacramento Kings in Game 7 of the Western Conference Semifinals. Every shot, every rebound, and every loose ball would make me freeze up or release an erratic shriek of joy. Then the buzzer sounded, Kevin Garnett jumped up on the scorer’s table, and I stood there levitating in the room.

On May 19, 2024, there is nothing similar about my life now. I’m an adult with two kids and a mortgage. I’ve had all the joy and grief that comes with two decades of living. But on Sunday, I was once again a kid pacing around a room (this time with family and friends because I am after all a little older and wiser, after all). Every made shot, every rebound, every loose ball still felt the way they did 20 years ago.

In the first half, I was a weathered Minnesota sports fan staring into the abyss muttering “But this team is different… this team is different… this team IS different…” In the second half, I was sixteen years old again, levitating above the ground as Rudy Gobert hit a twelve foot fadeaway.

It turns out, this team is different. The defense ratcheted up, and our stars put their imprint on the game, Naz Reid Naz Reid’ed, and when the buzzer sounded, they’d completed the largest Game 7 comeback in NBA history. Now, with a whole state beginning to rally behind them, they venture forward into waters only once sailed by this franchise, looking to journey farther than ever before.

Let’s get to the grades.

A few brief reminders about the grading system:

1. These grades are roles-based, so the stats I’m looking at for each player are different.
2. Roles on the team can change as the roster and playing time changes—I will alter or add statistical categories throughout the playoffs based on matchup.
3. Small sample size alert! Every playoff series is between 4-7 games so there is going to be more volatility with stats and grades.

Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

Mike Conley WCSF Series Grade: 89% (B+)

No one needs to look any further than Game 5 to see how much this version of Mike Conley means to the team. He’s the parent on the court who is always doing the right thing on both sides of the ball. His leadership and calm demeanor has spread to his younger teammates, helping all of them play with maturity beyond their years.

The limitations of a right soleus strain can’t limit Conley’s brain and heart, and there is no doubt that a clutch 3-pointer is in the cards for this series.

Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

Anthony Edwards WCSF Series Grade: 94% (A)

Another great playoff series to add to the resume of Anthony Edwards. Had he not been out-dueled by a certain three-time Serbian MVP, his Game 4 offensive masterclass would have been remembered as the greatest game of his life.

Instead, the final two games of the series became about something much different for Edwards: He showed that he can drive winning with defense. His ability to single-handedly put Jamal Murray in handcuffs turned the second half of Game 7 more than any single shot, put back slam, or dagger three.

He’s taking the next step of his basketball evolution ahead of schedule. Lockdown defense while letting offensive basketball flow through him much like Luke Skywalker discovering how to use the force - the league may regret giving him this taste of success because this 22-year-old from Oakland City, Atlanta is never going to let up.

Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Jaden McDaniels WCSF Series Grade: 95% (A)

One of the candidates for series MVP, Jaden McDaniels’ offensive addition to his All-Defensive Team-caliber performance swung Games 6 and 7 the same way that Aaron Gordon’s offensive performance did in Game 4.

When McDaniels is an active offensive contributor, there are no simple answers for the Timberwolves’ test. Denver (and presumably Dallas) is going to live with using the other defenders to slow down Edwards, Towns, and the Conley/Gobert pick-and-roll - McDaniels made the Nuggets pay the price for loading up elsewhere.

Not listed at all in the stats above is the fact that Michael Porter Jr. was McDaniels primary matchup for a large chunk of the series, and it is no coincidence that he put up games of four, six, eight and seven points over the final four games of the series.

Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports

Karl-Anthony Towns WCSF Series Grade: 98% (A)

Karl-Anthony Towns is the series MVP. No human can stop Nikola Jokić, but the way KAT limited him over the course of a seven-game series is the biggest reason that the Timberwolves have advanced to the Western Conference Finals.

Mix that kind of defensive effort with high IQ and patient offense, clutch shot-making, and being the only player in the first half of Game 7 that could sustain offense and you now have a legacy defining series for Towns.

Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

Rudy Gobert WCSF Series Grade: 84% (B)

I mean… what more do you need to see other than that? This shot from Rudy Gobert swung the series from an emotional standpoint from Ball Arena all the way to Minnesota. Everyone on the floor and at home began to believe that the Wolves could win.

For the series as a whole - Rudy was the typical defensive anchor causing contested shots and “never-minds” all over the floor. Aaron Gordon finding a shooting rhythm made his nights a bit more difficult as he was forced to contest and out of position for rebounds, but Big Ru still found a way to impact games on both sides of the ball.

His impact will always be underrated, but despite what any national media narratives tell you, there is no playing this big man off the floor.

Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports

Nickeil Alexander-Walker WCSF Series Grade: 65% (D)

Something of note right away is that the bench did not have a great series. All three of our main rotation pieces struggled with their shooting, but NAW’s numbers on both sides saw the biggest drop.

Jamal Murray had most of his success this series with Alexander-Walker on him - shooting 63.6% on 22 attempts. NAW made him work, but Murray got the best of him during their time on the floor this series.

Does this performance have me worried? Not one bit. He’ll be ready to lace up the shoes, hike up the shorts, and get in a defensive stance to slow down Kyrie Irving the moment he checks into Game 1 versus the Dallas Mavericks. Here’s hoping for a little shooting variance that progresses back towards his season average.

Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

Naz Reid WCSF Series Grade: 72% (C-)

The only thing that is going to be remembered about Naz Reid’s series is his Game 7 performance in the fourth quarter - and rightfully so. He came onto the court in the biggest five-minute stretch of the season and was perfect on both ends of the floor. It takes a Men In Black neuralyzer to our brains for the rest of the series.

So I’ll just whisper this part quietly and move on; the rest of his series wasn’t very good. He’s still struggling to find his shooting stroke, and outside of the fourth quarter in Game 7 and the majority of Game 2, Jokić was able to hunt him a bit defensively (you know, just like every other player in the NBA not named Towns).

Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports

Kyle Anderson WCSF Series Grade: 75% (C)

At this point, it feels as though I could just copy and paste every section from previous grades. Slow-Mo’s strengths and flaws were on full display in the Denver series; he was a great playmaker who struggled finding his shot and played great team defense.

In the upcoming conference finals series, more will be asked of Kyle Anderson. Luka Dončić draws 6.8 fouls per game and Slow-Mo will be our best defender off the bench to cover him. His biggest contribution in the coming series will be helping to limit Dončić - anytime he puts the basketball through the hoop will be a bonus.

As always, if you are looking for some more Timberwolves content during the playoffs, check out the Dunks After Dusk podcast on both Apple and Spotify. Relive the euphoria of the Game 7 victory with us, or dive deep with us in Western Conference Finals preview.