The Timberwolves have found a new feel in camp, and Chris Finch says that shift might be just as important as any lineup tweak or preseason box score.
Before Minnesota faced the New York Knicks on Monday night, Finch pointed to the biggest change around the team: the mood in the locker room. He said the Wolves have gone from "moodiness for giddiness," a line that spread fast online and set off plenty of reaction around the roster.
The joke, at least on social media, was that Julius Randle was the player Finch had in mind. But the reality is broader than that.
Randle certainly fit the bill at times last season, yet the emotional inconsistency was a team problem, not a one-man problem. Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, Rudy Gobert, and even Naz Reid all carried some part of that same label at different points.
Minnesota knew it needed to change that dynamic, and this summer it made that a priority. The trade for LaMelo Ball was aimed at more than talent alone. It was meant to shift the tone of the group, and by every sign so far, it has done exactly that.
Ball arrived and immediately clicked with Edwards. The two developed strong chemistry away from the court, even planning a trip to see Gobert in France, and then spent much of the summer working together in Minnesota.
That connection has shown up quickly in preseason action. Ball’s passing and shooting have given Edwards and McDaniels more room to operate, and both have been piling up efficient scoring early on.
The bigger change, though, is harder to measure and easier to feel. Ball has brought energy.
He’s loosened the room. Minnesota’s staff and players, who at times last season seemed stuck in a holding pattern while waiting for the playoffs, now sound and look like a team that actually enjoys showing up every day.
That said, Finch’s point cuts both ways. The Wolves did not just need a happier locker room; they needed a better one.
Fun is great. Chemistry matters.
But if the good vibes turn into complacency, that becomes its own problem. Finch’s warning was clear: the team still has to find a happy medium.
That balance is what will define the months ahead. The Wolves need Ball’s easygoing personality and the lift he’s brought, but they also need the edge and seriousness that championship teams carry when things get tight. The early energy can help them weather growing pains, but it won’t solve every issue.
Last season showed what happens when problems are allowed to linger. One bad night could snowball into a rough stretch, and even their best basketball never really lasted. This year, when adversity hits, the response has to come faster.
The pressure is real, too. Minnesota has no remaining draft capital, and the veteran stabilizers they leaned on so heavily - Mike Conley, Joe Ingles, and Kyle Anderson - are gone in free agency. That leaves this group with less protection and fewer excuses.
So now it falls to the Wolves’ core to take the next step. They are not framed as championship-or-bust yet, but the safety rails are gone. At this point, the team will have to rise or fall on its own.
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