The Minnesota Timberwolves season came to a close Friday night after a 114-106 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. Even though the year ended in heartbreak, this was a fun season and a reminder that better things are to come.

Yes, Minnesota should have won the series 4-1, but the inexperience and youth bled through the floorboards as the Wolves continued to blow double-digit leads. They did so in Games 3, 5 and 6. This is unheard of, and the first time it’s been done in playoff history.

The Timberwolves overachieved; it’s as simple as that. Heading into the season, many people expected this team to win 36-to-40 games and finish as a nine or 10 seed. That wasn’t the case because the Timberwolves are a good team. They finished the year 46-36 and defeated the Los Angeles Clippers in the play-in game.

This season the Timberwolves improved their win total by 23 wins. That’s incredible, and something we should celebrate.

The year started pretty dark and grim. It was announced that the team had fired Gersson Rosas after he violated team protocols – in other words, fooling around with his secretary.

Shortly after that, this team started 3-7, and Patrick Beverley asked each player what their role is. That sparked a new life into this franchise, and the very next game, the Timberwolves blew out the Los Angeles Lakers by 24 points.

Minnesota was a completely different team during the last half of the season. They grew up right before our eyes and were making winning plays and taking over games. In fact, they were one of the better teams in the NBA since the All-Star break.

There were some lows, but for the most part, this season presented a lot of highs. Minnesota dominated the Lakers, and that’s one of the best feelings in the world. We also found out the importance Malik Beasley has on this team. When he was out, the Timberwolves struggled and lost many games by 20-to-30 points.

We have to remember that this team is only going to get better. Jaden McDaniels and Anthony Edwards gained so much valuable experience, and this will only fast-track their development.

As for Karl-Anthony Towns, he’s still the best player on the team. While he didn’t have the best playoff series, he’s still a valuable part of this franchise, and he’s not going anywhere anytime soon.

D’Angelo Russell needs to go. He made it very clear that he’s not the long-term answer. Whether Minnesota can trade him is another question. But if they can find a way to move him and gain some value in return, then Minnesota will benefit from that.

There are a lot of question marks this offseason, and we’re going to go dive into all of that here at Let’s Talk Minnesota Sports.

While the season didn’t end as we’d hoped, Minnesota is a team on the rise. Edwards and McDaniels are two stars in the making, and the future is bright in the Land of 10,000 Lakes.