Chris Finch isn’t wasting any time figuring out how to get the most out of LaMelo Ball.
The Minnesota Timberwolves are banking on Ball’s talent to patch the gaps that have kept him from fully becoming the superstar his game has long hinted at. He’s a dazzling playmaker and a dangerous shot-maker, but through six seasons, the decision-making has remained the sticking point.
Finch, though, is already zeroing in on exactly where Ball has to sharpen up - and he’s saying it out loud.
In a recent interview with Britt Robson of MinnPost, Finch said Ball can hit the difficult shots he takes, but that leaning on them too heavily is a different matter.
"He can make all those shots he takes, but making a living off of those shots is different and very hard to do. So I think there needs to be some redistribution on how he shoots.
It is like anything else: If you want to be a good shooter, the first thing you should do is get rid of the bad shots. He does take some - and he can make them.
But I think he has relied heavily on it."
Finch also pointed to Ball’s finishing as another area that needs work, suggesting Ball’s elite passing may sometimes get in the way once he gets into the lane.
"The second piece is the finishing aspect. I think he goes into the paint a lot of the time as a passer, with a passing mentality - because he is so elite at it. So he might lose the mentality of how he wants to finish; the finishing becomes more of an afterthought, or simply escaping the shot-blocker, or whatever."
That critique fits the profile Ball has built over six seasons with the Charlotte Hornets, where he led the team to the Play-In Tournament three times. The promise has always been obvious. The full leap has not.
He’s still a major production machine. Last season, Ball put up 20.1 points, 7.1 assists, 4.8 rebounds, 1.2 steals, and 3.8 three-point field goals made per game while shooting .407/.368/.899. His career line sits at 20.8 points, 7.3 assists, 5.7 rebounds, 1.4 steals, and 3.2 three-point field goals made per game on .418/.365/.847 shooting.
There was real progress too. Ball cut his turnovers from 3.6 per game in 2024-25 to 2.8 in 2025-26, a meaningful step for a player whose mistakes have often undercut the rest of his game.
But the underlying numbers still point to the same issues Finch is talking about. Ball hit 36.5 percent from three on 10.3 attempts per game, which barely topped the league average of 36.0 percent. Basketball Index had him in the third percentile in three-point shot quality, and his second-most common type of field goal attempt came after at least seven dribbles, where he shot 38.1 percent from the field.
The rim numbers are just as telling. Ball ranked in the 18th percentile in rim field goal percentage and finished 9.4 percent below league average within eight feet of the basket.
Even so, defenses still have to account for him everywhere. Basketball Index placed him in the 97th percentile in on-ball gravity and the 94th percentile in off-ball gravity.
That’s why Finch’s focus matters. Ball doesn’t need more proof that he can make tough shots.
He needs a cleaner shot diet and more reliable finishing when he gets downhill. That’s the difference between a one-time All-Star and a player who keeps making those teams year after year.
Finch seems to understand that, and just as important, he seems to know how to turn Ball’s gifts into something that can actually move the Timberwolves forward.
In Other News...
Bulls' Kuminga Miss Reveals A Bigger Plan For Their Young Wings
The Bulls spent part of the offseason chasing restricted free agents Bennedict Mathurin and Jonathan Kuminga, but neither pursuit ended in Chicagos favor. Mathurin landed with the New Orleans Pelicans, while Kuminga ultimately chose a two-year deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves, giving the Wolves a notable addition to their young wing mix at a time when they were looking to keep building around athletic, versatile perimeter talent.
Chicagos pitch apparently never got to the point of securing Kuminga, and the gap in how each team framed his opportunity mattered. Reports indicated the Bulls were not willing to guarantee him a major role, while Minnesota was prepared to offer more responsibility right away, a detail that helps explain why the Wolves won out in a market where usage and playing time can be just as important as money. [Read more 🡒]
Timberwolves Are Taking A Real Health Gamble On LaMelo Ball
Minnesotas interest in LaMelo Ball comes with the kind of risk that usually gets attached to a real swing for the fences. The Timberwolves know the talent is there, and general manager Matt Lloyd has made it clear the club is banking on Ball carrying over the healthier stretch he showed last season, when he stayed on the floor enough to ease some of the usual concerns that follow him around.
Even so, no one in Minnesota is pretending the injury history has disappeared. The logic behind the chase is that the roster has enough support to absorb missed time if it comes, which is part of why the move remains so intriguing. The upside is obvious, but so is the gamble, and the Wolves are weighing both as they decide how far to go. [Read more 🡒]
Timberwolves Just Got A Real Opening In The West
Minnesota spent the offseason making a bold bet of its own, reshaping the frontcourt by dealing Julius Randle and Naz Reid to land LaMelo Ball and Jonathan Kuminga. It was a move that signaled urgency as much as ambition, because the Timberwolves clearly saw a Western Conference that could be in flux rather than frozen in place.
Oklahoma City, Denver and Los Angeles all look different now, too, and not necessarily in ways that inspire the same level of certainty they carried in past springs. The Thunder have leaned into cap-driven changes, the Nuggets have watched key championship pieces peel away while managing the books, and the Lakers have also undergone major turnover, including the departure of LeBron James, leaving Minnesota with a path that feels more open than it did a few months ago. [Read more 🡒]