Tim Connelly spent the summer reshaping the Timberwolves, and the roster he handed Chris Finch now comes with a very specific challenge: make the new pieces fit and turn them into a team ready to chase a championship.
The headline move was bringing in LaMelo Ball, who steps in as Minnesota’s starting point guard of the future. But that deal also opened up a gap at power forward, and the Wolves addressed it last week by signing Jonathan Kuminga to a two-year, $12.4 million contract. Now Finch is the one who has to sort through the lineup math.
One obvious change is at the five-man spot in the starting group. After the conversation last week about whether Ayo Dosunmu, Trey Lyles, or maybe Josh Green should be the fifth starter, Kuminga now looks like the clear answer.
He brings athleticism and movement without the ball, but the fit only works if he accepts a complementary role and does less with more. In a recent response he posted to a TikTok video, Kuminga seemed ready to do whatever it takes to win, no matter how many shots Finch gives him.
From there, the rotation starts to take shape around how Minnesota wants to manage Ball’s minutes. Last season with the Hornets, Ball usually sat at the end of the first quarter, and that same pattern makes sense here after he averaged only 28 minutes per game last season, seven fewer than Anthony Edwards. In this version, Terrence Shannon Jr. comes in for Ball and handles backup point guard duties, which should push him to initiate more offense and use his downhill burst more often.
Kuminga also gets an early exit, with the idea that Finch will want to watch his workload the same way he does with Ball. That opens the door for Beringer to get time alongside Ball, something that could help bring out Beringer’s pick-and-roll game. Jaylen Clark also enters for the first time to give Minnesota a tougher point-of-attack defender next to McDaniels.
The minutes then begin to stagger Ball and Edwards, giving Minnesota a creator on the floor more consistently in the first half. That kind of setup keeps the offense from going flat and gives Finch a way to avoid long stretches where the attack stalls. Ball then takes another short rest before returning late in the quarter, with this group offering length, defense, and enough speed to run the floor.
After halftime, Finch would go back to his starters, which is the usual move unless an injury or a rough first half changes the plan. Then, around the middle of the third quarter, the bench group would take over to close the period. That all-reserve unit gives Minnesota a chance to use its pace against an opponent that is likely resting starters of its own.
The fourth quarter would begin with Anthony Edwards sitting for the first few minutes, just as Finch typically did last season. That stretch gives Dosunmu extended run between periods, and the Wolves expect him to be a high-volume scorer after paying him $212 million this summer. With the ball in his hands more often near the end of the third, he can keep his offensive volume up.
The finish brings the starters back together, with Ball and Edwards on the floor for the most important late-game stretch. That pairing is meant to power Minnesota’s clutch offense and make it harder for defenses to load up on Edwards.
All told, this builds into a ten-man rotation. Minnesota’s starters show up in five lineups, Dosunmu and Shannon appear in four, and Clark and Lyles each appear in two.
The players outside the rotation are Bones Hyland, Isaiah Evans, Cody Williams, Zyon Pullin, Enrique Freeman, and Rocco Zikarsky. Hyland can give the team emergency minutes at point guard, while Williams can fill in at guard or forward if needed.
If foul trouble or injury hits Gobert or Beringer, Lyles can slide over as the emergency forward-center option. Even with that flexibility, the sense here is that Minnesota still needs one more veteran with size before opening night.
For now, though, this rotation is the one that best ties together the Wolves’ versatile talent.
In Other News...
Wolves GM Just Raised Big Questions About Two Core Decisions
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The bigger long-range questions, though, remain tied to the rosters veteran core and one injured wing whose path back is still uncertain. Lloyd discussed Donte DiVincenzos rehabilitation from a torn Achilles and the teams approach to extensions for DiVincenzo, Jaden McDaniels and Rudy Gobert, leaving the timing of those decisions very much open. For a Wolves team trying to stay competitive without boxing itself in, those calls could shape not just this season, but the one after it as well. [Read more 🡒]
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Williams is the younger holdover Minnesota chose to protect as it sorted through the back end of the roster, even if the choice came with dead money spread across the next three years. The appeal is straightforward enough for a team that values flexibility on defense: Williams gives the Wolves a more useful long-term piece than Konchar, and the front office made its bet accordingly while accepting a short-term hit to preserve that option. [Read more 🡒]
Clippers Punishment Just Put The Rudy Gobert Trade In Perspective
The NBAs latest punishment for the Clippers lands with unusual force around the league, and it also puts the Timberwolves Rudy Gobert trade back in sharper perspective. Minnesota paid a steep price to land Gobert, shipping out major draft capital in a deal that has been debated ever since, but the Clippers situation is a different kind of cautionary tale because the cost here came without any incoming player or asset to soften the blow.
What makes it sting even more is the backdrop behind the leagues ruling. The penalty came after an investigation into how the Clippers handled Kawhi Leonards contract situation, with the league concluding the team had improperly supplemented it through a disingenuous brand deal, a finding that led to a sweeping draft punishment. For Minnesota, it is another reminder of how expensive roster-building can get in the NBA, whether the payment is made in trade negotiations or, in this case, taken away by the league office. [Read more 🡒]