Changes coming quickly to Wolves with returns of Beasley, Russell

President of basketball operations Gersson Rosas has a vision for the Minnesota Timberwolves.

After making big changes to the Wolves’ roster at the 2019-20 trade deadline, Rosas has surrounded All-Stars Karl-Anthony Towns and D’Angelo Russell with a core of promising young talent.

Each Thursday, we’ll be tracking the progress of these young players while also keeping up with the G League Iowa Wolves to see who will rise to the challenge of bringing a consistent, winning team to Minnesota.

This is the 11th edition of the 2020-21 Young Wolves Tracker.

SPOTLIGHT ON …

Guards Malik Beasley and D’Angelo Russell

Regardless of the Wolves’ potential moves at the 2021 trade deadline, which is at 2 p.m. Thursday, head coach Chris Finch is going to be directing a new-look team soon.

Guards Malik Beasley and D’Angelo Russell are set to return in the near future.

Beasley will serve the final contest of his 12-game suspension Friday against Houston, meaning he’ll be eligible to return for the rematch against the Rockets on Saturday.

Beasley, who ranks second on the team with an average of 20.5 points per game, hasn’t appeared on the floor since Feb. 24. After Finch was hired Feb. 22, Beasley played two games in the new coach’s scheme before getting suspended. He racked up a combined 51 points on 11-of-22 shooting from beyond the arc (50%) in those matchups.

Russell, who the Wolves traded for at last year’s deadline, has missed the last 20 tilts after undergoing knee surgery Feb. 17. The former All-Star is reportedly set to join team activities this weekend, meaning his return to game action isn’t too far behind.

When Beasley and Russell return, it’ll feel like a new team for Finch — but also for everyone who follows the Wolves. That’s because Minnesota’s best four players — Beasley, Anthony Edwards, Russell and Karl-Anthony Towns — have shared the floor in just four full games this season.

Minnesota went 2-2 in those contests and averaged 114 points per game, a far cry from its season-long mark of 109.3 points per contest, which slots them as the 23rd-best scoring team in the league.

Even if president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas sits on his hands Thursday during the trade deadline, a whole new team will be arriving soon for Finch and Wolves fans alike.

WOLF TRACKS

— Juancho Hernangomez tallied 17 points and five rebounds in 35 minutes against Dallas on Wednesday night. Hernangomez hadn’t played over 23 minutes since Jan. 13. It was just his second contest with 30+ minutes on the floor all season. Perhaps the Wolves were trying to showcase Hernangomez before the trade deadline?

— In nine games this month, rookie Anthony Edwards is averaging 25.3 points and 5.4 rebounds per game while shooting 32.5% from 3-point range. He’s taking 9.2 attempts per game from downtown over that span.

— Jarrett Culver, the No. 6 pick of the 2019 draft, has scored a total of six points while playing 8.6 minutes per contest over the Wolves’ last three games.

— Over his last four outings, Karl-Anthony Towns has logged 30 points, 8.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists per contest while shooting 53.1% from 3-point range (17 of 32). He’s special.

— Iowa Wolves forward Tyler Cook was named to the All-NBA G League third team Tuesday. Cook averaged 20.8 points and 9.6 rebounds in eight games with Iowa before signing a 10-day contract with Brooklyn on Feb. 24. Cook is currently on a 10-day contract with the Detroit Pistons.