The Minnesota Timberwolves and Memphis Grizzlies begin the 2016-2017 NBA Season with a match on Oct. 26, Wednesday at the FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee.
Start Time and Streaming Info
The game starts at 8:00 p.m. ET. It can be viewed live online thru the NBA League Pass.
Preview
Minnesota finished last season with a 29-53 slate, which is the fifth-worst in the whole NBA. However, expectations have risen for the team this season after the acquisition of veteran head coach Tom Thibodeau in the summer. Andrew Wiggins, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Zach LaVine are also all a year older and have packed another season of experience to bring with them this time around.
The Wolves have added Providence point guard Kris Dunn to their young roster as the fifth overall pick in last June's draft, bringing much-needed depth to the position where Ricky Rubio is still presumed as the starter.
Thibodeau has also acquired some veteran support with the signings of Jordan Hill, Brandon Rush and Cole Aldrich to bargain deals. Their effectiveness with the young core will be tested in the first few games of the season.
The continued development of Wiggins, Towns, and LaVine and their growing chemistry is projected to "lead to another step forward in the Western Conference standings", according to Get More Sports.
Still, the key to Minnesota's resurgence will be Thibodeau and how he will be able to handle winning and development simultaneously. The franchise has given him enough power to pull it off, though, by appointing him as team president aside from being the head coach.
Meanwhile, the Grizzlies are entering the new season with a lot of hope that they will not go through another injury-plagued year like what they had last season, via Basketball Insiders.
Mike Conley and Marc Gasol are back and cleared to play so the team is expected to again qualify for the playoffs next year. The third part of Memphis' Big Three, Zach Randolph, is said to be demoted to the bench to give way to a younger JaMychal Green.
Tony Allen is also back as the team's premier defender and starting shooting guard. The addition of Chandler Parsons this summer will be one solution to the team's lack of outside shooting that Allen brings to the squad.
Prediction
While the Wolves look capable of winning this one on the road with their young and talented lineup, the Grizzlies are still favored to grind out a close win at home. Thibodeau and his boys still need to prove themselves against a tough, veteran squad before they can be compared with the best teams in the West.