The Timberwolves already had enough shooting to matter. Now they may have enough to change the shape of a game.
Minnesota hit 37.0 percent of its 3-pointers last season, good for sixth in the NBA, but the volume never really matched the efficiency. The Wolves took 37.2 threes a night, which ranked 17th. Even with Anthony Edwards and Donte DiVincenzo combining for more than 16 attempts from deep per game out of the starting backcourt, there was still room for more.
That’s where this offseason starts to matter. The Wolves traded size for speed, got younger, and now have only two players in their 30s on the roster: Rudy Gobert and Trey Lyles. That shift should mean more transition chances and more clean looks from outside.
The biggest addition for that style is LaMelo Ball.
Ball has never been shy about letting it fly. Even with the Charlotte Hornets limiting his minutes to help keep him healthy, he still took 10.3 3-pointers per game.
His 740 attempts led the league. Charlotte, in turn, led the NBA in made 3s and finished third in accuracy last season.
That kind of presence changes the geometry of the floor. Ball’s passing should create more catch-and-shoot chances for Edwards, who thrives in those spots but hasn’t always had a lead guard who can manufacture them at a high rate. It should also open things up for Jaden McDaniels, who just posted a career-best season in 3-point accuracy.
Minnesota is still going to have some losses in that department. Naz Reid is gone, and DiVincenzo is expected to miss most - if not all - of the season after tearing his Achilles in the playoffs. Even so, the Wolves look set up to fire away more often than they did a year ago.
That doesn’t mean anyone in the West is losing sleep. Probably not the San Antonio Spurs.
Probably not the Oklahoma City Thunder. But Minnesota doesn’t need anyone to panic.
If the Wolves get scorching hot from deep in a playoff series, that alone can tilt things. Not enough to promise a win, but enough to give them a puncher’s chance.
In Other News...
Rudy Gobert Just Became A Bigger Timberwolves Question Than Expected
Rudy Gobert is back around the Timberwolves after arriving from France and joining team workouts, which at least gives Minnesota a chance to get its defense anchored by the player who has been central to that identity. He remains eligible for a contract extension, and after signing a three-year extension in 2024, he has one year left on his current deal with a player option for the following season.
What makes this more delicate is the timing for a team still trying to protect its future flexibility while it develops a young core. Gobert is still a key piece, but there is no immediate push toward getting something done, leaving Minnesota to balance the value of keeping its veteran defensive force in place against the kind of cap planning that can shape the next several seasons. [Read more 🡒]
Timberwolves Face A Fascinating New Challenge With LaMelo Ball And Kuminga
Minnesotas offseason has already given Chris Finch a different kind of puzzle, and it starts with the way LaMelo Ball and Jonathan Kuminga can fit into the offense. Finch said in an interview that integrating new pieces should be less complicated than it has been in past seasons, thanks in part to Balls ability to organize the floor and the teams move toward a cleaner offensive structure. For a group trying to reset its identity, that kind of simplicity can matter as much as star power.
The other layer is internal growth, where Finch wants more steadiness from the younger and bench-heavy parts of the roster as camp approaches. Jaden McDaniels and Rudy Gobert were among the players he singled out for being part of that consistency push, which gives Minnesota a familiar sort of late-summer question: can the Wolves not only add talent, but also turn the whole rotation into something more reliable from night to night? [Read more 🡒]
Rudy Gobert Could Force The Wolves Into A Brutal Decision
The Timberwolves spent the offseason reshaping the roster around Rudy Gobert, making moves aimed at better fitting his game and their bigger-picture timeline. LaMelo Ball and Jonathan Kuminga arrived, while Julius Randle and Naz Reid were dealt away, all part of an effort to build a cleaner mix around the veteran center and keep Minnesota positioned to contend in the West.
Still, Goberts future does not feel fully settled. He has a player option on the final year of his contract, and what happens this season could leave the Wolves staring at a tough choice between bringing him back on another deal, preserving cap flexibility and continuing to balance his place with the growth of the rest of the roster. [Read more 🡒]