For a while, it looked like Jaden McDaniels might be headed for a new defensive job description in Minnesota. With Naz Reid and Julius Randle traded, plenty of Timberwolves fans assumed McDaniels would slide into the starting power forward spot this season.
Chris Finch has made it clear that’s not how he sees it.
In an interview with Chris Hine of The Star Tribune, Finch said he doesn’t envision McDaniels as the starting power forward. He reinforced that stance again when speaking with Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic.
“I see Jaden playing largely the same role he’s always played,” Finch said.“But of course he can slide over to play four, and you get a chance to get other guys on the floor."
That answer says a lot. McDaniels can absolutely move around, and Finch left room for that in training camp. But the main idea is unchanged: Minnesota wants him doing what he does best, which is hounding elite perimeter players and making life miserable for opposing guards and wings.
That’s the heart of the decision here. McDaniels has built his reputation as one of the league’s best on-ball defenders, using his length and size to disrupt creators at the point of attack. The Timberwolves may be thin at forward, but there’s real logic in not pulling one of their most valuable defensive weapons away from the spot where he’s been most dangerous.
Finch’s comments also line up with what Tim Connelly said about the team having some internal left-field-ish options to cover the power forward gap. A late offseason move can’t be ruled out, but that feels unlikely given Minnesota’s lack of draft assets and obvious trade candidates.
So if the roster stays mostly intact, McDaniels’ defensive usage becomes one of the biggest storylines heading into the season.
Minnesota will still need someone to handle forwards, and that part of the puzzle will be patched together. Anthony Edwards appears to be in the mix, and Josh Green, Terrence Shannon Jr., Jaylen Clark, Ayo Dosunmu, and Trey Lyles, if he plays, are all listed as possible options. The Timberwolves are also likely to add at least one more forward, which would give them another body to work with.
Even so, there’s a difference between cobbling together help against forwards and asking McDaniels to leave the perimeter behind. The first option feels messy, but manageable. The second could take away one of Minnesota’s biggest strengths.
And that strength matters. McDaniels has been one of the team’s best defensive advantages in recent years, including that first-round series this past season when he had Jamal Murray in jail.
That’s why Finch’s stance makes sense. The Timberwolves may have to improvise elsewhere, but keeping McDaniels locked in as a perimeter stopper looks like the safer bet.
In Other News...
Edwards And Ball Could Finally Unlock The Timberwolves Offense
The Timberwolves have spent plenty of time trying to make the pieces around Anthony Edwards fit, but the addition of LaMelo Ball changes the conversation in a meaningful way. Pairing two high-volume perimeter threats gives Minnesota a much cleaner path to spacing the floor, and that matters for a team that has often had to work around crowded driving lanes and a frontcourt that can shrink the court.
Balls ability to pull defenders out beyond the arc should open more room for Edwards to attack, while also making life easier for the rest of the offense. It could be the kind of setup that finally lets Rudy Gobert operate with more space and cleaner angles, which is exactly the sort of ripple effect Minnesota has been looking for as it tries to make its attack more dynamic. [Read more 🡒]
Another Former Wolves Forward Is Getting A Fresh Chance Elsewhere
Julian Phillips is getting another look after a brief stop in Minnesota, where the Timberwolves added him in a trade before moving on and sending him to Houston. The former Wolves forward barely had time to carve out a role, but he did flash enough in limited minutes to stay on the radar as a young wing worth a longer evaluation.
Now the challenge shifts to earning a place with the Rockets, where the path is anything but secure. Phillips is on a likely non-guaranteed deal and will have to beat out other camp bodies for a roster spot, which makes this less a fresh start than an audition with no margin for error. [Read more 🡒]
Timberwolves Still Have One Frontcourt Problem Hanging Over This Roster
The Timberwolves frontcourt picture still has a clear hole after the departures of Julius Randle and Naz Reid, and it is the kind of roster issue that can linger even on a team built to defend. Minnesota still leans on Rudy Gobert to clean up at the rim and Jaden McDaniels to handle the perimeter work, which gives the Wolves a strong defensive backbone, but it does not fully answer who is going to handle power forwards on a night-to-night basis.
For now, the team is sorting through stopgap ideas rather than a settled plan. Anthony Edwards has been mentioned as one possible cover, along with bench wings and any new additions the front office might bring in, but the search for a more natural fit is still ongoing. The longer this goes unresolved, the more it feels like a problem Minnesota may have to keep carrying until the trade market offers a cleaner solution. [Read more 🡒]