The Timberwolves are the definition of a professional outfit at the moment. Minnesota is 17-4 — three games clear of second-place Oklahoma City in the Western Conference.

The Wolves bring a winning level of effort and execution to the floor each night. What they did over the past week and a half — downing four cellar-dwellers in succession — is an impressive feat in a league where it’s quite easy to trip over yourself against inferior competition on any given night, as last season’s team proved time and time again.

Really good teams beat bad teams anywhere and topple other good teams on their home floor. Through 21 games, the Timberwolves have proven they are — at minimum — a really good team. Through their consistent success, Minnesota has attracted more local fans and garnered more national attention.

The Wolves have earned every ounce of the praise they’re currently receiving.

And now comes the fun part. The team that’s established itself as one of the NBA’s top teams gets to test its mettle against opponents of a similar ilk.

The next month of Timberwolves basketball will be revealing as to exactly how good this team can be. None of Minnesota’s next 16 games are gimmes. Obviously, health can play a role in the night-to-night difficulty — three of those contests are against Dallas, and Kyrie Irving suffered a foot injury Friday — but as of Saturday, each of Minnesota’s upcoming opponents over the next month sports a winning record.

Eleven of those games will be played on the road.

The gantlet starts Monday in New Orleans, a team Minnesota has beaten twice this season, though Monday figures to be the first of the bouts between the two teams that features Zion Williamson.

The Wolves, on the other hand, will not have Jaden McDaniels. And the health of Anthony Edwards, who exited in the first quarter of Friday’s win over Memphis after reaggravating his hip injury, is very much an unknown.

The one thing Minnesota has yet to do is prove itself on the road against top-tier competition. Frankly, these Wolves likely look forward to the challenge. And there’s little that’s taken place thus far this season to suggest they won’t rise to it.

That’s not to say there won’t be slip-ups. Even great teams lose games, sometimes multiple in a row. These are the types of stretches that can test not only your on-court strengths and weaknesses but also a team’s ability to stay together in times of turbulence.

Last season was filled with adversity. This season’s team has yet to come across much of it. When those moments come, how they respond will likely play a large role in defining the final three quarters of the season.

Prior to the start of the regular season, Wolves point guard Mike Conley noted not letting down against teams Minnesota should beat was something the Wolves had to do if they wanted to be a championship contender. They’ve checked that box. He also added that resiliency is a primary trait of champions.

“It’s the ability to go on a two- or three-game losing streak, snap out of it and have team meetings, talk to each other. The media is tackling you and trying to split you apart, and you band together and have moments in the season that become those signature moments that you can look back at and say, ‘Hey, this is when they became who they were.’ And then, boom, it pops,” Conley said. “I think a lot of teams go through that stage and they figure it out. We’re a team that I think we check some of those boxes — we’ve got the talent, we’ve got the bodies, we’ve got the depth — but can we withstand adversity? Can we get through it when things go rough?”

Can they emerge from the next month of play still with the same belief — both internally and externally — in themselves? If the answer is ‘Yes,’ there will be no debating that the Timberwolves — yes, the Timberwolves — are for real.

Related Articles

Wolves rout Memphis, improve to NBA-best 17-4

Is this the best Rudy Gobert has ever played? No, Timberwolves center is just back to his dominant self

Jordan McLaughlin nearing his return to Timberwolves’ lineup, and confident he can hit the ground running

Rudy Gobert dominates as Timberwolves down San Antonio

Apple Valley’s Tre Jones a valuable floor general for San Antonio, even while coming off the bench