The Timberwolves have been, countless times in their organizational trajectory, where the Oklahoma City Thunder are: Rebuilding around youth, hoping that a plan sticks, finding glimmers of hope along the way but mostly losing in the process.
OKC won 24 games a season ago and didn't exactly seem to know what to do after turning a double-digit halftime deficit into an 87-81 lead against the Wolves late in the third quarter during Wednesday's opener.
The Thunder are years away, not days away, from prevailing in the majority of those situations. The Wolves are ready to win those games right now, as they did by grinding out a 115-108 victory — a game I talked about extensively on Thursday's Daily Delivery podcast.
The Timberwolves have been, multiple times in their organizational trajectory, where their Game 2 opponent is as well: Remaking themselves on the fly, hoping that the sum of new parts is greater than larger pieces.
What makes Friday particularly interesting, of course, is that the opponent is Utah — the Wolves' trade partner in the summer blockbuster that sent several players and picks to the Jazz for center Rudy Gobert.
The trade won't be judged on one outcome, of course. But the game will bring into sharper focus just where the Wolves' organizational trajectory appears to be.
In short, this is unfamiliar territory for the Wolves and their fans.
With the exception of 2017-18, when the Wolves traded for Jimmy Butler in a deal that sacrificed the future for the present, Minnesota's plan has tended to be one of regrouping, rebuilding or — in one extreme case — re-re-re-re-building.
