Chris Finch didn’t need to say much after Minnesota’s opener against Miami to make the point. He’s seen this movie before.
The Timberwolves coach has spent plenty of time trying to make two-big lineups work, and after facing the Heat, he pointed to the same slow-burn problem Miami is dealing with now.
“They’ll figure out how to play off each other really well, it just takes time," Finch said. "Trying to mesh bigs is a lot harder, having done it many times, than it is to mesh smalls, and a lot of that just has to do with spacing... But it’ll happen for them, and they’re going to be a handful.”
That warning is looking pretty accurate so far. Miami is 3-6, and the fit between Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo has been awkward enough to drag down the whole operation. With two bigs who don’t stretch the floor, the lane gets crowded fast, the offense bogs down, and the result is an attack that looks even rougher than its 17th-ranked offensive rating suggests.
Minnesota knows the feeling.
The Wolves have lived through their own frontcourt experiments, first with Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns, then with Gobert and Julius Randle. Those combinations eventually produced results, but the early returns were messy.
In the first 20 games with Randle and Gobert together, Minnesota went 10-10. When Gobert arrived in 2022, the Wolves were 10-10 to start and 19-21 after four games.
The pieces didn’t really click until later, and even then the process took time.
There is one major difference, though. Minnesota had Anthony Edwards to steady things when the offense got clunky.
Miami doesn’t have that same kind of perimeter bailout, especially after gutting its depth to bring in one of those frontcourt stars. That leaves Giannis and Bam in a position where they’re asked to create more than is naturally comfortable, while the player without the ball isn’t helping much as a spacer.
That’s where the strain shows up. The Heat’s frontcourt talent is higher than what Minnesota dealt with in past versions of this problem, but the tradeoff is obvious: more size up front, less creation on the perimeter. And even if Miami sorts out the regular-season wrinkles, the issues Finch was describing can still surface when the game tightens and spacing matters most.
For now, though, the Heat are still in the part of the process where everything looks clunky. Finch has seen enough to know that doesn’t mean the idea is dead. It just means it takes time.
In Other News...
Pelicans Injury Report Could Change Minnesotas Next Test
The Timberwolves next matchup could look a little different depending on how New Orleans handles its injury report. Trey Murphy III is listed as day-to-day with a patellar injury, while Yves Missi is out with a knee injury, giving Minnesota a possible edge in a game where the Pelicans available rotation may be in flux.
For a Wolves team trying to keep its footing in the early part of the schedule, any change to the Pelicans front line or wing depth matters. New Orleans still brings statistical leaders and enough talent to make this a real test, but Minnesota will be watching closely to see whether the matchup tilts before tipoff. [Read more 🡒]
Anthony Edwards Return Could Change Everything For Timberwolves Contention
Ayo Dosunmu had plenty to say in a letter to Timberwolves fans, and most of it centered on what Anthony Edwards brings when he is around the group. Dosunmu praised Edwards trash-talking ability and competitive edge, framing him as the kind of player who changes the temperature of a room just by being in it. He also pointed to the intensity Edwards shows in practice, a reminder that the edge Minnesota leans on in big moments starts long before the game tips.
For a team trying to position itself as a real contender, Edwards absence from knee surgery has been the obvious storyline hanging over everything. Dosunmus message was as much about belief as it was about basketball, expressing optimism about what the Timberwolves can become once Edwards is back in the mix. The larger question now is how quickly that return translates into the kind of late-season push Minnesota has been waiting to make. [Read more 🡒]
Timberwolves Have One Clear Edge That Could Break Open Friday
The Timberwolves head into Fridays matchup with New Orleans at 6-3, and the early read on this one points to a familiar Minnesota strength: balance. With LaMelo Ball, Ayo Dosunmu, Jaden McDaniels, Jonathan Kuminga and Rudy Gobert forming the projected starting group, the Wolves have multiple ways to create offense and enough size to make life difficult on both ends. New Orleans, meanwhile, brings its own talent in Zion Williamson, Dejounte Murray and Trey Murphy III, but the matchup sets up as a test of how well the Pelicans can keep pace with Minnesotas depth and versatility.
The clearest separator may be the perimeter game, where Minnesota has been more reliable and more dangerous as a group. The Wolves are connecting from deep at a far better rate and generating more made threes per night, which gives them a margin that can change the feel of a game quickly if the shots start falling early. For a team already looking more settled than New Orleans, that edge could be the one that opens things up Friday if the Pelicans cannot answer it. [Read more 🡒]