The Minnesota Timberwolves have spent plenty of time talking about the absence of a true point guard, and LaMelo Ball’s arrival should help ease the playmaking load on Anthony Edwards. But there’s another issue from last season that deserves just as much attention: the free-throw line.
Minnesota was flat-out rough there a year ago. The Wolves finished 29th in free-throw percentage, with only the Milwaukee Bucks behind them, and that kind of wastefulness can’t stick around if they want to move from good to serious contender status. Those are the kind of points that are supposed to be automatic, and the Wolves treated them like a bonus.
Ball brings a real upgrade in that area. His career free-throw mark sits at 84.8 percent, though that number is pulled down by a rookie season in which he shot 75.8 percent. Since then, he has been remarkably steady, never falling below 84.3 percent from the stripe outside that first year.
Last season was his best work yet. Ball hit 89.9 percent at the line, which landed in the 90th percentile across the league according to Cleaning the Glass. That figure also topped everyone else on the Timberwolves roster.
That matters most when the game gets tight. Ball gives Minnesota another player it can trust to step up and knock down two free throws when the pressure is highest. Alongside Ayo Dosunmu, Anthony Edwards, and Jaden McDaniels, the Wolves can put together a clutch-time group with four reliable foul shooters.
Of course, Ball won’t solve everything by himself. Rudy Gobert remains a major piece of the problem after an especially ugly season at the line, even by his standards. He shot 52.6 percent, and if he can push that into the mid-60s, Minnesota would get a major lift all on its own.
Still, Ball should make those late-game moments a little less nerve-wracking. After last season’s struggles at the stripe, that alone would be a welcome change.
In Other News...
Anthony Edwards Knows What This New Timberwolves Team Is Chasing
Minnesotas offseason has already given the Timberwolves a noticeably different look, and Anthony Edwards sounds as eager as anyone to see what it becomes. After a run to the Western Conference semifinals, the front office went out and added LaMelo Ball and Jonathan Kuminga, a pair of talented newcomers who raise the ceiling of a team that was already squarely in the playoff conversation.
Edwards, the face of the franchise, has made clear he likes where this is headed and sees the group chasing something bigger than another strong regular season. The Western Conference is still loaded, of course, which is why the next step matters so much for Minnesota, and why Edwards health and the fit of the new roster will loom as the season approaches. [Read more 🡒]
Anthony Edwards Sounds Sure About One Wolves Risk Fans Cant Ignore
Anthony Edwards is sounding upbeat about the Timberwolves chances of staying elite on defense even after a potential shakeup that would bring LaMelo Ball into the mix. Minnesota has built its identity around high-end defenders, with Rudy Gobert anchoring the paint and Jaden McDaniels handling tough perimeter assignments, so the question is not whether the team has defensive talent. It is whether adding a gifted but imperfect defender changes the balance enough to matter.
Balls offensive creativity would give Minnesota another layer, but his defense is the part that could keep opposing teams hunting for openings. The Wolves would likely need their existing stoppers to do extra work around him, especially in the kinds of lineups that can be exposed over long stretches. Edwards sounds convinced the team can absorb it, but it is the sort of roster gamble that will have fans watching every matchup possession a little closer. [Read more 🡒]
LaMelo Ball Could Change Everything About The Wolves Offense
LaMelo Ball has already started settling in with the Timberwolves after arriving in late June, and the early signs around the group suggest Minnesota believes it added more than just another talented guard. Ball is expected to function as a primary offensive option and facilitator, giving the Wolves a different kind of pressure point alongside Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert while the team continues to sort out how its offense can look with another high-end creator in the mix.
What stands out so far is how naturally Ball has begun fitting into the room, with teammates sounding encouraged by the way he has blended into the group in the opening stages. Chris Finch has also pointed to the positive effect Ball has had on the team, a promising development for a club that needs its new pieces to click quickly if it wants this move to change the shape of its offense. [Read more 🡒]