Chris Finch has built a reputation on keeping his rotation tight, but this Timberwolves roster may force his hand.
Last season, Minnesota leaned hard on that approach. Rob Dillingham, Terrence Shannon Jr., and Jaylen Clark mostly got scattered minutes as the Wolves tried to replace the production they lost when Nickeil Alexander-Walker departed.
The decision frustrated some fans, but it also made sense at the time. Naz Reid was still giving Minnesota an elite bench punch, and the young group had a rough early stretch.
Eventually, Bones Hyland started to emerge and the trade for Ayo Dosunmu gave the Wolves a workable bench.
This year looks different. Reid is in Charlotte, and unless Minnesota decides to move Ayo to the second unit, there isn’t a proven high-end reserve waiting to carry that group.
The bigger issue is even more obvious: the Wolves don’t have a natural power forward. That combination could push Finch toward a more open-ended rotation, at least early on, while he figures out what actually fits.
There’s also the LaMelo Ball factor. Ball usually doesn’t pile up huge minutes because of his injury history, and he played 28 minutes per game last season. That kind of workload management can shape how a coach builds out the rest of the game plan, and it’s another reason Finch may need to be comfortable going deeper.
Right now, Joan Beringer looks set for a major bench role as an energetic big. Hyland figures to handle backup point guard duties, and Shannon should have a lane as a scoring spark. That gives Minnesota a solid top eight, but it still doesn’t solve the forward problem unless Shannon can slide into a power forward role cleanly.
There are other pieces Finch can mix in. Josh Green brings a 3-and-D profile that could help, and Jaylen Clark’s defense gives the Wolves another useful option.
Both could even be used against opposing fours. If Minnesota adds someone like Georges Niang, that would open another rotational path as well.
That’s why a 10-man rotation doesn’t feel far-fetched here. At the moment, the gap between someone like Shannon and Green doesn’t look enormous, and that kind of flexibility could matter a lot over the course of a season.
Finch hinted at exactly that kind of approach in an interview with Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic.
“I see the opportunity to be creative with that, maybe, every night,” Finch said. “Maybe it’s a different person starting at the four based on who we’re playing. Why not?”
That may be the cleanest answer Minnesota has. Without a conventional power forward, the Wolves may have to keep changing the picture on opposing teams instead of trying to force one perfect solution.
That could mean a deeper rotation, or it could mean a nine-man group with one situational piece. Either way, the league has moved toward depth, and Finch may need to move with it.
In Other News...
Naz Reid Could Reopen A Painful Timberwolves Trade Debate
Naz Reids move from Minnesota to Charlotte already had the feel of one of those deals that can age in a hurry, and the reason is simple: the Hornets are expected to give him a much larger role and more minutes than he had with the Timberwolves. For a player whose value has long been tied to what he can do in a bigger offensive lane, that kind of opportunity changes the conversation fast, especially for a Wolves fan base that has seen former players leave and immediately look more comfortable somewhere else.
The trade will also be judged through the lens of what Charlotte is building around LaMelo Ball, whose injury history adds another layer of uncertainty to any long-term evaluation. Minnesota did bring back draft compensation, mostly in the form of swaps, so the final verdict is not just about Reids production in a new uniform but whether the Wolves gave up a useful piece for enough future flexibility. If Reid takes off the way some around the league think he can, this is the sort of deal that could reopen an old debate in Minneapolis. [Read more 🡒]
Nuggets May Be Headed For The Painful Move Wolves Fans Wanted
Minnesotas offseason addition of LaMelo Ball has already reshaped the way the Timberwolves are being viewed in the West, giving the roster a jolt of talent that feels like a clear step forward. While that move has Wolves fans thinking bigger, Denver has mostly taken the opposite path, with the Nuggets making only modest additions such as Marvin Bagley III and otherwise spending the summer trying to keep their books from getting tighter.
The real concern in Denver is not just what they added, but what they may have to give up to stay flexible. Matching the offer sheet for Spencer Jones squeezed the cap situation further, and Peyton Watsons restricted free agency still hangs over the roster picture, leaving the Nuggets with a difficult balancing act before they can even think about another upgrade. For Minnesota, the appeal is obvious: if Denver is forced into painful salary-dump decisions just to manage its cap, that is the kind of opening the Wolves have been waiting to see. [Read more 🡒]
Timberwolves Suddenly Have The Leonard Miller And Josh Minott Problem
Leonard Miller and Josh Minott barely got a real runway in Minnesota before the Timberwolves moved on, and now both names look a little more complicated in hindsight. Miller was sent out in the Ayo Dosunmu deal, while Minott had his team option declined last summer, decisions that made sense at the time for a team trying to manage its roster and timeline.
Since then, the Wolves depth chart has shifted enough to make forward help a real need, which is why the two former young pieces stand out even more. Miller has flashed with the Bulls, and Minott has shown some useful versatility with the Celtics and Nets, leaving Minnesota to wonder whether the answer at forward might have already been in the building. [Read more 🡒]