MINNEAPOLIS — When the Minnesota Timberwolves traded for LaMelo Ball during the NBA Draft, it immediately became one of the biggest and most debated deals of the summer.Teaming Ball with Anthony Edwards in a revamped starting five is turning the Wolves from a slow-it-down, bully-ball team into a sleeker, more unpredictable unit. Will Ball’s passing and daring be the counterpunch Edwards needed in the playoffs last season? Or will Ball struggle to adapt to playing games with real stakes for the first time in his career?The Timberwolves are fully confident that Ball’s style of play and vibrant personality will electrify this team. There are plenty across the league who are skeptical. But one thing no one can argue with: The Timberwolves will be must-see TV.The league’s media partners agree.Christmas Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, Thanksgiving Eve, Naz Reid. Nearly every big night on the NBA’s calendar next season will include the Timberwolves.Edwards and Ball are two of the most popular players in the league, particularly with young fans. They both sell jerseys. They both fill highlight reels on social media. And now they both play together in Minnesota. The move, and the sustained success the Wolves have had over the last three years, have put them front and center among the league’s attractions.“I think he’s such a unique player and person,” Timberwolves president Tim Connelly said of Ball last month. “He elevates people on the court, off the court. You talk to anybody around him, they talk about how much joy he finds in the game. I think that’s really important.”How did the Timberwolves land LaMelo Ball?Jon KrawczynskiThe Wolves are scheduled to play 27 games on national television, with the biggest one coming on Dec. 25 when they host the Oklahoma City Thunder in the franchise’s first Christmas home game. Tipoff is at 7 p.m., so Wolves fans who observe the holiday have all day to celebrate peace on Earth and goodwill toward everyone before gathering in a mob for one of the league’s low-key spicier rivalries.It all begins with a game in Miami against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Heat on Oct. 21. The Wolves will play Orlando on the road on Oct. 23 and then come home to give their fans their first up-close glimpse of Ball and Edwards together Oct. 25 against the Toronto Raptors.Here is a look at some of the highlights from the schedule release.Welcome homeHosting on Christmas is a major step for the organization. Playing on MLK Day is an honor. But one game on this regular-season schedule rises above all of the rest in terms of emotional importance to this fan base. The Wolves will host the Charlotte Hornets on Jan. 29, a Friday night game on ESPN, which certainly recognizes the gravity of the moment.It will be the first time Reid plays in Minnesota since he was traded for Ball. Reid is a cult hero in Minnesota. The trade was so surprising and abrupt that fans did not truly get a chance to tell him, “Thank you.”They will get that chance on Jan. 29. Expect a full-throated eruption for him that rivals that of any former Wolves player to step into Target Center. The No. 11 jerseys will be everywhere. The towels will be waving. The energy will be overwhelming.And then they will have to play the game.On the flip side, the Wolves will head to Charlotte on Feb. 15 for Ball’s first game against the Hornets, the team he spent the first six seasons of his career with. Ball was wildly popular in Charlotte and will likely get a similar reception upon his return.Showcase gamesIn addition to the Christmas game, the Wolves feature prominently on most of the NBA’s most important regular-season dates. These are typically the most aggressively marketed and watched games of the season, giving the Wolves ample opportunity to shine brightly under the lights.