The Wolves are breathing in the atmosphere that surrounds an elite team, but with lungs that have yet to be vaccinated.

At just 22 years old, Minnesota Timberwolves star guard has grown as a team leader on and off the court as the Wolves sport the best record in the West.

Is Shake Milton the answer at back-up point guard and is Naz Reid getting enough minutes?

Whether on the hunt or enjoying the spoils, the repeatable process that produced the Wolves’ seven-game winning streak unfolded with efficiency and justice.

The Wolves have vanquished the Denver Nuggets on Nov. 1 and the Boston Celtics on Nov. 6 – two of the top three contenders to win the 2023-24 NBA Championship.

Proclaiming this team is mediocre until it proves itself otherwise seems like a mindset that is both smart and safe.

Ranked No. 7 nationally in preseason, the 2023 team finds itself 10-9 and reeling in early October after back-to-back losses at Maryland and Rutgers, traditionally two of the worst teams in the Big Ten.

The plan of towering over opponents with Gobert, KAT, Naz and others will have its glitches and be an ongoing work in progress, but there is simply too much talent here for that to derail another playoff appearance.

Though the Minnesota Twins were eliminated from the playoffs, halting 19 years without a post season win and a young core has the team upbeat about what’s yet to come.

Head Coach Chris Finch offers a spirited pushback on whether or not the Rudy Gobert trade was the best thing.

Can Kyle Anderson be as valuable as he was last season; consistency from Anthony Edwards on defense and the role Naz Reid.

In Part III of our one-on-one with Chris Finch we focus on the Wolves defense, honing in particularly on the pros and cons of playing Gobert up in coverage more often.

Wolves coach Chris Finch addresses the importance of maximizing the team’s budding superstar, Anthony Edwards, and also gets into initial plans for how the frontcourt combinations might unfold during the season.

In a sprawling interview that lasted more than an hour, Finch addresses the Gobert-KAT dynamic, the blossoming of Anthony Edwards into a charismatic All Star and how all the pieces might fit together during the 2023-24 Timberwolves season.

Two numbers tell the story: 18, and 2002. The first represents the Twins’ MLB-record postseason losing streak, mostly to the Yankees. The second? That’s the last time the Twins won a playoff series.