How far can the Minnesota Timberwolves go in the 2021-22 NBA season?

Anthony Edwards #1 of the Minnesota Timberwolves looks on during the third quarter against the New Orleans Pelicans at Target Center on May 1, 2021 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

The Minnesota Timberwolves had a terrible run in the 2020-21 NBA season, finishing 13th in the Western Conference with a 23-49 record. However, they are expected to have a better run in the 2021-22 season, provided they don't lose their key players - Karl-Anthony Towns, D'Angelo Russell and Anthony Edwards to injuries.

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Despite having a bad run last season, they finished strong, winning nine of their last 16 fixtures. That momentum is expected to drive them to have a better campaign in the coming season. We are yet to know how the change of ownership and management of the Timberwolves will affect the team, but based on how things stand, let's take a look at how far they can possibly go.

Predicting the floor for the Minnesota Timberwolves

Karl-Anthony Towns #32 of the Minnesota Timberwolves walks off of the court after the 122-115 loss to the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on February 28, 2019 in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The Timberwolves had a quiet offseason that saw them making no significant additions to the team and no draft pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.

The Timberwolves have missed the playoffs in 16 of the past 17 seasons. This dreadful run has been consistent for the past three seasons and is expected to continue into the 2021-22 NBA season, with no meaningful impact made in the offseason. Not qualifying for the playoffs or the Play-In tournament will be their floor for the coming season.

Predicting the ceiling for the Minnesota Timberwolves

Karl-Anthony Towns #32 of the Minnesota Timberwolves celebrates a basket by Taj Gibson #67 during a 120-105 win over the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center on January 24, 2019 in Los Angeles, California.

The prospect of KAT, Russell and Edwards being fit and playing together for 82 games in the 2021-22 NBA season is an exciting one. If that happens, the team could indeed have an explosive run in the coming season. The potential of this combination could be why the T-Wolves made no significant addition to the team.

The Timberwolves selected Edwards as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. The young star showed the world why he is the No. 1 pick on his debut against the Detroit Pistons, recording 15 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists in 25 minutes of play. He holds the record as the third-youngest player to score 40+ points in a single game in the history of the NBA, after putting up a career-high of 42 points against the Phoenix Suns.

Anthony Edwards is the 3rd-youngest player in NBA history with a 40-point game:

LeBron - 19 yrs old, 88 days
Durant - 19 yrs old, 200 days
Edwards - 19 yrs old, 225 days https://t.co/5cEXYNGeJl

Edwards lost the Rookie of the Year award to LaMelo Ball, who had 465 points in the voting, while he had 309 points and Tyrese Haliburton had 114 points. Edwards could go on a rampage in the coming season for the Timberwolves with KAT and Russell propping him up. Their ceiling could likely be progressing to the Play-In tournament, but making it through to the playoffs might still be a bit too much to expect.