As the Minnesota Timberwolves inch near their second playoff berth since 2003-04, we have to rehash what is normal come this time of the year. What it’s like following a team that’s in the playoff hunt. After countless years of ending the season with no real direction and simply looking for the best pick possible, the Wolves have a lot to look forward to. Playoff hopes tied into the play-in magnifies having everything together regarding the teams game to game tendencies. Everything matters, whether that is rotations of which specific players sub in for certain situations, rotational minutes, or who gets left out of the rotation altogether.
Teams want to play their top players as much as possible when games are must-win. Mostly we see these players stager minutes and only sub out at the end of quarters to get an extended break with as few off-court minutes as possible. It’s something we see every year, fringe bench players will have their minutes allocated elsewhere to maximize team success.
It’s also something we saw from the Wolves in their recent 136-130 win over the Denver Nuggets, a game with playoff energy. There was a rowdy crowd, a physical game with both teams contesting every whistle, and massive minutes from both teams.
Karl-Anthony Towns had early foul trouble, putting him only at 31 total minutes for the game. Jaden McDaniels was still recovering from his ankle injury, opening up a lot of minutes for role players. They primarily manifested in the form of Taurean Prince, who played the final 17 minutes of the game.
Anthony Edwards (40) and D’Angelo Russell (37) had to go over their season averages in minutes per game to come home victorious. You win basketball games by mixing and matching around the big-minute beneficiaries. The Wolves used their flexibility with Jarred Vanderbilt, subbing him in situationally and sitting him for more spacing. Chris Finch also substituted in Malik Beasley for more shooting in the 4th quarter.
Finch’s deployment in Denver indicates who will receive minutes in the play-in and who will fill out the rotation.
Guards
D’Angelo Russell, Jordan McLaughlin, Malik Beasley, Patrick Beverley, Anthony Edwards
Finch will lean on his starters: DLo, Ant and Pat Bev, and Beasley, the sixth man. While Malik has had his ups and downs, he is shooting 47% from three since the All-Star Break and has been key to this team’s success.
McLaughlin has earned himself some meaningful minutes. He has been Finch’s sub for Russell and can fill in as a secondary alongside DLo or Pat Bev. McLaughlin’s crafty plays, whether that is hustle on the defensive side of the ball or his ability to play-make for others, show that he is deserving of two stints of playing time.
Jaylen Nowell is the only player who seems to be on the outside looking in. While I think he is deserving, I don’t think there is a spot for him to slot into. Beasley plays a similar role, and adding another player to the rotation could make things difficult. However, I think Nowell could slot perfectly in for situational plays.
Forwards and Centers
Jaden McDaniels, Taurean Prince, Jarred Vanderbilt, Karl-Anthony Towns, Naz Reid
This one is self-explanatory. Everyone has been deserving of minutes: Taurean and Jaden off the bench alongside KAT and Vando, who start. Naz is the biggest wild card of this group. His play has been inconsistent at times, but they need to give KAT some rest.
Jaden and Taurean will use their floor spacing and defensive fearlessness to make an immediate impact. Vando grabs rebounds and defends; KAT gets buckets and has the offense run through him.
The model above slots the Wolves at an even 10 players to slot into the rotation. While some other teams will condense down to eight, that won’t work for Minnesota. Having multiple players who play similar roles makes it easy for them to swap in others if there’s foul trouble or a cold shooting night. It is always difficult to replace the core three in KAT, Ant, and DLo, but the pieces on the outside have much more margin of error.
Regardless of who they have to face, they should be prepared to change the rotations around the same core concepts and players while being flexible. Most of it is already set in stone; it just comes down to execution on the court.
