Minnesota Timberwolves DVOA, Stats, & NBA Rankings

Minnesota Timberwolves power forward Julius Randle (shoulder) will remain a starter on his new team. Randle hasn't come off the bench since the 2018-19 campaign, and Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch has now confirmed that the veteran will continue to start in Minnesota. Randle has been an All-Star in back-to-back campaigns, so it would have been quite a shock if he had landed on the bench with the Timberwolves, although Naz Reid offers a good alternative to Finch. Assuming he stays healthy, fantasy managers should get another productive campaign out of Randle. He averaged 24.0 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 5.0 assists last season.

New York Knicks guard Donte DiVincenzo won't be able to play with the full Villanova squad this season as he was part of a trade package to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Shams Charania of The Athletic reports that DiVincenzo, along with Julius Randle and a first-round pick, are being traded to the Timberwolves in return for star big man Karl-Anthony Towns. Reportedly, neither side of the trade requested a move, which is important to note as Towns has played all nine seasons of his career for Minnesota. DiVincenzo, on the other hand, came off of his best season yet as he averaged 15.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 44.3% from the floor and 40.1% from beyond the arc. He proved to be an important and talented role player while seeing a changing role with the team that went from sixth man to starting guard. Now, he'll look to continue that supporting guard role alongside Anthony Edwards in the Timberwolves' quest to make another deep playoff run.

New York Knicks forward Julius Randle will head back to the Western Conference as a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves in a blockbuster deal that included Karl-Anthony Towns. As reported by Shams Charania, the three-time All-Star has been traded along with Donte DiVincenzo and a first-round pick to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for star big man Karl-Anthony Towns. Randle missed most of last season with a shoulder injury and the Knicks went on to have an explosive playoff run that ended ultimately due to more injury issues. It seemed like Randle was primed to play some more minutes at center since Mitchell Robinson (foot) would still be on the mend, but instead, he'll now play alongside Rudy Gobert and Anthony Edwards. In 46 games last year, Randle averaged 24.0 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game with shooting splits of .472/.311/.781.

New York Knicks forward Julius Randle expects "to be ready to play by or near the start of the season." The multi-time All-Star injured his ankle in January. He initially opted for rehab instead of surgery, hoping to join the Knicks for the postseason. Unfortunately, rehab wasn't successful, resulting in Randle going under the knife in April. From a production standpoint, the 24-year-old had one of the best seasons of his career in 2023-24, averaging 24.0 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 5.0 assists in 46 games. Without question, he is one of the most underrated players in the National Basketball Association. However, the Knicks' roster looks drastically different from when Randle was on the floor last, so it's hard to predict how the new additions might impact his fantasy contributions. Still, as long as he stays healthy, he should remain a reliable fantasy asset.

Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert (finger) is coming off a season where he won another Defensive Player of the Year award. He also was a member of France during the 2024 Summer Olympics, helping the team capture a silver medal. However, Gobert was limited near the end of the Olympics due to a finger injury. But president of basketball operations Tim Connelly said during an interview that the veteran big man is "good." Connelly also was asked about an extension for Gobert, with the executive stating he'd like to keep him in Minnesota "for a long time." The 32-year-old averaged 14.0 points, 12.9 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks during the 2023-24 campaign. He also missed only six games. While Gobert has been in the National Basketball Association for over a decade, fantasy managers should continue to view him as a routine starter this season, assuming the finger injury doesn't keep him off the floor.