The start of the 2024-2025 NBA season is just around the corner and ESPN has released its annual NBA rankings, counting down the association’s top 100 players. How many Wolves made the cut? Which ones should have been higher or lower? Let’s dive in and put forward our thoughts.

Conley, who is heading into his 18th NBA season, remains as steady as can be. Perhaps the most telling statistic about Conley’s impact with the Timberwolves: Minnesota won 53-23 with Conley in the starting lineup and 3-3 in the six games he missed before advancing to the Western Conference finals. He’s still a great facilitator (5.9 assists per game) who has done a better job playing off the ball alongside Anthony Edwards, shooting a career-best 44.2% from 3-point range last season. –Tim MacMahon

That feels good for Conley, who at 37 years old still deserves to be on the list.

From Minnesota cult hero to NBA Sixth Man of the Year: Reid makes his top-100 debut. He has transformed into a key player for the Wolves, averaging 13.5 points and 5.2 rebounds in 81 games, both as a key reserve and as a starter (the team went 10-4 when Reid started last season). The Wolves will lean even more on Reid after trading Karl-Anthony Towns. –Jamal Collier

I don’t know if Reid deserves to be higher than 87th right now, but I’m willing to bet he moves up the list next year.

Four years into his career and still just 24 years old, the 6-9, 185-pound McDaniels – who boasts a 7-foot wingspan – has been dubbed by Minnesota management as Michael Jordan’s Scottie Pippen to Anthony Edwards for years . to come. In the modern, increasingly fluid NBA game, McDaniels is a prototypical defender who can switch to all five spots and suffocate the opponent from the rim to the paint. The Wolves also made a big bet on him, trading away a former franchise mainstay in Towns just as McDaniels’ salary jumped from $3.9 million to $23 million — meaning they’re banking on a similar spike in production from McDaniels. — Dave McMenamin

McDaniels also makes his top 100 debut after being named second-team All-Defense last year. It would be great if he can become more of a goalscorer this season. If that happens, he could also rise on next year’s list.

DiVincenzo was a big part of the Knicks’ offense last season, hitting a whopping 283 triples in 2023-24 – third-most in the NBA and nearly double the number he scored the season before when he teamed with Stephen Curry worked in Golden State. The 27-year-old may have a fair amount of upside as well. He averaged nearly 23 points in New York’s seven-game Eastern Conference semifinal series. Expect DiVincenzo to be a key contributor for the Wolves, who will fully embrace his shooting ability now that Karl-Anthony Towns is a Knick. — Chris Herring

I actually think this might be a bit low for DiVincenzo, who will fit perfectly in the Wolves backcourt. He and Reid could compete against each other this season for Sixth Man of the Year honors.

The 29-year-old had some turbulent moments during his six seasons with the Knicks; especially in the play-offs. But the team undoubtedly missed its playmaking and secondary scoring last season while Randle nursed his dislocated shoulder. Randle, a two-time All-NBA selection who has generally been one of the healthiest players in the league in recent years, will now head to Minnesota, where he will play alongside rising superstar Anthony Edwards. It will be worth seeing how Randle’s presence affects the Wolves’ spacing, but his passing is underrated and he has the potential to help the team’s offense significantly. -Chris Herring

This feels a bit low for a two-time All-NBA player (AKA top 15), but Randle arguably has something to prove after coming to Minnesota. Away from the pressure of New York, he should be primed for a big season.

After a difficult transition year with the Timberwolves, Gobert anchored the NBA’s top-ranked defense en route to collecting his record-breaking fourth Defensive Player of the Year award. He also averaged a double-double (14.0 points, 12.9 rebounds per game) for the eighth straight season. There is a narrative of Gobert being outplayed in the playoffs, but Minnesota outscored their playoff foes by 95 points in his 512 minutes and was minus-28 in 256 minutes without him. –Tim MacMahon

With Karl-Anthony Towns (No. 30 on this list) gone, Gobert is now the Wolves’ second-best player. He is limited in what he can do offensively, but all he really has to do is set screens and finish at the rim. The four-time DPOY remains elite on the other end of the floor.

Edwards was the breakout star of the 2024 season with an All-Star appearance, an All-NBA selection and a dominant performance in the playoffs that peaked with a Wolves win over defending champion Denver Nuggets in the second round. Edwards averaged 27.8 points on 48% shooting to lead the Wolves to their first conference finals since 2004. He followed up this summer by playing a key role in Team USA’s gold medal campaign at the Paris Olympics. With the NBA amid an unprecedented array of international players dominating both the MVP race and discussions of the league’s best players, the 23-year-old has a chance to seize the title as the second-best in American-born player of the league. . –Jamal Collier

This is high praise for Edwards, who moved up three spots from last year’s list after the best season of his career. He is one spot behind Kevin Durant and ahead of players like Jalen Brunson, Jaylen Brown and Devin Booker. Edwards, who finished seventh in MVP voting last year, definitely has top-10 talent. Can he display that all season as the undisputed alpha of this Wolves team? Shooting efficiency, off-ball movement, playmaking and defensive focus are all things to keep an eye on for Ant this year. When he’s playing, he’s as dangerous as anyone in the league.

The Wolves are the only team in the NBA with seven players in the top 100. The Celtics, Thunder and Knicks each have six. That tells you a lot about their talent and depth this season.