The Minnesota Timberwolves’ frontcourt questions are going to get answered fast.
With Naz Reid now in Charlotte and Julius Randle in Brooklyn, what used to be a strength has turned into the biggest concern on the roster. And the new schedule doesn’t exactly offer Minnesota a soft landing. Six of the Wolves’ first nine games come against teams with front lines that can bang, stretch, and punish mismatches.
That opening stretch starts right away. Minnesota opens against the Miami Heat, then faces the Orlando Magic before running through October games against the Toronto Raptors, Cleveland Cavaliers, and San Antonio Spurs.
Their second game in November is against the Houston Rockets. Each one brings a different kind of problem for a Timberwolves group that still doesn’t have a clear answer at power forward.
The names on that list say plenty. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo bring the kind of physical force that can overwhelm smaller lineups.
Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner give Orlando size and skill in the same package. Toronto can throw Scottie Barnes - and likely Kawhi Leonard - at Minnesota.
Cleveland has Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley working as a double-big pair. San Antonio has Victor Wembanyama.
Houston can roll out Alperen Sengun, Jabari Smith, and Kevin Durant, a frontcourt loaded with length and size.
Those are exactly the kind of matchups that will tell the Timberwolves a lot about what they have.
The bigger mystery is how Minnesota plans to handle it. A late offseason addition could still change the picture, but for now a makeshift rotation at power forward looks like the most likely setup. Chris Finch has said he doesn’t envision Jaden McDaniels as the power forward, but the matchups may force the issue anyway.
Against Miami, for example, the fit is obvious. There isn’t a premium perimeter scorer for McDaniels to chase, which makes it easier to picture him on Bam Adebayo while Rudy Gobert handles Giannis. That kind of alignment could become a recurring theme early in the year: McDaniels bouncing between jobs depending on the opponent instead of staying locked into one role.
The Orlando game could test that flexibility again. McDaniels and Anthony Edwards - or maybe Ayo Dosunmu - could end up taking turns on Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner. Toronto might bring a similar setup, with Edwards and Dosunmu getting some of those assignments while Josh Green, Jaylen Clark, and Terrence Shannon Jr. also absorb some of the work on bigger wings and forwards.
Cleveland is the matchup that stands out most. Does Minnesota keep McDaniels on Donovan Mitchell, or does it ask him to deal with one of the Cavs’ bigs? That decision could say plenty about how the Wolves want to survive against teams that can force them into uncomfortable choices.
Victor Wembanyama creates a different kind of headache, though Rudy Gobert would likely draw that assignment while McDaniels stays on a guard. Houston, meanwhile, could be a real stress test. McDaniels would likely take Kevin Durant, Gobert would handle Sengun, and the question becomes who deals with Jabari Smith.
Rebounding looms large in the Miami, Cleveland, and Houston games in particular. That’s where Minnesota’s lack of traditional forwards could show up most clearly.
In the end, the early part of October and November should give the Timberwolves a pretty good read on what’s working, what isn’t, and how much trouble this frontcourt setup might cause them. The common thread in all of it is flexibility.
Minnesota is going to have to keep adjusting to different styles, different sizes, and different kinds of physical pressure. That starts immediately.
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