The Timberwolves know where the problem was last season. Their offense simply didn’t produce enough, finishing 13th in the NBA in efficiency during the regular season before running into major trouble scoring against Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs in the second round of the Playoffs.
Minnesota tried to address the roster side of the issue by bringing in LaMelo Ball, one of the NBA’s best distributing point guards, while moving on from Julius Randle, whose presence alongside Rudy Gobert created spacing problems for the offense. That takes care of part of the equation. The other part falls to Head Coach and his changing coaching staff: the Wolves need to tweak how they play, and the clearest adjustment is to lean harder into the pick-and-roll.
That’s a shift Minnesota has made work before.
Under Finch, the Wolves have often leaned on a free-flowing style built around ball movement, players reading the floor, and quick attacks on defensive weak spots. Last season, though, pick-and-roll was not a major feature of the attack. According to Synergy Sports, Minnesota ranked 21st in both pick-and-roll volume and efficiency.
That wasn’t always the case. Two seasons ago, during the 56-win campaign, the Wolves were one of the league’s better screen-and-roll teams.
They produced 1.006 points per pick-and-roll, sixth-best in the NBA, and ranked 13th in total pick-and-rolls run. Mike Conley was the engine behind that success.
Conley’s influence showed up again in 2023-24, when he finished ninth in the NBA in pick-and-roll efficiency among players who ran at least three per game. His best connection was with Gobert, and the two combined for 1.05 points per possession in the action that season.
Once Conley was moved out of the starting role last year, that chemistry faded. Minnesota’s pick-and-roll play slipped with it, and Gobert’s impact took the biggest hit. The Wolves were below average offensively last season with Gobert as the screener.
Ball changes that equation. He ran 11.8 screen-and-rolls per game last season for the Charlotte Hornets, which ranked fourth in the NBA, and he posted .994 points per possession on those plays. That number was comfortably better than anyone on the Wolves last season.
The hope is obvious: Ball and Gobert can bring back the kind of pick-and-roll rhythm Gobert had with Conley. If that connection clicks, it keeps Gobert involved, prevents defenses from treating him like a non-factor, and opens up more of what he can do around the rim.
Joan Beringer could benefit too. The 19-year-old Frenchman is expected to be part of the rotation, and Minnesota doesn’t have much frontcourt depth if he struggles.
His defense is already evident, but offensively he is still very raw. The easiest way to get value from him is as a screener, letting him roll downhill and use his size, speed, and athleticism to finish lobs or force defenders into the paint.
Ball doesn’t have to carry all of that work. Anthony Edwards and, somewhat surprisingly, Terrence Shannon Jr. both posted above-average screen-roll numbers last season and should get more chances there again. Jaden McDaniels could also become a useful option as both a ball handler and a screener, especially with Randle gone and a larger offensive role waiting for him.
The formula for Minnesota is pretty clear: find the right mix of pick-and-roll and the free-flowing style Finch prefers. If they get that balance right, the Wolves can keep closing the gap with the top teams in the Western Conference. If they don’t, another second-round exit is sitting right there.
In Other News...
Anthony Edwards Set The Tone On Timberwolves Chemistry Trip
The Timberwolves did more than just log workouts this offseason. They also took a team trip to France in an effort to strengthen chemistry before a season that will ask a little more of them after roster changes, and Rudy Gobert even played tour guide through Paris as the group got a different kind of bonding experience away from the gym.
Anthony Edwards helped set the tone for the trip with his easygoing humor, even drawing a comparison between the Eiffel Tower and the Disney castle. For a team trying to reconnect and settle in ahead of the new season, those little moments can matter as much as anything on the court, especially when the goal is making the group feel closer before the real grind begins. [Read more 🡒]
Rudy Gobert Just Gave Timberwolves Fans A Reason To Feel Good
Rudy Goberts offseason has taken him back to France, and it turns out hes not exactly flying solo. A recent get-together in Paris brought together Gobert and a few familiar NBA faces, including Timberwolves teammate Anthony Edwards and new arrival LaMelo Ball, and the photo quickly made the rounds with Minnesota fans happy to see the group together away from the court.
It was the kind of small summer snapshot that can carry extra weight for a team like this, especially with Ball now in the mix alongside Edwards after the trade. The Timberwolves still have Gobert as a major piece of their frontcourt, but the image of him linking up with teammates overseas gave supporters a little offseason reminder that the roster conversation in Minnesota is still very much alive. [Read more 🡒]
Tim Connelly Just Put His Timberwolves Legacy On This Gamble
Tim Connelly has never been shy about swinging big since taking over the Timberwolves in 2022, and this offseason brought another move that fits that pattern. The general manager has spent his time in Minnesota trying to push the roster closer to true Western Conference contention, building around a team that has shown it can matter in the race but still needs the right kind of star power to take the next step.
This latest gamble is the kind that can define a front office tenure, because it ties a major piece of the Wolves rotation to a much bigger vision for what the team can become. It also lands with some added weight for Connelly himself, since his future in Minnesota is not guaranteed beyond this season, turning every bold decision into part of a larger question about what his final imprint on the franchise will look like. [Read more 🡒]