This season’s Wolves will play better, smarter, more consistently entertaining basketball than the locals have witnessed in well over a decade.

The NBA created the circumstances for the biggest free-agent banquet in the history of basketball, and the Wolves were content to consume a few morsels that were swept off the table. That’s good news.

Minnesota selected Dunn. But did they really want him or was it to facilitate a trade with Chicago? Or Philadelphia? Or anyone else coveting Kris Dunn?

The big things are in place. Which means it’s easier to identify where weaknesses exist on the Timberwolves’ current roster — and how they might be addressed. 

When reflecting upon the Thibodeau hire, “culture” is the pertinent word. 

Even safe, established candidates are not foolproof. And for all their accomplishment, Thibodeau, Van Gundy and Brooks all sport red flags on their resumes.

I’m not sure Sam Mitchell was the best person to coach the Wolves going forward, but there’s a chance the team may come to regret the decision to fire him. 

The win — and the role of swingman Andrew Wiggins in securing it — ratified the maturing legitimacy of the team’s cornerstones.

For those willing to look more closely, Rubio has in fact been improving as a shooter for most of this season. 

To paraphrase a cliché from postseason tournaments, the Timberwolves need to understand that the prevailing mood among the faithful is, “win or go away.”

How a kid from Canada became the quintessential Minnesotan.

A little review and reorientation seems in order for the final 28 games of the season, the 12th in row where Minnesota will fail to qualify for the playoffs. 

The long-term future has never looked better for the Wolves. But the stakes have also never been higher.

When it comes to the Wolves’ fortunes, Karl-Anthony Towns may be the future. But Andrew Wiggins is the guy already more than holding his own.

The NBA has become a league that increasingly features athletic wing players, which the Wolves have in abundance. And yet the team can’t seem to get out of its own way. 

How does the franchise pivot to get the best possible short-term and long-term value from their soon-to-be superstar?

How did such a young, promising roster, without any major injuries to deter it, suddenly find itself in the dregs of dysfunction?