Jonathan Kuminga’s arrival in Minnesota doesn’t just answer the Timberwolves’ long-running power forward question. It sends the rest of the rotation into a new shape, and a few players are about to feel it more than others.
The biggest beneficiary on the front line is Jaden McDaniels, even if the fit now comes with a different kind of challenge. Last season was the highest his usage rate had ever climbed, and it still only reached 18.6.
That bump came with McDaniels proving he can be efficient and, when needed, carry the Wolves in the playoffs. With Kuminga now in the mix, McDaniels can slide back to his natural wing spot on defense, which is a major win for Minnesota.
But offensively, the fit becomes the real test.
Kuminga’s lowest usage over the past three seasons came this year at 23.3, and he has usually been used as a higher-usage, isolation-heavy scorer. In that sense, he brings some of the same offensive texture Julius Randle offered - more iso work, less transition volume.
For this to work, Kuminga has to understand he’s below McDaniels in the offensive pecking order. Minnesota cannot afford another season where he fades into the background on that end.
The other major question is how Kuminga meshes with Rudy Gobert in halfcourt sets. McDaniels at power forward would have created a spacing dream, with Gobert free to operate in the dunker spot while the rest of the lineup stretched the floor.
Kuminga changes that equation. He’s more willing from midrange, but he’s not a strong outside shooter, and that immediately raises questions about his shot volume and how the Wolves want to use him alongside Gobert.
His downhill game will matter. The bigger issue is what happens in the playoffs, when defenses are more willing to live with his perimeter space.
That’s where the fit gets tricky, and where Gobert’s playoff spacing issues could surface again. At this point, there are only questions, not answers.
The job of LaMelo Ball and Anthony Edwards will be to make the new frontcourt puzzle work.
One of the clearest winners from the Kuminga move is Ayo Dosunmu. Instead of being pushed into an undersized small forward role, the former Illinois guard can settle into the bench as a real Sixth Man of the Year type of candidate. He’ll also keep building chemistry with Bones Hyland, and their “Twin Turbos” identity from last season should only get more defined.
Bones Hyland on his nickname with Ayo Dosunmu “Turbo Twins” “Yeah that’s official, there’s got to be merch coming out, that’s a hardass nickname. I’m rocking with it I ain’t gonna lie” pic.twitter.com/9c8r6LgO8y
That second unit now has a clear identity: push the pace, attack in waves, and let Dosunmu and Hyland run the show behind LaMelo Ball’s lead, with a lob threat in Joan Beringer waiting to sprint the floor. Dosunmu, listed at 6-foot-4, no longer has to absorb the burden of guarding small forwards, and that matters. His size and toughness play better at the combo-guard spot, where his energy can be used instead of hidden.
Bones Hyland and Ayo Dosunmu formed a clear identity off the bench last season; the Twin Turbos moniker proved it. When he re-signed this offseason, I figured that identity would become clearer at breakneck speed next to Hyland, flanked by a fearless TSJ pic.twitter.com/nkVJPoyR8N
Even with the roster taking shape, Kuminga still brings plenty of uncertainty with him. His exit from Golden State was rocky, and both the trade deadline and free agency markets were cooler on him than expected. Now 24, he’s at a crossroads, and Minnesota is asking him to channel that athleticism into transition play and high-level rebounding.
The role will shrink. The volume will drop. But if Kuminga handles that adjustment the right way, the payoff could be significant for both him and the Timberwolves.
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The Timberwolves have spent the offseason projecting a more connected, more settled group, with the kind of low-key bonding that can matter once the games start counting. The roster has been active away from the floor, from players keeping up with one another on social media to the team documenting Donte DiVincenzos rehab from an Achilles injury, all of it feeding the sense that Minnesota is trying to build continuity as much as talent.
Anthony Edwards is also sounding and acting like a player ready to carry more of the tone-setting load. For a team that already knows what it looks like to win in spurts, the bigger question is how that energy translates when the rotation settles and the new pieces are asked to fit quickly into a group that expects to contend again. [Read more 🡒]
Lakers Still Have One Roster Problem They Can't Ignore
Jonathan Kumingas decision to land with the Timberwolves on a two-year deal leaves the Lakers still staring at the same basic problem that has hung over their roster for most of the offseason. They need more help on the wing, especially with players who can bring size and versatility, but their options are shaped less by wish list than by cap math and the reality of a crowded payroll.
Los Angeles remains boxed in by the limits of its financial situation, which means any meaningful addition likely requires another move first. That is why the names floating around the market are the sort of lower-cost pieces that can still matter, with Bruce Brown and Cam Whitmore among the wings the Lakers could examine as they try to patch the roster without further tying their hands. [Read more 🡒]
Bulls Still Have A Chance To Turn These Misses Into A Win
The Timberwolves added another young wing piece in Jonathan Kuminga on a two-year contract, a move that fits their broader effort to stay competitive while keeping their roster in motion. Around the league, Bennedict Mathurin landed in New Orleans on a similar two-year deal, and the Bulls were notable for what they did not do, passing on a more aggressive push for either player despite having an open roster spot.
Chicagos decision was about preserving roster and financial flexibility, even as both players came in at a price that some teams could have justified. For Minnesota, the signing gives the front office another option to sort through, but it also tightens the cap picture enough that every follow-up move matters, especially with the roster still needing room for one more body and the ripple effects of any additional transaction likely to shape what comes next. [Read more 🡒]