Chris Finch is going to have to tweak the Timberwolves’ offense if Minnesota wants to get the most out of the LaMelo Ball era, and the cleanest place to start is obvious: more pick-and-roll.
That’s the part of the offense some Wolves fans have been waiting for Finch to lean into anyway. Minnesota has often lived with a looser, more free-flowing approach, but Ball changes the equation. He’s not just a gifted playmaker - he’s a pick-and-roll specialist, and leaving that tool on the shelf would waste one of the biggest strengths he brings to the table.
The numbers back up the need for a shift. Last season, the Timberwolves finished in the bottom 10 in pick-and-roll frequency per NBA.com.
That can be traced in part to the team’s lack of natural playmaking, but Ball gives them a very different starting point. If he’s in the building, the offense should be built to put him in motion and let him make decisions.
There are also signs Finch may already be headed in that direction. In an interview with Chris Hine of The Star Tribune, Finch talked about taking a more hands-on approach this season. That kind of adjustment should naturally include more pick-and-roll action, along with other reliable offensive sets that give the Wolves more structure.
Charlotte offered a clear example of what that can look like. The Hornets finished last season with the top-ranked offense in the 2026 portion of the season, and Charles Lee’s creativity played a major role in that surge. They also led the league in pick-and-roll ball-handler frequency per NBA.com, which is no accident when you have a guard like Ball.
Minnesota does not need to copy Charlotte possession for possession. But it does need to raise its pick-and-roll volume if it wants to fully unlock Ball’s game. That matters even more if the Wolves are serious about getting Rudy Gobert involved in a bigger way, because hammering pick-and-rolls is the most direct path to doing that.
Lee’s offense also showed how much variety can live inside that framework. The Hornets used guard-to-guard pick-and-rolls, Ram action, which uses a down screen to set up a ball screen, and Spain pick-and-roll, where a ball screen is followed by a back screen. If Finch is truly going to be more involved on the offensive end, those kinds of wrinkles could give Minnesota more ways to stress defenses.
Ball has already shown he can thrive in systems that use those actions, and they give an offense more optionality overall. That kind of structure could help the Timberwolves climb from where they were last season, when they finished 14th in offensive rating per Cleaning the Glass.
The challenge, of course, is finding the right balance. Finch’s usual style gives stars room to create, and Ball should absolutely be trusted as a decision-maker. But with Ball and Anthony Edwards both carrying major usage, a little more structure could go a long way.
Making pick-and-roll a more consistent part of the offense is the simplest way to start. It adds order without taking away freedom, and it gives Minnesota a better chance to maximize Ball’s talent. The early signs suggest Finch is open to that kind of change, and if he follows through, the Timberwolves could have a much higher ceiling than they did before.
In Other News...
Timberwolves May Be Running Out Of Time With This Core
The Timberwolves have built something worth protecting around Anthony Edwards, LaMelo Ball and Jaden McDaniels, a young core all under contract through 2029. On paper, that should give Minnesota a long runway, but the NBAs second tax apron has a way of turning promising team-building into a math problem, especially once a club starts thinking like a contender instead of a project.
For Minnesota, the tension is no longer about whether the talent is there. It is about how long the front office can keep the group intact while still leaving enough flexibility to chase a title, with Edwards likely waiting until next summer for his next major payday and Balls future cost already pointing upward. The Timberwolves have time, but not unlimited time, and the pressure to make the right calls only gets heavier as the bills come due. [Read more 🡒]
Timberwolves Solved One Problem And Created A Bigger One
The Timberwolves addressed one of their most obvious needs by bringing in LaMelo Ball and Josh Green, a move that gives the roster a very different look at point guard after sending out Naz Reid, Julius Randle and draft capital. It is the kind of swing that can change the way Minnesota plays, and it also reflects how aggressively Tim Connelly has been willing to reshape the roster around the edges and in the middle.
The problem is that solving one spot has left another one exposed, with frontcourt depth and financial flexibility both suddenly in short supply. Connelly has already acknowledged the need for creativity at power forward, and the Wolves are still sorting through ways to get the roster where it needs to be before the season settles in. [Read more 🡒]
Wolves Fans Are Split On What Ayo Dosunmu Will Be Worth
Ayo Dosunmus place in Minnesota has become one of those roster debates that says as much about team-building as it does about the player himself. Once the Timberwolves added LaMelo Ball, Dosunmus value shifted from a more central piece to a complementary one, and now he is being measured less by whether he can carry possessions and more by how cleanly he fits alongside Ball and Anthony Edwards.
That is where the split starts. Some fans see a well-rounded guard whose game resembles the kind of connective talent championship teams lean on, while others look at the price tag and wonder whether Minnesota is paying for an ideal role player at a premium rate. He is projected to sit as the 104th highest-paid player in the league, which only adds to the argument that the Wolves may have found a bargain if the fit works the way they believe it can. [Read more 🡒]