The Timberwolves may have stumbled into a lineup built for chaos, and Trey Lyles is the piece that makes it work.
Minnesota’s upcoming season could include a go-to group designed for emergencies - the kind of unit you pull out when you need points in a hurry and every possession has to bend toward spacing. The idea is simple enough: put five shooters on the floor, clear the lane for Anthony Edwards, and let the perimeter pressure pile up on the other end.
That setup, at least for now, depends on a player who may not be part of the nightly rotation. Trey Lyles could be the key to unlocking it.
For the first half of the season, before Donte DiVincenzo returns from injury, the Wolves’ version of this “death lineup” would feature LaMelo Ball, Anthony Edwards, Ayo Dosunmu, Jaden McDaniels, and Lyles. Once DiVincenzo is back, the expectation is that he would take Dosunmu’s spot.
The need for that kind of makeshift answer is obvious. Naz Reid is gone, Karl-Anthony Towns has been gone for a few seasons, and Minnesota no longer has a true center who can stretch the floor. Joan Beringer might become that type of player someday, but that isn’t the case now.
That leaves the Wolves without the kind of big man spacing they’ve been able to lean on in the past. Lyles, while not a center himself, is their best bet to approximate it.
He spent last season in Europe with Real Madrid before deciding to return to the NBA with Minnesota. Lyles has long fit the mold of a dependable role player, including during his time with the Sacramento Kings in their brief run as a good team.
He’s more of a power forward than a center, but in the right setup he can still serve as the five-out release valve. In his final season with the Kings, he hit 34 percent from 3-point range on 3.5 attempts per game. Those aren’t eye-popping numbers, but with more space around him, he should see cleaner looks.
And that’s where the whole thing gets interesting. Ball and Edwards are both elite shooters.
Dosunmu and McDaniels can punish teams from the corners on catch-and-shoot chances. Add Lyles popping at the top of the key, and Minnesota suddenly has a lineup that can pile up points fast and force defenses into constant scrambling.
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