Basketball game-planning usually starts with a simple question: where is the soft spot?
That’s what makes the Minnesota Timberwolves so tricky now. Their new-look offense doesn’t leave opponents an obvious place to stash a weak defender, and that matters because teams are always trying to protect somebody on that end of the floor.
Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball are obvious no-go zones for any defensive hiding act. That forces opposing coaches to choose from Jaden McDaniels, Jonathan Kuminga, and Rudy Gobert. And even that plan is shaky, because none of those three is a comfortable place to park a liability for long.
Gobert is the least versatile scorer of the group, but that still doesn’t make him a clean target. Most of the time, the defender teams want to conceal is a smaller player, and putting a guard on Gobert can quickly turn into easy looks at the rim.
If that’s not enough, the Wolves can also lean into pick-and-roll actions with Ball. As the source puts it: "Can someone like Trae Young guard in drop coverage or switch onto LaMelo?
I doubt it."
Kuminga brings a different kind of problem. He’s an elite athlete who can punish mismatches, and if a small, weak defender gets switched onto him, he should be able to make that count. His shot selection can be frustrating, but the size and speed advantage is real.
McDaniels may be the most dangerous of the trio for this exact reason. There was a time when hiding a defender on him might have worked, but his offensive growth has changed that.
He may not have Kuminga’s power, but he’s increasingly effective at making mismatches hurt, whether that means rising into a mid-range jumper over a smaller defender or taking the ball to the rim. The source points to Denver as an example of what that can look like.
That’s where Ball becomes so important. His playmaking helps turn those mismatches into real problems, and that was something Minnesota didn’t consistently maximize last season with Donte DiVincenzo starting.
DiVincenzo was hardly a non-factor on offense, but the Wolves too often failed to punish situations where McDaniels had an edge or Gobert was being ignored. Ball changes that dynamic.
This won’t be as much of a weapon against Minnesota’s toughest Western Conference matchups, the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder, because those teams don’t really offer bad defenders to target. But against teams like the Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Lakers, Utah Jazz, and, to a lesser extent, the Houston Rockets, the Wolves should have a clear edge. The same goes for much of the Eastern Conference, including the defending champion New York Knicks, who still have at least one defender opponents can go after.
There’s plenty to like about Minnesota’s offense. But the biggest takeaway is simple: with this roster, opponents have a much harder time finding somewhere safe to hide.
In Other News...
Anthony Edwards Just Became The Target Of A Brutal New Roast
Anthony Edwards has a way of making himself part of the basketball conversation even when he is nowhere near the floor, and this time it came from an Adidas commercial that drew a playful jab at Jaylen Brown and LeBron James. Brown, now with the Philadelphia 76ers, wasnt about to let that one slide, even if the back-and-forth landed in the lighter, internet-fueled corner of NBA banter rather than anything approaching real tension.
Brown answered during a live Twitch stream with teammate VJ Edgecombe, turning Edwards hairline joke back on the Timberwolves star in a way that fit the moment. It added another layer to Edwards already busy public profile, which has included off-court headlines around multiple child support cases and his recent marriage, but for Minnesota fans the immediate takeaway is simpler: their franchise centerpiece keeps finding his way into the middle of the leagues most colorful online exchanges. [Read more 🡒]
Anthony Edwards Is Giving The Wolves Their Best Early Sign Yet
Anthony Edwards has spent Minnesotas preseason giving the Timberwolves exactly the kind of early signal they wanted after an offseason of recovery and roster turnover. He has been scoring efficiently in exhibition play and, just as important for a team trying to find its footing, he has looked like a player comfortable enough to keep attacking while working alongside new teammates LaMelo Ball and Jonathan Kuminga.
Chris Finch has liked what he has seen from Edwards condition, and the broader picture matters just as much as the points. If Edwards is healthy and blending naturally into the group, it gives Minnesota a far better chance to smooth out the integration period before the games start to count, even if the real test of how ready this team is will come once the regular season opens. [Read more 🡒]
Timberwolves Get An Early Test In A Matchup Fans Should Watch Closely
The preseason opener in Miami gives the Timberwolves an immediate measuring stick, and not just because it comes at the same venue that will host their regular-season opener. With Minnesotas roster reshaped over the offseason, this matchup arrives as an early chance to see how the Wolves look against a team that can challenge them physically in the frontcourt and force them to sort through the kind of size they will see again once games start to count.
Miamis group will give Minnesota a useful stress test in that area, with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo setting the tone and more size behind them to keep the pressure on. For the Wolves, the question is less about the final score and more about how their new-look rotation handles that type of matchup, which makes this one worth watching closely even in exhibition season. [Read more 🡒]