In sports, it’s natural to root for the hometown team, often regardless of how good they are. These days, there is hope around the Timberwolves, but without the hometown connection how many people would’ve stuck through the long playoff droughts and years of ineptitude? We stuck by the Timberwolves because, for many of us, they’re part of our home.
The same goes for players. We WANT to root for the homegrown players. Sure, we want to win too, but all else being equal, we want to win with OUR players. It’s just a little bit more special when you win with the guys you’ve drafted and developed.