Chris Finch likes what LaMelo Ball brings to the Timberwolves, and it goes well beyond shot-making.
Ahead of a preseason game at Madison Square Garden in New York, the Minnesota coach sounded energized about the guard’s fit, pointing to Ball’s ability to ease the load on superstar Anthony Edwards and his value as a shooter. But Finch’s most revealing comments had nothing to do with numbers or schemes. They came down to temperament.
“He's always in a great mood. Always comes in smiling,” Finch said of Ball.
“He and Anthony have a shared quality: they're really hard to stay mad at. And they do some things that you want to get mad at.
They have a reflective joy…We referred to ourselves as a moody team in the last couple of years, at times, and it's probably gotten in our way. We've traded moodiness for giddiness.
So, we've gotta get to some sort of happy medium.”
That line fits with a criticism that surfaced inside the team after another postseason disappointment. Last year, Minnesota was knocked out by the San Antonio Spurs in the second round of the 2026 Western Conference Playoffs. The year before, the Timberwolves fell to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals.
After that second exit, Naz Reid was asked what separated those teams from Minnesota. He didn’t dance around it. In mid-May, he pointed to the Wolves’ own disposition.
“Just the moodiness. Both of those teams, they're playing for one another, excited to be on the floor with one another, they're selfless…we have more than enough talent, just need to be less moody and more selfless,” Reid told reporters in mid-May.
Minnesota spent the offseason reshaping the roster around that idea. The team sent Julius Randle to the Brooklyn Nets, then folded that move into a Reid-for-Ball swap that included two first-round picks. The Wolves also re-signed Ayo Dosunmu and landed Jonathan Kuminga after offering him a starting role.
Edwards said at media day that he’ll miss Reid, but also said he was “super happy” about the changes in the locker room.
Finch did not say he prefers one emotional register over the other, only that the feel around the group is different now. The question, as always, is whether that new mix of energy and edge turns into more wins. For Edwards, Finch and Ball, that’s what will matter most in Minnesota.
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The Timberwolves have reason to believe the fit around him can help, too. A faster pace and better spacing should open the floor for McDaniels, and the teams new ball distribution should only make those opportunities more available as the season settles in. If his growth in creating offense keeps holding, Minnesota may have a more complete version of him than many expected. [Read more 🡒]