It’s been quiet, too quiet this summer for the Minnesota Timberwolves.
They re-signed Julius Randle and Naz Reid early in the offseason, drafted big men Joan Beringer and Rocco Zikarsky, and retained end-of-bench players Joe Ingles, Bones Hyland, and Tristen Newton. The main additions they made were signing Johnny Juzang to a training camp deal and Enrique Freeman to a two-way contract.
Today is media day, the unofficial start of the new year. One year ago, Chris Finch and Tom Thibodeau were dodging questions from the media regarding a loud trade that acted as the startling alarm bell for the new season — the Wolves sent Karl-Anthony Towns to the New York Knicks for Randle and Donte DiVincenzo. Finch and Thibodeau could not speak on the trade because it wasn’t official at that point. But the players could.
“I think everybody knows KAT is my brother, so that definitely hurt,” Anthony Edwards said at last year’s media day. “But it’s a business, so I just gotta roll with it.”
Edwards and the rest of the Wolves were shell-shocked entering last season. But this year is different. The Wolves have known they are running it back for the entire summer. Still, Minnesota lost key depth, and uncertainties remain entering the preseason.
So, I took to Instagram and asked you what your biggest questions are as the Timberwolves gear up for a season in which they have higher postseason hopes than ever before.
The Point Guard Situation
How confident are you in our point guard rotation? (@_juanchosen)
Donte starting over Mike come playoff time? (@hughskeels97)
How many minutes does Rob get game 1? (@braedon.carr)
Are the Wolves a good point guard away from a championship? (@colbybrueggemeier)
How will Mike, Rob, and Donte share the PG role? (@carlyeerayy)
How do we address the PG position if Rob isn’t going to be able to fill the shoes we think he can? (@r.wd40)
Do you think Rob will have a huge jump this season based on more playing time? (@ya.gud)
Based on the responses I received, the Timberwolves’ point guard depth — and what that group can produce on the court — is your biggest area of concern, and for good reason.
Point guard was Minnesota’s weakest position last year, and the Wolves haven’t made any additions to improve that group for this season. Instead, they are relying on internal development, a common theme of this off-season.
Does that mean Rob Dillingham will be an everyday player starting with the season opener in Portland? We probably won’t know the answer until that day comes.
Finch likes a tight rotation. We know this well by now. Last season, his rotation was too short, largely because he didn’t have confidence in his young players early in the season to extend it. But Finch should have no reason not to play at least nine players this season. If he does, that ninth spot is probably either Dillingham’s or Jaylen Clark’s.
The Wolves already have plenty of on-ball perimeter defending, and they proved once again last year that it’s important to have all the ball handling they can get next to Anthony Edwards. With that context, Dillingham is probably the favorite to land the final rotational spot. But ultimately, it will come down to how Finch spreads the minutes.
In a recent interview with MinnPost, Finch told Britt Robson that he likes DiVincenzo more when he plays off the ball, allowing him to space the floor. Finch then highlighted Jaden McDaniels and Terrence Shannon Jr. as two players who can help Minnesota’s playmaking.
Will Dillingham be in the rotation immediately this season? I am leaning toward yes, but it would not surprise me if he isn’t.
In August, I wrote about why I believe the Wolves should diversify their primary ball handler minutes across multiple players, which seems to align with Finch’s plan entering the year. To me, that includes playing Dillingham consistently and accepting any consequences that may come with it.
Dillingham doesn’t need to — and probably won’t — play a ton of minutes, but he did enough last year to prove he’s ready for a rotational spot. Giving him 5-10 minutes every night might help Minnesota’s offense and accelerate Dillingham’s transition process to become the Wolves’ long-term point guard eventually.
At the same time, to answer a question above, if Dillingham is in the rotation immediately and issues arise to the point where he’s too much of a liability, the Wolves have plenty of solid ball-handling options, such as Randle, Mike Conley, Shannon, and McDaniels.
Edwards will also continue to develop, hopefully to a level where he can initiate offense as the primary ball handler more frequently. With that in mind, but even if Ant doesn’t get to that point this season, I am confident that Finch has the tools and knowledge to get the most out of his PG room.
Terrence Shannon Jr.’s First Year In the Rotation
What is the best-case scenario season for TSJ? (@caseycotton)
We might not know if Dillingham will make Finch’s anticipated extended rotation immediately, but we know that Shannon will eat up a good chunk of Nickiel Alexander-Walker’s minutes.
Shannon showed flashes during the regular season last year, stepping up when Randle missed a month due to a groin injury. Shannon played with a level of pace that gave Minnesota’s offense a dynamic it lacked when he wasn’t on the court. He dropped a career-high 25 points on 60% shooting against the Los Angeles Lakers in February. But once Randle returned to the court in March, Shannon returned to the bench and out of the rotation.
Still, Finch realized that the fast-paced, sometimes hectic style that Shannon brings is a valuable tool. Finch never lost sight of it. When Minnesota’s offense started to bog down against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Conference Finals, Finch gave Shannon another opportunity to show that he is not only an impactful NBA-level player but an important part of Minnesota’s success.
And the 25-year-old did just that, dropping 15 points on 5 of 8 from the floor in 13 minutes in Game 3, nine points in eight minutes in Game 4, and 11 points in 15 minutes in Game 5.
A few months after the playoffs, Shannon played in what will likely be his final Summer League. He was far and away the best player on the court in Las Vegas. More importantly, at least to me, he was picking apart the defense with his passing.
That can be a massive development for the Wolves this season, especially if Finch views him as a player who can shoulder some of the primary ball-handling duties. TSJ’s passing also complements his downhill-oriented game perfectly, particularly in transition.
All signs point to Shannon having a breakout season with Minnesota. He can fill up the statsheet in a hurry and will certainly do that plenty this year. But ultimately, the Wolves won’t need his scoring as much as they will need his defense, pace, and ball movement.
The best-case scenario this season for Shannon isn’t going to be defined by his stats. Instead, his impact on winning. And Shannon is entirely aware of that. I have a feeling that he will eventually have such a high impact that it will be hard for Finch to take him off the floor, similar to Alexander-Walker.
What Might Hold the Wolves Back?
What do you see as the reasons the Wolves won’t win a championship? (@williamtz5)
As I lay out above, I am not as concerned about Minnesota’s point guard situation as others. Instead, I would look to the position on the other end of the list — center — as the biggest area that could potentially hold the Wolves back from their championship aspirations.
Rudy Gobert, 33, is entering his 13th year in the NBA. He is a future Hall of Famer who has been one-dimensional offensively since he arrived in the NBA from France. However, that hasn’t prevented him from becoming a threat on offense. Still, for that to happen, the circumstances around him need to be right.
In other words, some of Gobert’s success is out of his control.
That’s especially true at this stage of his career. Gobert was occasionally a situational player last season, especially down the stretch in the playoffs. That’s a tricky place for a team with championship hopes to be at regarding their starting center. However, Gobert was largely a pillar of consistency on defense. If the Wolves didn’t have him on the court for the 72 games he was active, they would greatly miss his impact.
Gobert is still vital to Minnesota’s success, which is what makes his offensive limitations and situationality concerning. In August, I wrote about what needs to happen for the Wolves to be a championship-level team with Gobert as a player who drives winning. In that article, I delve deeper into why it would be beneficial for him to add a short floater to his arsenal, keeping the defense honest when operating out of the short roll with Edwards.
Is that reasonable at this stage of his career? I’ll let you be the judge.
Now, what happens if Gobert misses an extended period? Or what if he severely regresses? The Wolves will naturally have to go smaller, with Randle sliding over to center and Naz Reid stepping into the starting lineup. The lineup of Conley, Edwards, McDaniels, Reid, and Randle played 97 minutes last year, recording a -0.63 net rating (anything in the negatives is not considered very good). Defensively, that group struggled, but they played well offensively.
Hypotheticals are tough to measure because they could never happen. Gobert could play all 82 at a level similar to or better than last year. But if he endures an injury, the Wolves lack traditional and somewhat proven center depth after Luka Garza signed with the Boston Celtics. Joan Beringer or Leonard Miller would be the emergency center as it sits right now.
I am very high on Beringer, who is a quick learner, but he is still very young. Miller still struggles defensively. The 7-foot-3 Zikarsky still has much to learn, too. Therefore, if I had to pick one area that may hold the Wolves back, it would be at center. But overall, this is a well-rounded roster with many different wrinkles for Finch to utilize. Last year, he tinkered with those wrinkles. This year, he should know exactly what he has at his disposal. In turn, that should help the Wolves if they endure injury troubles.
I am very high on this roster. I am high on the coaching staff. Unlike this time last year, we know who the Wolves are and who they want to be. They want to be champions, and their quiet off-season has Minnesota in a great position to make a run at fulfilling those aspirations.
