The days of a select few NBA franchises hogging all of the championships may be coming to an end. The league that has historically produced the fewest surprises is starting to show more parity than ever before.
Just look at the standings out West. No one could have predicted that the teams with two of the best records coming into the second week of January would be the Minnesota Timberwolves (25-10) and the Oklahoma City Thunder (23-11). They entered this season with win totals of 44.5. Now it looks like both could eclipse 50 victories.
Minnesota hasn’t reached that number since Kevin Garnett’s MVP season of 2003-04 when the Timberwolves went 58-24. Oklahoma City last did so in 2015-16 when Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook powered the Thunder to a 55-27 mark.
The rise of Minnesota and Oklahoma City is good for the long-term health of the NBA. While traditional powerhouse franchises like the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics built the league, it’s important to see smaller-market teams with a legitimate shot at the title. The NBA has become more inclusive recently, with teams like the Toronto Raptors, Milwaukee Bucks, and Denver Nuggets winning it all.
Big stars no longer have to jump to bigger cities. Draft well, trade smartly, and with a little luck, you can build a champion. The Nuggets were the ultimate example of that last year.
We’ve been waiting for the Timberwolves to emerge for a while now. There’s no reason why a squad with Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns shouldn’t be a contender. In the summer of 2022, they gave up a haul to acquire Rudy Gobert. This season, it looks like that move is paying off.
Under fourth-year coach Chris Finch, Minnesota owns the league’s best defensive rating and the second-lowest field-goal percentage allowed (44.7 percent). Gobert, Towns, and Edwards all rank in the top seven in individual defensive rating with Gobert leading the way. Gobert is on his way to winning NBA Defensive Player of the Year for the fourth time.
But perhaps the biggest reason for the improvement is the arrival of the 22-year-old Edwards as one of the league’s top overall players. He’s enjoying a career-best in points (26.8), assists (5.0)., field-goal percentage (46.2), free-throw attempts (6.8), and player efficiency rating (20.4). With his raw athleticism and strength, he’s nearly impossible to slow down and will only get better with time.
Minnesota already has victories over Miami, Denver, Golden State, Boston, the Lakers, Philadelphia, and Dallas. It also has the second-easiest remaining schedule, so the future looks bright.
Oklahoma City’s ascension might be a little more surprising. Despite the league’s third-youngster roster, the Thunder have quickly improved. Few teams have done a better job of acquiring and developing talent. All five of their starters are 25 or younger, led by the oldest Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
SGA is an MVP candidate. The Western Conference Player of the Month for December is fourth in the league in scoring (31.5) and third in PER (31.17), while shooting 54.7 percent. But the biggest difference this season has been the addition of Rookie of the Year candidate Chet Holmgren. The seven-footer who missed all of last year due to injury leads all first-year players in PER (21.24) and has a chance to be named an NBA All-Star.
In his fourth season, coach Mark Daigneault has guided OKC has the NBA’s fourth-best offensive rating and seventh-best defensive rating. And like Minnesota, the Thunder have a manageable schedule remaining, the fifth-easiest.
How long can Minnesota and Oklahoma City stay near the top? A lot will depend on health. Theirs and the opposition. By the spring, perhaps established powers like the Lakers or the Warriors will return to form. Plus, Denver is still the defending champ.
But for now, the Timberwolves and the Thunder provide hope for any fan of a small-market team.
