On October 29, 2003, Minnesota beat Milwaukee 95-89 on the way to the best season in franchise history. Twenty-three years later, Anthony Edwards is out and the Clippers visit Friday, so the question that season answered is back.
October 29, 2003
That win over the Bucks came early in a 58-24 year. Minnesota was the top seed in the West, won the first division title in its history and reached the Western Conference Finals, and Kevin Garnett was named MVP. The roster was built after seven straight first-round exits. Kevin McHale and Rob Babcock surrounded Garnett with Sam Cassell, Latrell Sprewell and Ervin Johnson. Garnett was still the star, but by then he had players who could carry whole stretches of a game.
Help Around the Engine
This summer's version of that move brought in LaMelo Ball and Jonathan Kuminga to play next to Edwards. Now Edwards is out with a right knee injury and an estimated return of December 21, and the help has to do more than help. Against Golden State, Kuminga scored 20 on 7-of-15 shooting without a turnover. Terrence Shannon Jr. added 19 off the bench, 8 of them on 10 free-throw attempts. Ball had 8 assists but also 6 turnovers, and Minnesota was down 24 before losing 119-114. In 2003-04 the supporting cast lifted its star. This one has to cover for its star being gone.
The Defense Endures
Minnesota's identity has changed since Garnett's era. The current team reached back-to-back conference finals in 2024 and 2025 because of Rudy Gobert at the rim and Jaden McDaniels on the wing. Ball's fit on a defense-first team was already being argued about before Edwards got hurt. Friday's Emirates NBA Cup game is a useful test. The Clippers are 1-3 and have lost three straight. Brandon Ingram, Bradley Beal and Max Strus are out, and Rui Hachimura is day-to-day. Darius Garland is averaging 21.5 points and leads what is left. Minnesota is 3-2 and eighth in the West after two straight losses. A team that can't count on its scorer has to win by getting stops, which is what Gobert and McDaniels did in those two conference-finals runs. Kevin Garnett left his No. 21 unworn for his return, and the franchise still measures itself against his era. That era started with a star and enough help around him.
When will Anthony Edwards return for the Timberwolves?
Edwards is out with a right knee injury, and his estimated return date is December 21, 2026.
What was the Timberwolves' best season in franchise history?
It was 2003-04, when Minnesota went 58-24 as the West's top seed and reached the Western Conference Finals. Kevin Garnett was named NBA MVP that season.
