The Minnesota Timberwolves may have landed the kind of player that changes everything, but that kind of upgrade comes with a catch. LaMelo Ball gives this team a high-end floor general who can score in bunches, and that’s exactly why the adjustment period figures to matter.
Ball is going to have the ball a lot. That part is obvious.
The trick for Minnesota is making sure Anthony Edwards still gets plenty of chances to start possessions, whether he’s creating for himself or setting up others. That balance sits at the center of whatever the Wolves become next.
And it doesn’t stop there. Rudy Gobert also needs to stay plugged into the offense, even though he’s not the type of player who manufactures his own shots.
Jaden McDaniels adds another layer to the puzzle, since he’s shown he can thrive when his shot attempts rise. So the real question for Minnesota is simple enough to ask and hard enough to solve: how do you keep everybody fed without leaving anyone feeling like an afterthought?
Ball is the obvious key. For all the flash in his game and personality, he’s also one of the league’s more selfless guards, and he has a track record of creating quality looks for teammates. That should matter immediately for Gobert, who could be the biggest beneficiary of the move.
The source of that optimism is easy to see. Ball has helped players like Moussa Diabate, Mark Williams, and even Mason Plumlee look better beside him. With that kind of setup man running the show, it wouldn’t be a shock if Gobert posts a career high in points this season, with more easy finishes coming his way than ever before.
McDaniels could be another major winner. He fits the mold of Miles Bridges in Charlotte in some ways: an athletic wing who can be inconsistent from deep but makes his money cutting and running in transition.
Ball helped Bridges flash All-Star-level stretches, and McDaniels may be an even better fit because of what he brings defensively and in the mid-range. If Ball keeps finding him in the right spots, McDaniels’ efficiency should climb fast.
That leaves Edwards, and that’s the toughest piece to balance. The good news for Minnesota is that Edwards has already been one of the league’s best catch-and-shoot 3-point threats in previous seasons.
The issue has been volume, since the Wolves haven’t had an elite playmaker to consistently put him in those spots. With Ball now in the mix, that dynamic should finally get a real test.
In Other News...
Timberwolves May Be Exactly What Isaiah Evans Needs Right Now
Isaiah Evans first summer league appearance in Minnesota had to wait because a pending four-team trade kept his acquisition from becoming official, but once he got on the floor he had a chance to show the Timberwolves why they were interested. Across his first run of games, he averaged 10.5 points and flashed the kind of scoring touch that made him worth watching, even if the efficiency was all over the place early on.
The encouraging part for Minnesota is that Evans looked better as the week went on, which fits the idea that he could settle in more comfortably once he is playing in a more organized NBA environment. Summer league is often a messy proving ground, but Evans late improvement gave the Timberwolves a reminder that his game may translate better when the structure around him is cleaner and the talent around him is more reliable. [Read more 🡒]
Timberwolves Fans Wont Like Where This Anthony Edwards Fear Is Going
The Hawks have spent the summer quietly reshaping their roster, adding Kingston Flemings in the draft, bringing back CJ McCollum and landing Lu Dort and Aaron Wiggins from Oklahoma City. Those moves have given Atlanta a mix of contracts and assets that can be useful in the trade market, which is why people around the league are already looking at the franchise as one that can stay aggressive if a star ever becomes available.
For Minnesota, the uncomfortable part is less about what is happening now and more about where the conversation could go later. Anthony Edwards is still with the Timberwolves, and the front office has tried to support him by adding LaMelo Ball, but the idea of a future trade request is the kind of fear that lingers for a team built around a player of his stature. Even when nothing is imminent, that sort of speculation has a way of hanging over the season. [Read more 🡒]
Thunder Looked Vulnerable Until Timberwolves Reality Set In
Oklahoma City spent the summer looking more like a team trimming around the edges than one resting on its laurels, moving Aaron Wiggins, Isaiah Joe and Lu Dort in separate payroll-saving deals while still finding ways to keep the roster competitive. The Thunder also brought back Isaiah Hartenstein and Kenrich Williams, then added a pair of rookies in Aday Mara and Bennett Stirtz, a reminder that even a club with championship ambitions is constantly balancing cost, continuity and the next wave of talent.
For Minnesota, the bigger-picture problem is less about what the Thunder lost than what the Wolves still have to solve. LaMelo Ball gives Anthony Edwards a new backcourt partner and raises the ceiling, but the frontcourt picture remains unsettled after the departures of Julius Randle and Naz Reid, leaving Rudy Gobert without a clear fit beside him. Until that gets sorted out, Oklahoma City remains the kind of Western Conference obstacle that can expose every soft spot in a contender's build. [Read more 🡒]