Chris Finch has spent enough time around the Timberwolves to know which levers matter most. Some nights he wants Anthony Edwards attacking the rim.
Other times it’s Rudy Gobert getting involved offensively and creating something off the short roll. But the thread Finch kept coming back to last season was speed - how fast Minnesota played, and how much freedom it had to play that way.
That push never fully clicked in 2023-24, the year the Wolves reached the Western Conference Finals. Minnesota finished in the bottom ten in pace, and Finch didn’t hide his frustration.
"We were one of the slowest teams in the league this year, and that has never sat quite well," he said before the series against the Phoenix Suns that season.
Part of that came from the way the roster was built, especially with two centers on the floor at times. The arrival of Julius Randle was supposed to help change that.
The idea was simple: add a player who could rebound and turn defense into offense quickly. In practice, the results were mixed.
Minnesota ended its first season with Randle ranked 23rd in the league in overall pace.
Last season brought some movement in the right direction, but not nearly enough to make the offense feel natural. The Wolves finished 12th in possessions per 48 minutes, yet it often looked like they were forcing themselves into that speed rather than flowing into it. They also finished 12th in turnovers, which fit the picture of a team trying to play faster than its processing speed could comfortably handle.
That tension showed up most with Edwards. He likes to break defenders down, work in isolation, and create from the dribble. Asking him to steer an offense that wants to move quicker can make things clunky, especially when the goal is to avoid living in the halfcourt possession after possession.
Even with Randle and Edwards sharing the floor, Minnesota was one possession slower per 48 minutes. In a game where four possessions can separate a fast team from a slow one, that gap matters.
There were flashes from the so-called "Twin Turbo" pairing, but the pace issue never disappeared. Even Bones Hyland and Ayo Dosunmu had slower stretches than you’d expect.
Bones Hyland nasty behind-the-back pass-fake + transition layup pic.twitter.com/m6sXl1gQPp
Now comes LaMelo Ball, and he changes the conversation immediately. If a team doesn’t want to run, Ball has a way of dragging it into the open floor anyway.
At 6-foot-7, Ball doesn’t just push tempo - he seems to pull everyone else into it. Charlotte was one possession faster with him on the floor, and the Hornets also averaged three fewer turnovers per 100 possessions when he played.
That combination matters. It means pace without the mess, speed without the self-sabotage.
If Ball finds the two-man game with Edwards and Gobert that many expect, Minnesota gets access to a different offensive gear altogether. Finch would have more ways to structure the offense, more ways to get the ball moving, and fewer possessions that bog down into the same old set looks.
LaMelo Ball + Kon Knueppel: 2-man game as the Hornets have leaned into guard-guard screening actionsKon with 4 buckets off pick-and-pops vs. Washington, all assisted by LaMelo: designed actions, in the flow in transition, random ghost screens after initial half-court action pic.twitter.com/cC8PDlTxkh
For Finch, that could be the real payoff. Pace, yes.
But pace that feels easy. Pace that doesn’t cost Minnesota possessions.
Pace that gives the Timberwolves a cleaner path to the style Finch has wanted all along.
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Jonathan Kumingas next stop may come down to opportunity as much as fit, and Minnesota has quietly emerged as a team worth watching. According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, the Timberwolves have shown interest in signing the athletic forward, with the appeal tied to a roster picture that could give him a real chance to carve out a steady role and keep developing.
The financial side is more complicated, as the Timberwolves are operating with salary cap constraints and may not be able to sell much beyond a veteran-level deal. Even so, with other teams such as the Lakers and Cavaliers also looking for help on the wing, Minnesota could have an edge if Kuminga is focused on landing the kind of consistent minutes that let him settle into a rotation rather than chase the biggest offer. [Read more 🡒]
LaMelo Ball's Minnesota Arrival Just Sparked An Uncomfortable Privacy Debate
LaMelo Balls move from Charlotte to Minnesota has already become a talking point beyond basketball, with the Timberwolves guard settling into a new home as his belongings were transferred north. What should have been a routine relocation instead pulled attention toward the personal side of a high-profile arrival, after footage tied to the move began circulating and drew a mix of curiosity and concern from fans and observers.
The reaction also touched off a broader privacy debate, with former NBA player Michael Redd among those raising questions about how much of a players private life should end up online during a move like this. For Minnesota, the basketball fit is the headline, but the off-court noise has added an awkward layer to Balls first days with the franchise, especially with uncertainty still hanging over how the video came to be shared. [Read more 🡒]
Former Wolves Guard Rob Dillingham Is Running Out Of Time
Rob Dillingham entered the league as a high lottery pick for Minnesota, but his rookie year never really gave the Timberwolves a clear answer on what he could become. He struggled to carve out steady minutes or consistent production, and by the time the offseason arrived, it was apparent that his development had stalled enough to make his next stretch in the NBA especially important.
Now in Chicago, Dillingham has gotten more run and shown better numbers, but the larger question still hangs over him: can he grow into a meaningful rotation guard, not just a spark in short bursts? For Minnesota fans who watched the early promise get bogged down, this upcoming season feels like the kind that could finally clarify whether his game can catch up to his pedigree, especially with his shooting and playmaking still very much under the microscope. [Read more 🡒]