Timberwolves veteran guard Jamal Crawford deemed the season that just was a “success” while young star Andrew Wiggins chose to call it an “improvement” instead.
By whatever evaluation, the Wolves’ 47-victory regular season and first-round, five-game playoff loss to Houston were important experiences for a franchise that hadn’t made the postseason since 2004.
Before ending that drought, the Wolves played for weeks in games that often felt — and were officiated — like playoff games. Only an overtime victory over Denver on the regular season’s final night allowed them to play on.
All of it was new for Wiggins, Karl-Anthony Towns, Tyus Jones and five other roster-eligible players who’d never reached the playoffs.