Chris Finch didn’t exactly slam the door on Jaden McDaniels at power forward, but his latest comments make one thing pretty clear: Minnesota doesn’t sound locked into that look as its opening-night answer.
Speaking with Chris Hine of The Minnesota Star Tribune, Finch said he doesn’t picture McDaniels sliding to the four right away. “I don’t immediately envision Jaden just moving over and playing the four,” Finch said. “While I can see at times he’ll play there and maybe play a good number of minutes there, I don’t see that right off the bat and I don’t necessarily, in my mind’s eye, see that as a starting lineup with him there.”
That matters because, as the roster stands, McDaniels has been the easy pencil-in for the starting power forward spot. Finch’s wording suggests the Timberwolves may be thinking bigger than just reshuffling what they already have.
The most obvious read is that Minnesota is still planning to add a starting-caliber forward before the season begins. The Wolves also need to add at least one player to satisfy league roster requirements, and the assumption has been that they’ll bring in a forward in some form once LeBron James’ decision is made.
How ambitious that addition can be is another question. Minnesota doesn’t have much room to spend in free agency, and the trade cupboard isn’t exactly overflowing. Even so, Finch’s comments point toward a team that believes it has a real answer in mind, not just a temporary patch.
And the internal options don’t exactly inspire confidence. Trey Lyles was out of the league last year.
Terrence Shannon Jr. and Jaylen Clark would mean going small. Joan Beringer and Rudy Gobert would create a frontcourt without spacing.
For a team with title aspirations, none of those choices feels like a clean solution.
That’s why starting McDaniels at the four still looks like the best of the current possibilities, even if it comes with some risk because of his slim frame. The alternatives are tougher to sell.
Finch did leave room for matchup-based flexibility, and Chris Hine noted that the Wolves could tailor lineups depending on the opponent. As Hine wrote, “What kind of power forward may be across from them, whether it’s a burly, rugged type, a center playing down a spot or a stretch-the-floor shooting four, may dictate who plays and how the Wolves play on a given night,”
Finch echoed that idea with a simple line: “There’s always tactics,” Finch said. “They leave you with choices and things to give up to be able to game plan around.”
Still, that doesn’t sound like a team preparing to hand the job to Lyles, Clark, Shannon or Beringer. A stopgap like Georges Niang would make more sense, whether that means starting next to McDaniels in certain matchups or coming off the bench when Minnesota doesn’t need extra size.
A trade also remains in play. P.J. Washington and Obi Toppin are both clean fits, though that route would have to wait until September because Josh Green can’t be aggregated with another contract until September 8.
However it happens, Finch’s comments make the picture feel a little less murky. Tim Connelly has a reputation for staying aggressive, and that’s the biggest reason to believe Minnesota still has a meaningful move coming before the season starts.
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