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How the Minnesota Timberwolves can Improve in the 2025 NBA Draft

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How the Minnesota Timberwolves can Improve in the 2025 NBA Draft


The Minnesota Timberwolves, by many standards, had another successful season in 2024-25.

After reaching the Western Conference Finals for just the second time in franchise history last year, Anthony Edwards and company had a bumpy regular season. Despite earning the No. 6 seed, the Wolves managed to knock off the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors en route to the third WCF appearance in the team’s history.

In the penultimate round of the playoffs, Minnesota was overmatched by the Oklahoma City Thunder, who won the series in five games to secure a spot in the NBA Finals. After another solid run comes to an end in the Western Conference Finals, the Wolves will now turn their attention to the draft.

General Manager Tim Connelly and company currently own the No. 17 and No. 31 overall picks in this year’s class, and could add valuable role players to their team on June 25.

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Minnesota’s loss to the Thunder seemingly illustrated that the team needs more creation and playmaking alongside Edwards, as Mike Conley is 37-years-old and coming off a lackluster performance against OKC.

To fill this gap, the Wolves will likely turn to some of the young players on their roster, like Terrence Shannon Jr. and Rob Dillingham, but the team could also use a draft pick on another ball handler.

After being viewed as lottery picks by some analysts early in the season, Egor Demin, Kasparas Jakucionis and Nolan Traore could all be viable options for Chris Finch’s team. All three of the aforementioned prospects offer good size at the postion to go along with strong playmaking ability.

As a freshman at BYU, Demin averaged 10.6 points, 5.5 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 41.2% from the field and 27.3% from deep. At the NBA Combine, Demin measured at 6-foot-8 and a quarter of an inch with a wingspan stretching 6-foot-10 and a quarter of an inch.

Jakucionis tallied 15 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game while shooting 44% from the field and 31.8% from beyond the arc in his lone season at Illinois. The former FC Barcelona standout measured at 6-foot-4 and three quarters of an inch at the NBA Combine with a 6-foot-7 and three quarters of inch wingspan.

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Traore, a 19-year-old prospect from France, averaged 11.6 points, 5.1 assists and 1.7 rebounds per game while shooting 39.2% from the floor and 30.4% from 3-point range playing for Saint-Quentin. Listed at 6-foot-5, Traore could be the next French prospect to make an impact in the NBA.

Want to join the discussion? Like Draft Digest on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest NBA Draft news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.





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Wild on 7th – Episode 132: Jack Jablonski Previews the Minnesota Girls High School State Tourney | Minnesota Wild

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Wild on 7th – Episode 132: Jack Jablonski Previews the Minnesota Girls High School State Tourney | Minnesota Wild


When The Minnesota Wild are away, the State of Hockey still plays, and the Girls State High School Hockey Tournament kicks off this week at Grand Casino Arena, so Jack Jablonski joins us to weigh in on what to expect from the girls in Saint Paul. Kinger is also away this week, so Carts digs into the girls tourney, and gets Jack’s take on what he has seen so far in the Olympics. Look for a boys tourney preview in the near future. The Olympic tournaments are heating up as well, and we will certainly break down these matchups as they come.

Listen to your favorite Minnesota Wild Podcast on your favorite platforms by visiting Wild.com/Podcast and watch every episode on YouTube. Wild on 7th episodes are presented by Pilot Games.

We’re here ’til it’s here.

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How do AI security checkpoints work?

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How do AI security checkpoints work?


On the first day of the Minnesota legislature, artificial intelligence is giving visitors and lawmakers at the State Capitol a new sense of security. There’s a good chance you’ve passed through similar checkpoints. Jeff Wagner explains how the technology works in Good Question.



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Listen: Messy winter weather on its way to northern Minnesota

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Listen: Messy winter weather on its way to northern Minnesota


Our newsroom occasionally reports stories under a byline of “staff.” Often, the “staff” byline is used when rewriting basic news briefs that originate from official sources, such as a city press release about a road closure, and which require little or no reporting. At times, this byline is used when a news story includes numerous authors or when the story is formed by aggregating previously reported news from various sources. If outside sources are used, it is noted within the story.

Hi, I’m the Brainerd Dispatch. I started working a few days before Christmas in 1881 and became a daily paper two years later. I’ve gone through a lot of changes over the years, but what has never changed is my commitment to community and to local journalism. I’ve got an entire team of dedicated people who work night and day to make sure I go out every morning, whether in print, as an e-edition, via an app or with additional information at www.brainerddispatch.com. News, weather, sports — videos, photos, podcasts and social media — all covering stories from central Minnesota about your neighbors, your lakes, your communities, your challenges and your opportunities. It’s all part of the effort to keep people connected and informed. And we couldn’t do it without support.





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