For all of Chris Finch and Tim Connelly’s brilliance since their arrival in Minnesota, one aspect of their leadership is yet to be tested: their ability to develop the talent they draft.
The Minnesota Timberwolves listed many coaches as “player-development” coaches. Max Lefevre is their director of player development and previously worked at Texas Tech, where Jarrett Culver went from 3-star recruit to lottery pick. Jeff Newton serves as Minnesota’s “player development associate.” Chris Hines’ new title is assistant coach and “director of player development.” Moses Ehambe also holds a “player development” title, as does James White. This year, Joey Dorsey joins the coaching team as a “player development assistant.”
While Finch, Nori, and Co. work on the sidelines of NBA games to do all they can to win now, this group of coaches works with the non-rotation players with an eye on the future.
The Wolves would love to become the type of NBA program that turns players such as Kawhi Leonard, who the San Antonio Spurs drafted 15th at 19 years of age, into a perennial All-Star. Spurs assistant coach Chip Engelland famously helped improve his game by tweaking his shooting mechanics. There’s no doubt that Tim Connelly would love to replicate his success with Nikola Jokic. He drafted the Serbian 41st overall, allowing him to work on his game overseas for a season before joining the team and earning a third-team All-Rookie award. These are two of the best developmental stories in the NBA, and the Wolves would be delighted to have a similar story to tell.
They also might be happy with a few competent NBA rotation players on rookie contracts. With the Wolves committed to paying top dollar for their stars, they must develop players into quality rotation players to avoid staying in the “second apron.”
Any fan can see some shifting philosophies in Minnesota’s development plan if they look at the Wolves’ summer league rotational patterns this year. In the past, we had seen a few of their current rotational players improve during their summer league stints. Naz Reid is one of Minnesota’s best in-house development stories. He started to flash in 2019, refining his jelly rolls, dunks, and three-point stroke. We also saw Jaden McDaniels playing with a “Summer-Forever Green Light” in 2021, working to hone his offensive game to match his proficient defense. However, like all teams, the Wolves have had mixed results. For every Reid and McDaniels, there’s a disappointment in Jaylen Nowell, Wendell Moore, or Nathan Knight.
The Wolves seemed more specific with their summer league plan this year. Under Chris Hines, the Wolves played more of the same players and took more minutes in what their role would likely be with the Varsity Wolves. Connelly’s prize surprise first-round rookie Rob Dillingham worked on his defense, playmaking, and scoring within the Timberwolves offensive structure. Josh Minott played the role of defender and slasher.
Leonard Miller played a point-forward role, rebounding well and working to improve his defense. Jaylen Clark took on challenging defensive assignments and played the defensive stopper and “stay-out-da-way” offensive role. Daishen Nix played the point, sometimes in front of and sometimes behind Dillingham in the rotation. Terrence Shannon Jr. became a defensive glue man, attacking the basket in transition and taking catch-and-shoot threes. The overall effect was that Minnesota’s preseason games looked much less like open-gym tryouts than they did a cohesive effort aligned with the team’s developmental goals.
Several Wolves players are primed to step into the rotation, but all of them will need refinement in at least one area of their game to be their best. Dillingham is the highest pick at No. 8 in a weak draft, but his size raises questions about his ability to defend. Will Dillingham’s defense be good enough in the NBA to warrant a real backup point guard role? Will Minott be able to hit NBA threes at a respectable rate? Can Luka Garza or Miller, like Dillingham, play enough defense to make their offense worthwhile? Will Shannon’s physical skills translate to the NBA as they did in summer league? Can Nix limit his turnovers?
The Wolves brought in veteran Joe Ingles to fill a spot in the rotation. Still, they can’t rely on Ingles, 36, to play an 82-game season. When that happens, we’ll learn more about how well Minnesota’s development system works.
