This morning the folks over at Bleacher Report released their final NBA Power Rankings of the season. Their latest edition was a little different than usual, putting a bit more emphasis on how they expect teams to do in the playoffs instead of just the typical week-to-week assessments.
The Wolves are ranked eighth on this list—largely because of the boost Jimmy Butler’s return gives them. Grant Hughes wrote:
“If Jimmy Butler is available, the Minnesota Timberwolves are a handful. It's a quick-and-dirty way to approach team evaluation, but since Butler is back (as evidenced by his 31-point, playoff-clinching night against the Nuggets on Wednesday), it feels more realistic to view Minnesota as the team that went 37-21 with him than the one that went 10-14 without him.