With the 2025-26 NBA season kicking off this week, optimism abounds for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Coming off back-to-back appearances in the Western Conference Finals and returning 9 of its top 10 players, including transcendent star, Anthony Edwards, the Wolves are poised to take the next step and secure the franchise’s first NBA championship. As we look forward with anticipation and excitement on what could be the best season ever, let’s look back at some of the “best” in Timberwolves history.
Players
Best Player – Kevin Garnett
KG built the foundation of his Hall of Fame career in Minnesota and still holds most of the team’s career records and had the best individual season in Timberwolves history when he was named the league’s MVP in 2004. It’s past time that his #21 jersey hangs from the rafters of Target Center. Let’s hope the new owners get it done.
Best Point Guard – Stephon Marbury
Electric playmaker who averaged nearly 17 ppg and 8.3 apg during his Wolves career. Teamed with Garnett to form one of the most exciting young duos in the game but unfortunately it didn’t last long. He requested a trade early in his 3rd season because he simply hated the Minnesota weather. He even cited black ice as a major factor – likely a first in NBA history.
Best Shooting Guard – Anthony Edwards
KG’s reign as the best player in franchise history is only going to last a few more years if Edwards continues his meteoric rise. At just 24 years of age, he is already a 3-time All-Star, 2-time All-NBA, and an Olympic gold medalist.
Best Small Forward – Tom Gugliotta
This was a difficult choice with both Tony Campbell and Andrew Wiggins drawing strong consideration. Googs got the nod because of his well-rounded game. He was a 6’10 playmaker who averaged 18.2 ppg, 8.5 rpg, and 3.8 apg during his Wolves career and was named an All-Star in the 1996-97 season.
Best Power Forward – Kevin Garnett
Kevin Love was great too but tough to beat out KG.
Best Center – Karl-Anthony Towns
KAT ranks second behind KG in many Wolves career categories including points, rebounds and blocks. Widely considered one of the best shooting big men in league history. He was Rookie of the Year, a 4-time All-Star, and 2-time All-NBA performer as a Timberwolf.
Best 6th Man – Naz Reid
Two words: fan favorite. This popular young star has gotten better every year, averaging career highs in scoring 14.2 ppg and rebounding 6.0 rpg last season. Was named the NBA’s 6th Man of the Year following the 2023-24 season.
Best Overall Shooter – Wally Szczerbiak/Karl-Anthony Towns
The two premier marksmen in Timberwolves history who approached legendary 40/50/90 status. Wally shot 50% from the floor, 40% from 3, and 86% from the line. KAT shot 52%, 40%, and 84% respectively
Best Mid-Range Shooter – Sam Cassell
Tough to go against Terrell Brandon, famous for his “stop and pop” game, or Sam Mitchell’s automatic baseline jumper but Cassell shot over 50% from 2- point range in his brief, 2-year career in a Wolves uniform. He, of course, was a great complement to Garnett during his MVP season and earned All-NBA honors that year.
Best 3-Point Shooter – Fred Hoiberg
While Edwards is already the single season and career record holder for 3- pointers made, the most accurate long-range shooter in Wolves history is Hoiberg. He holds the single season (.483) and career (.461) marks for 3-point percentage.
Best Free Throw Shooter – Micheal Williams
One of only two Wolves players to shoot greater than 90% from the line in a season (Troy Hudson is the other). Even more impressively, he made an NBA record 97 consecutive free throws for the Wolves from March 24 to November 9, 1993.
Best Rebounder – Kevin Love
While the Wolves have been blessed with some great rebounders in their history including Kevin Garnett, KAT and Rudy Gobert, Love was simply at another level. In 2010-11 he averaged a franchise record 15.2 rebounds per contest to lead the league. He is also the Wolves career leader at more than 12 rebounds per game.
Best Passer – Ricky Rubio
No player in team history has had the court vision and passing flair of Rubio. In fact, I would argue he was somewhat of a unicorn in the NBA. He was the rare point guard who wasn’t obsessed with dribbling but rather pushed the ball ahead with the pass. He could literally pass his teammates open. He holds the team’s single season assist record at 9.1 per game. The only player comp that I can think of for our younger fans comes from the WNBA – Caitlin Clark. For all the hype about her logo threes, the most impressive part of her game is her amazing passing ability.
Best Defender – Rudy Gobert
One can make a strong case for Garnett and Jaden McDaniels but only one Timberwolves player has ever been named the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year and that is Gobert. In this analytics-driven era, he has been the anchor of the Wolves defense, protecting the rim and forcing opposing teams to take the lower percentage mid-range shot.
Best Shot Blocker – Eddie Griffin
Despite playing just 20 minutes a night, Griffin is the team’s career leader in blocks per game at 1.8 and block percentage at 6.9, a remarkable 2.4 higher than Rudy Gobert. His career was cut short when he was tragically killed in a car accident at just 25 years old.
Best Post Moves – Al Jefferson
General Manager Kevin McHale, a man with a considerable “bag “of post moves (that’s the current jargon, isn’t it?) as a Hall of Fame player, made Jefferson the centerpiece of the blockbuster trade that sent Wolves legend Kevin Garnett to the Celtics. While the trade received plenty of criticism, Jefferson didn’t disappoint. He displayed a McHale-like “bag” of moves and a soft shooting touch to average more than 20 ppg during his 3 years with the Wolves. He is one of only 4 players to average more than 20 ppg during their Wolves careers (Edwards, Towns, and Tony Campbell are the others.)
Best Dunker – Zach Lavine
Many credit Lavine with breathing life into the once stagnant NBA Dunk Contest and he came away as a two-time winner of the competition, including an epic battle with Aaron Gordon in 2016. While Zach is the clear choice in this category, the Wolves have enjoyed many great dunkers over the years, including JR Rider (1994 Dunk Contest winner), Gerald Green (visit YouTube to check out his incredible cupcake dunk), and Hoop Habits’ very own, Chris Carr who represented the Wolves in the 1997 Dunk Contest. And let’s not forget about a certain #5 on the current roster that is routinely posterizing players across the league.
Best Scorer – Anthony Edwards
Edwards finished 4th in the league in scoring last season at nearly 28 ppg, a Wolves single season record. Amazingly, he has increased his scoring average in each of his 5 seasons in the league. If he keeps this trajectory, there is little doubt that he will be the first Wolves player to win an NBA scoring title.
Best Lefty – Julius Randle
In just one year, Randle established himself as the best lefty in team history averaging 18.7 ppg, 7.1 rpg, and 4.7 apg. Lucky for Randle, we didn’t consult with former GM David Kahn who once infamously referred to his signing of lefty journeyman, Darko Milicic, as “manna from heaven.” Trust me that was a very dark time for Wolves fans.
Best Nickname – Jerome “Pooh” Richardson
The first draft pick in Wolves history. Remarkably played in all 82 games each of his 3 seasons in a Wolves uniform (I guess load management wasn’t a thing back then) and averaged 15 ppg and 8 apg. Honorable mention to Kevin “The Big Ticket” Garnett, James “Hollywood” Robinson, Fred “The Mayor” Hoiberg, Rudy “The Stifle Tower” Gobert, Tyus “Stones” Jones, Mark “Mad Dog” Madsen, and Nikola “The Godfather” Pekovic.
Coaches/Executives
Best Coach – Chris Finch
With all due respect to the late Flip Saunders who was an outstanding coach during his 11 years on the bench, Finch has taken the Wolves to another level. He has a career winning percentage of .566 vs .521 for Flip and, in just 5 years, has led the Wolves to more playoff wins 21 to 17, including 2 appearances in the Western Conference Finals
Best General Manager – Tim Connelly
In his brief tenure, Connelly has made several bold moves that have allowed the Wolves to become a legitimate title contender including blockbuster trades that landed Rudy Gobert, Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo, Mike Conley and Nickeil Alexander-Walker. The jury is still out on his draft picks but Jaylen Clark, TJ Shannon, Rob Dillingham, and Joan Beringer show promise. It’s also worth recognizing the work of one of Connelly’s predecessors, Gersson Rosas – under his leadership the Wolves drafted Anthony Edwards, traded for Jaden McDaniels, and signed Naz Reid as an undrafted free agent. In addition, he hired Chris Finch as head coach.
Broadcasters
TV Play-by-Play – Kevin Harlan
This NBA and NFL broadcasting legend was the original voice of the Timberwolves and called games for their first nine seasons. His creative and energetic style helped keep Wolves fans engaged during the team’s formative years. He can also take credit for giving Kevin Garnett his iconic nickname, “The Big Ticket.” While Harlan is the best, Michael Grady has next! His smooth voice and great chemistry with broadcast partner, Jim Petersen, has endeared himself to the current generation of Wolves fans. His signature “CASH” call for made 3 pointers has made it into the lexicon of pick-up games across the state. As the Anthony Edwards of the broadcast profession, he is rapidly climbing the ladder and will play a prominent role in the NBA’s national telecasts this season. Fortunately for Wolves fans, he will still be working approximately a third of our games as well.
TV Analyst – Jim Petersen
With over 2 decades of experience as an analyst on Wolves broadcasts, Petersen has developed a reputation as one of the best in the business. In fact, he and Grady were ranked as the 6th best local broadcast team in a 2024 NBA fan survey. Petersen is knowledgeable and well-prepared and does an excellent job of straddling the fence between being a “homer” and providing objective analysis.
TV Studio Host/Sideline Reporter – Tom Hanneman
This legendary Twin Cities sports journalist, who passed away in 2020, will be forever cemented in Timberwolves lore. He left WCCO TV to join the Timberwolves broadcast team and held many roles over the years including partnering with Kevin Harlan on TV in the early years and later serving as a sideline reporter and studio host. He was universally admired in his profession and the Timberwolves named the Timberwolves/Lynx media room at Target Center in his honor.
Radio Play-by-Play – Alan Horton
The long-time radio voice of the Wolves, Horton has broadcast more than 1,000 games in his career. He is known for his passion, honesty, sense of humor, and excellence in describing the on-court action. Perhaps one of his most memorable calls happened in a 2013 game vs. the Dallas Mavericks. The Wolves were trailing by 2 with just seconds left and Kevin Love was clearly fouled on a game-winning 3-point attempt – but no call, game over. Here was Horton’s response: “Referees are booed as they go off the floor. BRUTAL!!! David Guthrie is right there, he didn’t have the guts to call it, also OH ED MALLOY!!! Check for it online – you won’t regret it. It will be fun to watch Horton this season as he partners with Petersen on TV, filling in for the games that Grady will miss because of his national commitments.
Fan Experience
Best Ambassador – Jeff Munneke
Simply known as Munn, he is currently the VP of Fan Experience and holds the distinction of being the lone remaining original Timberwolves employee. During his nearly 40 years with the organization, it is fair to say that no one has generated more positive good will for the franchise than Munn – that includes players, coaches, front office staff, and media personalities. And you don’t have to take my word for it – ask any of the thousands of fans who have had the privilege of interacting with Munn over the years. He knows most of them by name. His signature positive, upbeat attitude never changes whether the team is struggling or playing great. Without question he is the fan experience GOAT!
Best Season: 2025-26?
As long-suffering Wolves fans, we certainly hope this will be the year to end the championship drought. But until we see how the year plays out, 2003-04 remains the best season in Wolves history. It was Garnett’s MVP season, the Wolves finished the year with a 58-24 record and the #1 seed in the West before losing to the Shaq/Kobe Lakers in the Western Conference Finals.
About the Author
As Hoop Habits’ media contributor, Roger Johnson brings decades of basketball expertise to his articles. Having served as a marketing executive at Wells Fargo & Company and a content writer for Ultimate Hoops, Roger’s true passion has always been basketball. With experience as a collegiate player at Moorhead State University, coach, and parent of successful players, Roger offers unique insights into the game. His dedication shows through his Minnesota Timberwolves season tickets, University of Minnesota basketball support, and attendance at over 3,000 basketball games throughout his lifetime.