2018–19 Minnesota Timberwolves season
NBA professional basketball team season
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The 2018–19 Minnesota Timberwolves season was the 30th season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Head coachTom Thibodeau (fired)
Ryan Saunders (interim)
Ryan Saunders (interim)
| 2018–19 Minnesota Timberwolves season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Tom Thibodeau (fired) Ryan Saunders (interim) |
| General manager | Scott Layden |
| Owners | Glen Taylor |
| Arena | Target Center |
| Results | |
| Record | 36–46 (.439) |
| Place | Division: 5th (Northwest) Conference: 11th (Western) |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
Stats at Basketball Reference | |
| Local media | |
| Television | Fox Sports North |
| Radio | WCCO |
Before the start of training camp, disgruntled All-Star Jimmy Butler requested a trade, indicating that he would not re-sign with the Timberwolves during the 2019 off-season. After multiple disputes and games where he played for Minnesota, Butler's wish was finally granted, sending him to the Philadelphia 76ers on November 12, 2018. On March 30, 2019, on his return against his former team Butler was booed during the players' introductions.
On January 6, 2019, the Timberwolves fired head coach Tom Thibodeau and named Ryan Saunders as interim head coach.[1] With a loss against the Hornets on March 21, the Timberwolves were eliminated from playoff contention.
Draft
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality(-ies) | College / Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 | Josh Okogie | SG |  Nigeria United States |
Georgia Tech |
| 2 | 48 | Keita Bates-Diop | SF | United States |
Ohio State |
Roster
| Players | Coaches | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Head coach
Assistant(s)
Legend
Roster |
Standings
Division
| Northwest Division | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Div | GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| y – Denver Nuggets | 54 | 28 | .659 | – | 34–7 | 20–21 | 12–4 | 82 |
| x – Portland Trail Blazers | 53 | 29 | .646 | 1.0 | 32–9 | 21–20 | 6–10 | 82 |
| x – Utah Jazz | 50 | 32 | .610 | 4.0 | 29–12 | 21–20 | 8–8 | 82 |
| x – Oklahoma City Thunder | 49 | 33 | .598 | 5.0 | 27–14 | 22–19 | 9–7 | 82 |
| Minnesota Timberwolves | 36 | 46 | .439 | 18.0 | 25–16 | 11–30 | 5–11 | 82 |
Conference
| Western Conference | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Team | W | L | PCT | GB | GP |
| 1 | c – Golden State Warriors * | 57 | 25 | .695 | – | 82 |
| 2 | y – Denver Nuggets * | 54 | 28 | .659 | 3.0 | 82 |
| 3 | x – Portland Trail Blazers | 53 | 29 | .646 | 4.0 | 82 |
| 4 | y – Houston Rockets * | 53 | 29 | .646 | 4.0 | 82 |
| 5 | x – Utah Jazz | 50 | 32 | .610 | 7.0 | 82 |
| 6 | x – Oklahoma City Thunder | 49 | 33 | .598 | 8.0 | 82 |
| 7 | x – San Antonio Spurs | 48 | 34 | .585 | 9.0 | 82 |
| 8 | x – Los Angeles Clippers | 48 | 34 | .585 | 9.0 | 82 |
| 9 | Sacramento Kings | 39 | 43 | .476 | 18.0 | 82 |
| 10 | Los Angeles Lakers | 37 | 45 | .451 | 20.0 | 82 |
| 11 | Minnesota Timberwolves | 36 | 46 | .439 | 21.0 | 82 |
| 12 | Memphis Grizzlies | 33 | 49 | .402 | 24.0 | 82 |
| 13 | New Orleans Pelicans | 33 | 49 | .402 | 24.0 | 82 |
| 14 | Dallas Mavericks | 33 | 49 | .402 | 24.0 | 82 |
| 15 | Phoenix Suns | 19 | 63 | .232 | 38.0 | 82 |
Game log
Preseason
| 2018 preseason game log Total: 1–4 (Home: 0–2; Road: 1–2) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Preseason: 1–4 (home: 0–2; road: 1–2)
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| 2018–19 season schedule | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Regular season
Player statistics
Regular season
| Player | POS | GP | GS | MP | REB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS | MPG | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Karl-Anthony Towns | C | 77 | 77 | 2,545 | 954 | 259 | 67 | 125 | 1,880 | 33.1 | 12.4 | 3.4 | .9 | 1.6 | 24.4 |
| Gorgui Dieng | C | 76 | 2 | 1,031 | 311 | 72 | 48 | 41 | 485 | 13.6 | 4.1 | .9 | .6 | .5 | 6.4 |
| Josh Okogie | SG | 74 | 52 | 1,757 | 218 | 91 | 88 | 33 | 570 | 23.7 | 2.9 | 1.2 | 1.2 | .4 | 7.7 |
| Andrew Wiggins | SF | 73 | 73 | 2,543 | 352 | 184 | 70 | 48 | 1,321 | 34.8 | 4.8 | 2.5 | 1.0 | .7 | 18.1 |
| Taj Gibson | PF | 70 | 57 | 1,686 | 458 | 84 | 53 | 39 | 753 | 24.1 | 6.5 | 1.2 | .8 | .6 | 10.8 |
| Dario Šarić† | PF | 68 | 28 | 1,627 | 371 | 101 | 41 | 6 | 714 | 23.9 | 5.5 | 1.5 | .6 | .1 | 10.5 |
| Tyus Jones | PG | 68 | 23 | 1,560 | 134 | 327 | 81 | 5 | 468 | 22.9 | 2.0 | 4.8 | 1.2 | .1 | 6.9 |
| Anthony Tolliver | PF | 65 | 0 | 1,079 | 177 | 46 | 17 | 21 | 326 | 16.6 | 2.7 | .7 | .3 | .3 | 5.0 |
| Derrick Rose | SG | 51 | 13 | 1,392 | 140 | 220 | 31 | 12 | 917 | 27.3 | 2.7 | 4.3 | .6 | .2 | 18.0 |
| Jeff Teague | PG | 42 | 41 | 1,264 | 106 | 343 | 43 | 18 | 510 | 30.1 | 2.5 | 8.2 | 1.0 | .4 | 12.1 |
| Jerryd Bayless | PG | 34 | 6 | 657 | 62 | 119 | 18 | 2 | 209 | 19.3 | 1.8 | 3.5 | .5 | .1 | 6.1 |
| Keita Bates-Diop | SF | 30 | 3 | 503 | 83 | 17 | 18 | 14 | 151 | 16.8 | 2.8 | .6 | .6 | .5 | 5.0 |
| Robert Covington† | SF | 22 | 22 | 763 | 126 | 32 | 50 | 24 | 318 | 34.7 | 5.7 | 1.5 | 2.3 | 1.1 | 14.5 |
| Luol Deng | SF | 22 | 2 | 392 | 73 | 18 | 15 | 8 | 157 | 17.8 | 3.3 | .8 | .7 | .4 | 7.1 |
| Cameron Reynolds | SG | 19 | 0 | 259 | 31 | 13 | 6 | 2 | 95 | 13.6 | 1.6 | .7 | .3 | .1 | 5.0 |
| C. J. Williams | SG | 15 | 0 | 128 | 8 | 12 | 6 | 0 | 39 | 8.5 | .5 | .8 | .4 | .0 | 2.6 |
| Jared Terrell | SG | 14 | 0 | 111 | 6 | 12 | 3 | 2 | 31 | 7.9 | .4 | .9 | .2 | .1 | 2.2 |
| James Nunnally† | SF | 13 | 0 | 64 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 27 | 4.9 | .3 | .4 | .1 | .0 | 2.1 |
| Jimmy Butler† | SG | 10 | 10 | 361 | 52 | 43 | 24 | 10 | 213 | 36.1 | 5.2 | 4.3 | 2.4 | 1.0 | 21.3 |
| Isaiah Canaan† | PG | 7 | 1 | 95 | 5 | 19 | 2 | 1 | 33 | 13.6 | .7 | 2.7 | .3 | .1 | 4.7 |
| Mitch Creek† | SF | 1 | 0 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 12.0 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | .0 | 6.0 |
- † Denotes player spent time with another team in the season. Stats reflect time with the Timberwolves only.
Transactions
Free agents
Re-signed
| Player | Signed |
|---|---|
| Derrick Rose[2] | July 4, 2018 |
Additions
| Player | Signed | Former Team |
|---|---|---|
| Jared Terrell[3] | Two-way contract | Rhode Island Rams |
| Anthony Tolliver[4] | July 9, 2018 | Detroit Pistons |
| C. J. Williams[5] | Two-way contract | Los Angeles Clippers |
| James Nunnally[6] | August 7, 2018 |  Fenerbahçe Doğuş |
| Luol Deng[7] | September 10, 2018 | Los Angeles Lakers |
| Darius Johnson-Odom[8] | September 24, 2018 |  Vanoli Cremona |
| Jonathan Stark[8] | Murray State Racers | |
Subtractions
| Player | Reason Left | New Team |
|---|---|---|
| Cole Aldrich[9] | Waived | Atlanta Hawks |
| Nemanja Bjelica[10] | Free agency | Sacramento Kings |
| Amile Jefferson[11] | Two-way contract | Orlando Magic |
| Anthony Brown[12] | Free agency | Philadelphia 76ers |