Here we are, another NBA off-season, and I’m already thinking about the Minnesota Timberwolves’ depth. Last summer, I made the confident claim that Minnesota had the deepest team in the league. After all, Tim Connelly and his staff were able to bring in what looked to be tremendous veteran additions to a very young Timberwolves team. However, misfortune struck, and those key bench players were never able to reach their full potential.
Minnesota’s front office completely overhauled the team last July when they added Rudy Gobert. After that league-altering transaction, the Timberwolves desperately needed to fill out their roster and find players who would fit next to Anthony Edwards, Karl-Anthony Towns, D’Angelo Russell, and Gobert. Kyle Anderson was the most notable signing from last summer, who agreed to a two-year, $18 million contract. Up front, Anderson seemed like the perfect complement to Minnesota’s star-heavy lineup. And as the season went on, that theory manifested. Aside from Slo-Mo’s impactful play, there wasn’t much else to speak on in terms of production off the bench for Minnesota.
But things have been much different in the Land of 10,000 lakes this off-season. Aside from the scuttlebutt regarding a potential KAT trade, it has been pretty quiet in Minnesota. After last season, it became evident that the Timberwolves still had glaring holes in their roster. However, those issues roster-wise didn’t involve the starting five. Rather, they came off the bench.
Up until this point, Minnesota hasn’t had a sexy off-season. However, Connelly and Co. deserve a lot of credit for what they have accomplished.
Departures:
Arrivals:
Now, I’m not going to lose all my credibility for the second straight summer and call the 2023-24 Timberwolves the deepest team in the NBA. However, that isn’t going to stop me from taking a look into the solid bench rotation that Minnesota’s front office was able to put together.
The signings that Minnesota has made up until this point have not made national headlines, especially when teams like the Los Angeles Lakers had a dream off-season. They signed Gabe Vincent and re-acquired Austin Reaves, D’Angelo Russell, and Rui Hachimura. Despite the rich getting richer in SoCal, the entire Western Conference has improved greatly since free agency opened.
Despite the Denver Nuggets losing key pieces like Bruce Brown and Jeff Green, pretty much every other team in the West got better after their free-agent signings.
The Phoenix Suns traded for Bradley Beal and made some key low-risk, high-reward signings like Drew Eubanks and Eric Gordon. The Dallas Mavericks retained Kyrie Irving, and while they underperformed last season, a Luka Dončić-Irving one-two punch will always be a threat. The Golden State Warriors brought in Chris Paul to further boost their championship-or-bust roster. The Houston Rockets also made more of a win-now swing by adding Fred VanVleet, Dillon Brooks, Jeff Green, and Jock Landale.
After all that, you may be asking yourself, “Where does Minnesota fit among those teams in the standings?” Again, the Wolves didn’t have an all-time off-season in terms of signings and trades. That’s not what the team was in most need of. Above everything else, the Timberwolves will need relative health among their starters for next season.
Injuries aren’t something the front office or coaching staff can change, per se. However, obtaining do-it-all players will make it easier when a team goes through an inevitable unhealthy period of time in the season.
Lakers head coach Darvin Ham referred to Troy Brown Jr. as a “Swiss Army Knife.” He raved about Brown’s ability to thrive in different roles during an interview with The Athletic last season.
His game is simple, man. He’s definitely a 3-and-D guy, but he’s a guy you can fit and put on the court with a variety of different players. He doesn’t necessarily need the ball in his hands. I’ve told him anytime someone closes out on you with their hands down, that’s a green light for you to shoot it, and with his size and his ability to get it off, I welcome those shots.
Of course, bringing in Brown Jr. doesn’t solve all of Minnesota’s issues they faced last season. However, after Prince departed, they had an obvious need for Brown’s versatility. Last season, TBJ bounced between shooting guard, small forward, and power forward, depending on whatever the Lakers needed of him that night. Regardless of wherever Brown was slotted in the rotation, L.A. could always count on his shot-making ability.
That dependability off the bench at the wing position will be able to take the load off of guys like Jaden McDaniels, Edwards, Towns, and Gobert. Over his 5-year NBA career, it’s obvious that Brown plays better when he’s surrounded by great talent – especially when he’s playing off the ball.
Shake Milton is also capable of providing some relief for the starters. Milton crossed out two boxes for Minnesota when they signed him: lack of shooting and depth at the point guard position. The Wolves lost Jaylen Nowell’s dependable bucket-getting skill set off the bench last season, and that was obvious as Minnesota’s bench ranked 20th in the league in net rating with a -0.9 and 24th in offensive rating with a 53.7.
Bringing in Milton will help offensively off the bench.
Not only did Minnesota’s front office bring in some key free agents, but they were also able to retain some equally as important guys, like Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Naz Reid.
We all know the starting five will feature Conley, Edwards, McDaniels, Towns, and Gobert. However, some questions have arisen as to who will be a permanent fixture off the bench. Last season, Finch liked to use a nine-man rotation. However, if he were to add one more player to his rotation, that could help in keeping his star players healthy.
Here is how I see a potential 5-man bench rotation shaking out for the Wolves:
- Shake Milton
- Nickeil Alexander-Walker
- Troy Brown Jr.
- Kyle Anderson
- Naz Reid
Looking at those five guys, shooting is still somewhat of a question for me. Aside from Milton, who shot 37.8% from three on 2 attempts per game last season, there isn’t much progress in the three-point shooting category as the Wolves essentially swapped Brown for Taurean Prince – two guys who shot 38% from three last season. All in all, I still view this off-season as a success for Connelly and his staff, as they were able to sure up some holes in the bench. Regardless, at the end of the day, the success of this team, 1-15, will ultimately come down to the health of their starters and the ability of the bench group to fill in when needed.
