The Wolves have shown themselves to be an up and down team so far this season. Lose to the Rockets, then beat the Pelicans and Grizzlies. Players have been in and out of the rotation, with their own ups and downs. And what better way to commemorate that than introduce the Zeitgeist Player Power Rankings! The ZPPR don’t attempt to rank players by how well they’re playing right now, their efficiency, or their talent. It’s ranking the current Wolves players by how they rank in the zeitgeist of the franchise, fans, and myself.
- Anthony Edwards
The undisputed king of Wolves zeitgeist. Ant has been on top of this list since the beginning of the season. Hell, he’s been on top since he declared himself “A1 from day one,” before he even played a game for the Wolves. Ant is so on top of the Wolves zeitgeist that even when he has a quiet fourth quarter in an important game he gets praised for it.
This is all happening amid the Ant all star push, which is deserved but also unlikely to result in him getting picked. While he has been on top of the zeitgeist all season, the gap has narrowed as an unlikely contender has slowly been rising all year.
2. Kyle Anderson
This whole season Kyle Anderson has been integral to the Timberwolves. He’s not a defensive stopper but he plays good team defense. He’s not a volume three point shooter but he’s been draining them from deep. He’s not a flashy passer but the offense runs smoother whenever he’s on the floor. Anderson does all the little things, but what brings him all the way up to second in the power rankings was his showing Friday night. He had 23 points, six assists, two steals, and a block. I didn’t think Slo-Mo would pass Jaden in the ZPPR this season, but it’s happened and at this point difficult to see him sliding down beneath him.
3. Jaden McDaniels
I’m not sure if Jaden will ever reach the heights in the ZPPR that he did this past summer when the Wolves front office was trumpeting not trading Jaden in the deal for Rudy. That said, he’s been consistently high this whole season.
This big shot on Wednesday certainly helped, but even bigger was this quote from Ant:
I kinda feel like the bar for getting the “he’s him” has been lowered when we’re bestowing it on a solid starter who had a nice defensive game and shot 4-7. But that’s what happens when you’re Jaden and firmly entrenched in the top three of the ZPPR.
4. Nate Knight
What an eight days it has been. Nate Knight has come out of nowhere to get all the way up to fourth in the ZPPR. It started with the win against the Rockets, when early foul trouble for both Naz and Garza forced Knight into the rotation. And it turned out that having an athletic high energy big that plays solid defense and can provide a modicum of floor spacing was very good for the Wolves.
Knight may be right in that they have the same mental approach to the game, but with DLo and Ant on the floor, Knight is likely a better fit than Naz or Garza. That Saturday against Houston Knight took advantage of the opportunity, the Wolves outscored the Rockets by 23 while he was on the floor and Knight contributed 19 points of his own. On Friday against the Grizzlies he had another solid showing, scoring 10 points and shooting 2-3 from 3. He’s not a great rebounder but that doesn’t impact his zeitgeist ranking, at least not for now. The backup bigs have had a roller coaster of a season up and down these rankings, but Nate Knight is running ahead of the pack for now.
5. D’Angelo Russell
DLo has had a rough go of it in these rankings but has climbed all the way back up to five and is on a positive trajectory. It does help during this 4-1 stretch over the past five games he’s averaging 23.2 points and 6.6 assists on 48% shooting and 46% from three. He even got a mention on The Lowe Post as not being a player Minnesota should be looking to move given how he’s been playing recently. Of course that’s also because his perceived value with just one year on his contract is probably lower than his actual value right now, since so many people have spent the last few years focusing on his weaknesses while overlooking his strengths. He remains an awkward fit next to Ant but he’s having a nice stretch and has recovered in the zeitgeist for the moment.
6. Austin Rivers
Rivers hasn’t had an overwhelming stretch, shooting 2-8 for a total of four points in 44 minutes over the last two games. But he’s still hustling on defense and hosting a podcast, both earning him major points for his ZPPR. If Jordan McLaughlin ever comes back from injury his spot is in jeopardy, but Jaylen Nowell’s disaster of a season opened the door for Rivers and he’s taken advantage.
7. Taurean Prince
He’s dropped from his former perch at fourth in the rankings since he’s missed the last three games and is missing the game tonight against Sacramento. But once Taurean gets back on the court he’ll almost surely quickly recapture his spot in the top four. Everyone loves Taurean Prince and it’s easy to see why whenever you watch him play.
8. Karl-Anthony Towns
Can you hear it? The murmurs. The whispers. While KAT remains out until the all star break (maybe longer?) the zeitgeist is slowly starting to believe, once again, that the Wolves are looking like a good basketball team right now. That coupled with the wide open door that’s been left by an overwhelmingly mediocre Western Conference, has given the zeitgeist the unspoken confidence that if KAT comes back the Wolves could avoid the play-in. Never mind that KAT will not have magically learned how to play with Rudy from his time away. The quiet optimism that fans are terrified to give voice to is slowly creeping back in. And the possibility of KAT coming back is adding more and more to it. If this season has taught us anything though, it’s that optimism is the enemy.
Not Ranked and Remaining in the Zeitgeist Doghouse
NR. Jalyen Nowell
The zeitgeist was so high on Jaylen Nowell coming into the season. He’s not lived up to the hype, and though it took a while, people have finally started to realize that Nowell is turnover prone, a very poor defender, and not a great three point shooter. When the best thing you can say about a basketball player is that he’s hot and cold on offense, that’s not great.
NR. Rudy Gobert
The attempts at rehabilitation are still ongoing. But Rudy has a long ways to go before he starts to recover in earnest. One reverse jam on a nice feed from Kyle Anderson is not going to be enough.
Number One in My Heart But He’s Been Gone Too Long to Rank
Gonna be so happy when he comes back.
Anything Was Possible 
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