While the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder are the two favorites in the Western Conference, the Minnesota Timberwolves also have high expectations.

The Timberwolves shuffled their roster in the offseason, bringing in LaMelo Ball to play point guard while sending out Julius Randle and Naz Reid. Ball is a very polarizing player, with offensive strengths and defensive questions, but his strong personality is apparent early on in Minnesota.

With the season starting, Ball's early influence on the Timberwolves team seems to be a joyous approach that Minnesota is welcoming with open arms. The Timberwolves apparently realized that their attitude last year wasn't good enough, so they hope that Ball's arrival can inject some much-needed joy into the organization.

Time will tell whether Ball's attitude is the missing piece for the Timberwolves, but so far, the organization is confident it will be a major benefit.

LaMelo Ball-Anthony Edwards bring 'joy' to Timberwolves

When the Timberwolves traded for LaMelo Ball, some people wondered about how the point guard would gel with Minnesota, specifically with Anthony Edwards. While the season is just now starting, there is no question the team has welcomed Ball with open arms.

Ball's personality is very upbeat, which many Timberwolves believe the team needed after a grueling season last year.

"(He brings) a lot of joy," Rudy Gobert told ESPN. "The vibes are great. I think we needed that."

Ball has never made the playoffs in his career, but that has never impacted the way he approaches playing the game. Ball's style can be both exciting and frustrating, but no matter how well or poorly he plays, the point guard seemingly brings the same attitude every day.

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Head coach Chris Finch told the media that Ball brings much-needed joy after the team was "moody" last year, especially to help inspire Edwards.

"When Melo walks in here, he comes into work smiling every day and just is engaged with everybody in the building," Finch said. "Anthony's a very joyous person, and that kind of energy, he feeds off of."

Thus far, Edwards and Balls' relationship has stood out, with the two hitting it off immediately. That is important considering that Edwards believes a team needs to be tight-knit in order to compete for and win an NBA championship.

Ant and LaMelo WORKING in the gym 💪 Who's ready to see this new @Timberwolves backcourt duo?? https://t.co/wc8CtGedXj

— NBA (@NBA) October 5, 2026

"I truly believe that we care about one another and we want to see each other succeed on and off the court," Gobert said. "We want to see each other win. And in this business, it's not common to see that."

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