Minnesota Timberwolves forward Julius Randle is in year 12 of his NBA career, but he’s never seen the league as competitive as it is right now. 

“This is the toughest the league has been since I’ve been in it, as far as just the balance of everybody is good,” Randle said during a postgame interview. “You really don’t have an off night.”

Randle, who was drafted in 2014 by the Los Angeles Lakers and has since spent time with the New Orleans Pelicans, New York Knicks, and now Minnesota Timberwolves, makes a strong point, especially given the competitive nature of the Western Conference alone.

Up and down the league, there are juggernauts like the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder, the Los Angeles Lakers, the Houston Rockets, the San Antonio Spurs, and even the Nuggets – who Minnesota just lost to for the second time already this season – who could easily make their way to the Western Conference Finals. 

Where the Timberwolves do have a leg up, however, is that they reached that series the last two years. Now it will be up to them to try to cross that threshold and ultimately get Minnesota to its first NBA Finals, as that is where the franchise has come up short. 

The Timberwolves sit at 8-5 on the young season and have yet to obtain that signature win over a powerhouse team. In fact, Minnesota has lost to the Lakers twice, the Nuggets twice, and the New York Knicks once, and all their wins have come against teams that are currently at or below .500.

Minnesota has defeated the Indiana Pacers (1-12), the Charlotte Hornets (4-9), the Brooklyn Nets (1-11), the Utah Jazz (4-8) twice, the Sacramento Kings (3-10) twice, and the Portland Trail Blazers (6-6) twice. 

 “We typically play well in big games, we just haven’t this year so far,” Randle said. “But if anything I know about this team, we’ll adjust and make the proper connections and be ready for those moments in the future.” 

The Timberwolves’ next slate of games includes matchups against the Dallas Mavericks, the Washington Wizards, the Phoenix Suns, and the Sacramento Kings before taking on the Western Conference leaders in the Thunder, in over a week on Nov. 26. 

That game will give the Timberwolves a chance to write the ship in contests against championship-caliber teams this season. In the meantime, they will look to improve their record heading into that matchup in Oklahoma City. 

Minnesota takes on Dallas on Nov. 17 at 8 p.m. EST.