Timberwolves push a faster transition to counter Oklahoma City’s elite defense, turning defensive stops into easy baskets. Training camp emphasizes gobert-to-conley outlets and sprinting Edwards, McDaniels, and Gobert to the corners to spread the floor. Edwards expects fewer double teams in transition, with bench help from Dillingham and Shannon Jr. The Pacers’ transition success provides a blueprint Minnesota aims to emulate, lifting its own transition opportunities and efficiency from last season.

If Minnesota can elevate pace without sacrificing half-court spacing, Edwards’ fantasy ceiling grows as he benefits from open looks and fewer crowded drives. Gobert anchors the outlet game, Conley acts as quarterback, and McDaniels’ length finishes more in transition. The plan hinges on habits—pushing tempo early, outlet passes, and a quicker ball-transport to unleash the Wolves’ athleticism.

In a Western Conference where pace can decide series, Minnesota chases a mid-pack-to-better transition profile, a critical step to matching or surpassing the Thunder’s disruptive mix of defense and pace. It’s a small chess move with outsized fantasy implications for Edwards, Gobert, and Conley as the season unfolds.

RotoWire ranks active ringless stars by win shares, led by Chris Paul (215.13) and James Harden (174.70) with the Los Angeles Clippers, both chasing a first title. Jimmy Butler, Rudy Gobert, DeMar DeRozan, Mike Conley, Paul George, Karl-Anthony Towns, Jonas Valanciunas and Nikola Vucevic also headline the list, offering a mix of playmaking, scoring and defensive impact for fantasy managers.

Fantasy angles hinge on role clarity and health as Paul and Harden pursue a title, Gobert anchors defense, and DeRozan provides steady volume on a crowded landscape. Clippers sit around +1900; other top bets include Oklahoma City, Cleveland, Denver, New York and Houston, creating late-season buy/sell opportunities across guards, wings and bigs.

Brown reshapes the Knicks around Karl-Anthony Towns, aiming to replicate Sacramento’s Sabonis–Fox pace while leveraging Towns’ shooting and IQ. Towns moves between five and four, thrives in elbows and corners, and becomes a true offensive hub. If the spacing and decision-making clicks, New York could unlock Towns’ ceiling and elevate the team’s fantasy upside.

Last season Towns posted 24.4 points, 12.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists with 42% from deep. The plan is to keep him engaged with constant movement and playmaking, not static post-ups. If the off-ball action translates, Towns becomes a core catalyst for both real-world success and fantasy production.

Defense and frontcourt balance remain the big questions, but the blueprint is clear: Towns as a versatile engine, supported by Hart’s energy and Robinson’s rim protection to fuel a fast, efficient Knicks attack.