The Wolves are reaching new heights, and they're just getting started

For a team that has enduredlosing for almost a decade, the Minnesota Timberwolves sure aresavoring the early-season success they’re experiencing rightnow.

After a series of underlyingfactors such as bad management, poor roster construction and playerfallouts, the Wolves' success has been unprecedented (and sweeterthan ever).

They are currently 30-12 at thehalfway point of the season, which is the best mark in the West.They are the first team in the Western Conference to reach 30 wins,trailing only the Boston Celtics for the best record in theNBA.

Minnesota is on a 60-win pace,and they have the easiest schedule remaining in the entireleague.

They are also on pace to surpassthe franchise record of 58 wins in a season, which occurred in 2004when they were led by Kevin Garnett (the best player in franchisehistory), Sam Cassell and Latrell Sprewell.

The next goal for this Wolvesteam? Win their first playoff series since that 2004season.

After two decades of struggles,what changed for the Wolves? Let's break down theirturnaround.

DEFENSE

The Wolves currently have thebest defense in the league by a wide margin, allowing 105.8 pointsper 100 possessions (the runner-up is allowing 108.3 points per 100possessions).

They guard opponents unlike anyother team in the NBA led by three-time Defensive Player of theYear Rudy Gobert at the rim. Surrounding Gobert are potentialAll-NBA-caliber defenders at the wings in Jaden McDaniels, KyleAnderson, Anthony Edwards and Nickeil Alexander-Walker.

Although their offense is stillsuspect and a work in progress, the team knows how to lock down theopposition.

ALL-STAR-CALIBER TRIO PLAYING WELL

The Wolves' trio of Gobert,Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns have been terrific.

The team is led by Edwards, a charismatic and burgeoningyoung superstar who has drawn comparisons to all-timegreat shooting guards Dwyane Wade (due to their similar build andplaying style) and Michael Jordan (due to some eerie resemblancesin their aerial capabilities, footwork and bank shots).

Edwards constantly wows thecrowd with highlight-reel plays, and he gives the Wolves a truealpha, leader and closer. He's someone they can count on in theclutch, delivering when it matters the most.

Bruce Brown, an adversary of theWolves during their last playoff run when he was on the top-seededDenver Nuggets, said that Edwards was the toughest guy he had toguard all postseason. He also added that Minnesota was the toughestteam that Denver faced on their way to theirchampionship.

The Wolves followed up thispraise by beating the Nuggets in November and climbing to the No. 1seed in the West.

The 22-year-old credited hisstint with Team USA in the FIBA World Cup for being able to play ina system rather than just relying on isos all the time. Edwards wasthe leading scorer of the USA squad that finished just fourth, butthe experience was invaluable for Edwards and prepared him for theseason.

Gobert is thriving once againafter a down season a year ago. The 31-year-old is turning headsand serving as the anchor of the best defense in the league. He isone of the front runners for the Defensive Player of the Yearaward, which would be his fourth (and tie him with Ben Wallace andDikembe Mutombo for most all-time).

It wasn't long ago that fanswere dubbing Minnesota's deal for Gobert as one of the worst tradesin NBA history, but Gobert has bounced back beautifully as thefront office’s vision of playing him with Towns came to fruition.

Like Edwards, Towns is buildingoff a strong stint in the World Cup and has been rock solid for theWolves. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft is taking abackseat to Edwards for the good of the team. After plenty oflosing seasons, Towns will do whatever is takes to win. He set hisego aside and committed to being the best second option in theleague, which has had a huge impact on the Wolves.

There have been times when Townsis asked to shoulder more of the offensive load (such as whenEdwards was struggling or absent) and he's stepped up in thosemoments. He has also been incredibly efficient, averaging 21.6points while shooting 51.1% from the field and 43% from three-pointrange.

HIGH-LEVEL ROLE PLAYERS

The Wolves' trio is surroundedby quality role players, including starters McDaniels and MikeConley. Both are nice supplementary pieces, with Conley providingstability as a floor general and shooting to space the floor andMcDaniels giving them elite perimeter defense as well as spot-upshooting and occasional shot-making.

Minnesota arguably has the besteight-man rotation in the league, likely rivaled by just Boston andDenver.

In the playoffs, where rotationsshrink and coaches tend to play their most trusted players, that'susually seven or eight players.

Off the bench, the Wolves havebig man Naz Reid, a 6-foot-9 super scorer who’s become a Sixth Manof the Year candidate by providing instant offense. There’s alsoAnderson, a reliable Swiss army knife and point forward who is aplaymaker on offense. Alexander-Walker does a little bit ofeverything, serving as a back-up ballhandler to Conley, lockdownwing defender and three-point shooter.

COMPETENT ORGANIZATION

A huge credit for the Wolves'success this season goes to president of basketball operations TimConnelly, who is the engineer of this roster. His vision and willingness to swing for thefences have paid off in a major way.

Chris Finch, who was hired as the team's head coach in 2021, hasdone a terrific job and is currently garnering some Coach of theYear buzz for his efforts.

The same goes for new ownersAlex Rodriguez and Marc Lore, who went all in and weren’t afraid tospend for a win-now team that wants to win.

After years of mediocrity, theTimberwolves are finally heading in the right direction. Asmall-market team that has exceeded all expectations, Minnesota hasbeen one of the feel-good stories of the season – and they are justgetting started.