The Minnesota Timberwolves had limited resources to work with as they aimed to finely retool the roster that got them to the Western Conference Finals in 2024. Before they made any moves, the Wolves were already $6,484,442 over the second apron of the NBA’s new Collective Bargaining Agreement, which barred punishments and a high tax bill for the owners.
Tim Connelly and his staff needed to get creative in adding to their roster while building upon their progress over the last few years. The Wolves already had the top seven players in Chris Finch’s rotation from last season under contract for the 2024-25 season. Therefore, all the moves Minnesota’s front office made were fine-tuning and rounding out the edges.
Free agents Kyle Anderson (Golden State Warriors), Jordan McLaughlin (Sacramento Kings), and Monte Morris (Phoenix Suns) left the Wolves and signed with teams who could promise them more money or a larger role. It felt inevitable that the Wolves would lose most of their free agents, so how could Connelly and his staff compensate while saving money?
A youth movement.
“This draft offers up a lot of guys who are ready to play … 23-year-olds or even 24-year-olds,” Finch told KSTP’s Darren Wolfson before the draft. “Physically, they are ready to play. Maybe the upside isn’t there. But where we are, we could use a couple of plug-and-play rookies.”
Even Finch was surprised when Minnesota traded up to No. 8 in the draft to select point guard Rob Dillingham. He was primarily scouting players in the late first round. The team hopes Dillingham will become Mike Conley‘s heir apparent while fitting in as their backup point guard. They also selected Terrence Shannon Jr., who is already 24 years old, has an NBA-ready body, and showed out in the Summer League.
The Wolves are trying to build on their success from last season and make their first NBA Finals in team history. They don’t want the 2024-25 campaign to be a retooling season, but they will lean more into their youth. So, Finch and his staff must construct lineups and rotations that will help Minnesota achieve that goal despite not being as deep on paper.
Let’s look at a few potential rotations. But before that, we must examine Minnesota’s primary rotation from last season. Finch regularly played nine guys, rarely expanding to ten. Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Naz Reid, and Anderson were the primary three off the bench, with the ninth player more in flux. Occasionally, it was McLaughlin or Morris. Sometimes, it was Troy Brown Jr. or Shake Milton. Finch used his final rotational spot on an as-needed basis.
Below is Minnesota’s 2023-24 roster filtered by minutes played, courtesy of Basketball Reference:
Now that we have the basics of how Finch likes to deploy his players, we can dive into how the rotation could look next season and where Minnesota’s coaching staff may look to change their game plan from last year.
The Most Likely Day 1 Rotation
Starters: Conley, Edwards, McDaniels, Towns, Gobert
Bench: Dillingham, Alexander-Walker, Ingles, Reid
The Wolves needed someone to replace Anderson when he signed a three-year, $27 million contract with the Warriors. Anderson is a unique player; few players have a similar playstyle. Joe Ingles, who the Wolves signed to a one-year veteran’s minimum contract, is one of them and seems to be a near-perfect replacement.
In Australia’s first game, ingles, 36, has played a total of 2:33 minutes for Team Australia in the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics. He has not seen any minutes over their last three games, which may spark concern regarding his role with the Wolves.
Will he become a mentor from the bench? I don’t think so.
Ingles shot 44% from three with the Orlando Magic last season, most of which came off catch-and-shoot opportunities. The Wolves desperately needed a shooter off the bench in 2023-24, and Ingles – even at an older age – will be able to help solve that issue. His unique jump shot allows him to shoot over the top of defenders quickly.
Connelly told the media that the plan is for Dillingham to become Minnesota’s backup guard immediately. That’s a daunting task for a 19-year-old who started in one game at Kentucky. Dillingham likely won’t have a seamless transition to the pros, and Ingles’ ability to run the offense and take some of the pressure off the No. 8 pick will prove invaluable.
By enabling Dillingham to defer to the players around him, like Ingles and Nickiel Alexander-Walker, the Wolves will allow him to run the offense how he sees fit and foster offensive flow.
Playing Dillingham, Alexander-Walker, Ingles, and Reid off the bench would give Finch diverse offensive weapons he can deploy regardless of who else is on the floor. Reid is an on-ball threat capable of filling in nicely for Karl-Anthony Towns. Alexander-Walker provides off-ball shooting coupled with aggressive on-ball defense. Dillingham has the potential to eventually become the microwave scorer he was in college with sneakily good passing chops. And Ingles will round everything out.
Finch will need to get creative with lineups this season. However, Dillingham, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Ingles, and Naz Reid are an intriguing bench group. I expect Minnesota’s coaching staff to lean on them heavily in the early going. Those four players give Minnesota’s coaching staff offensive flexibility and the opportunity to deploy unique lineups.
Committing More To the Youth
Starters: Conley, Edwards, McDaniels, Towns, Gobert
Bench: Dillingham, Alexander-Walker, Shannon, Reid
I would expect to see this scenario later in the season. Maybe Ingles regresses, or an injury pops up, and the Wolves rely more on their rookies.
“I played a lot of rookies when I first got here, and they became really good players,” Finch said in late June. “It is hard for rookies to play where we are. But as we forecast forward, we are going to need young and talented players to start playing in the rotation more.”
I am sticking with the nine-man rotation again, plucking Ingles out and replacing him with Shannon, who is a 6’5” combo guard, but he plays much bigger than that. The Wolves list him at 215 lbs., and he uses every bit of that size on both sides of the ball. The former Illinois star averaged 13.3 points (second-most on the Wolves) on 56.3% from the floor through four Summer League games. He was also impressed with his physical, active, and intelligent on-ball defense, which was his calling card during college recruiting.
The Wolves would lose on-ball offense with Shannon in the mix and Ingles on the bench, forcing them to make a tradeoff. That will put more pressure on Dillingham, so it may be best to hold off on this potential move until midway through the season. Rob should have his feet under him by then, ready to somewhat confidently command the offense in a backup role.
This rotation would have an upside. However, with how large a role Anderson played last year, I find it hard to believe the Wolves won’t make Ingles a rotational player. Teams experience a lot of change during the season, such as injuries or unforeseen regression. That could open up opportunities for the younger players because Minnesota’s roster is not as deep as it was last season.
Finch Lengthens His Rotation, Potentially Sticks With Youth
Starters: Conley, Edwards, McDaniels, Towns, Gobert
Bench: Dillingham, Alexander-Walker, Shannon, Reid, Miller
“Now we are in a situation where we have a lot of really good players,” Finch explained before the draft. “We have a rotation of nine with our guys right now. Sometimes, we may be able to stretch to ten. We’ve been fortunate enough to have a lot of talented players.”
After the Dallas Mavericks eliminated the Wolves from the Western Conference Finals in five games, Edwards opened up about how his team didn’t train like they were going to play that deep into the season. Minnesota’s fatigue against the Mavs was evident on both sides of the ball. As they aim to go even deeper next season, perhaps lengthening the rotation will help keep everyone fresh and healthy.
I have Leonard Miller slotted in as the tenth man in the rotation above. He displayed rebounding chops in the Summer League. Still, nobody has obviously laid claim to that rotation spot yet. Luka Garza and Josh Minott could earn it, or Ingles could play alongside Shannon to create a healthy diet of on-ball offense and rugged defense.
Don’t forget P.J. Dozier, whom the Wolves signed to a one-year deal last month. At 6’6”, he provides stingy defense and can initiate the offense.
There are positive aspects to keeping a tight-knit rotation of eight or nine players – for example, a higher level of chemistry and on-court familiarity. However, expanding the nightly rotation to ten players is the first step in priming the starters for a deep postseason run.
That’s especially true for Conley, 36, who’s entering his 18th year in the NBA. He played 76 games last season, only resting two times. Given his age, the Wolves should try to get his regular season games played below or around 70 this year. They could not do that last season because of how vital Conley was to the team-wide offense. However, there should be no reason that the Timberwolves can’t decrease Minnesota Mike’s role with three players – Dillingham, Alexander-Walker, and Ingles – who are capable of filling in for him off the bench.
Taking pressure off Conley potentially starts with a lengthened rotation.
Finch hasn’t consistently run a 10-deep rotation in Minnesota. But he has done so in spurts. The Wolves aren’t as deep on paper as last season, so the coaching staff must experiment with different lineups. There are many potential options for the rotation, all of which have positives and negatives. Regardless of who Finchy decides to deploy in Game 1, playing more guys should be the priority if the Wolves hope to reach their first Finals in franchise history.
