Their postseason futility often earned them favorable draft positioning, including the No. 1 overall pick twice — in 2015, when they drafted Towns, and in 2020, when they drafted Anthony Edwards.
Edwards has brought energy with his play and personality, averaging 21 points per game in his second N.B.A. season and thrilling both teammates and fans with his buoyancy, particularly before injuring his knee in January.
Towns has embraced his leadership role. He’s been particularly effective in March, starting the month with a 39-point effort against the Golden State Warriors, and scoring 60 points last week against the San Antonio Spurs.
Minnesota’s growth from last season is apparent, but it has also progressed since earlier this season. Minnesota lost seven of its first 10 games and had a season-worst six-game losing streak during that span.
But now, in March, the Timberwolves are 9-3 and have compiled winning streaks of four and six games since the All-Star break in February. They’ve hovered close to capturing at least the sixth-best record in the Western Conference, which is now the only way to ensure a playoff berth.
In the past, the league would simply include the top eight seeds in each conference in the playoffs. But last season, the N.B.A. introduced a play-in tournament for the bottom of its playoff bracket. In it, the teams with the seventh- through 10th-best records in each conference play in a mini tournament for the final two playoff spots.