The Timberwolves’ starting five looks different now, and the changes go beyond swapping names on the depth chart. Minnesota’s new first unit will need a different kind of growth from each player if this group is going to push past last season’s ceiling.
Start with LaMelo Ball, the biggest addition and the biggest adjustment. In Charlotte, he was the No. 1 option.
In Minnesota, he slides in behind Anthony Edwards. That shift should matter.
Ball won’t get the same shot volume he had before, and that means the looks he does take will be under a much brighter spotlight. The Wolves need him to clean up the kind of attempts that can stall an offense - the one-legged threes with 20 seconds still left on the clock - and lean more into shots at the rim or a heavier playmaking load.
If Ball can tighten up his shot selection and stay healthy, he should fit the offense well.
Edwards, meanwhile, already delivered the best scoring season of his career. His shot volume stayed steady at a little over 20 attempts per game, but his efficiency climbed, powered mostly by a better mid-range game.
His two-point percentage jumped from 50.1 percent the year before to 55.4 percent. The bigger issue was on defense, where his effort level varied from night to night.
Some games he looked locked in. Others, he didn’t.
The increased burden on offense played a part, but it didn’t fully explain the inconsistency. With Ball now handling point guard duties full time, Minnesota needs Edwards’ defensive commitment to come back up if the team wants its defense to rebound after sliding from first to sixth to eighth in defensive efficiency over the past three seasons.
The rebounding picture also changed when Jonathan Kuminga replaced Julius Randle at power forward. Minnesota gives up some boards there, and Ball can only help so much, even if he is one of the better rebounding guards in the league.
The real lift has to come from Jaden McDaniels. He grabbed 5.7 rebounds per game in 2024-25, the best mark of his career, but that number dropped back to his 4.2 career average last season.
At times, it looked like he needed a reminder that his size can be a real advantage on the glass. His offensive role is expected to grow, but unlike Edwards, McDaniels can’t let that extra usage cut into his rebounding work.
Kuminga enters with the right words. At his introductory press conference, he said he wanted to help the team win and emphasized defense and rebounding over his own numbers.
That mindset will have to show up on offense, too. His stint with the Golden State Warriors ended badly, in part because he struggled to fit into their free-flowing offense built around Steph Curry.
Minnesota runs a similar style, one built on reading and reacting rather than simple set patterns. For Kuminga to make this move work, he has to become a much more reliable off-ball player than he has been so far in his NBA career.
Then there’s Rudy Gobert, whose job is less about adding something new and more about avoiding the self-inflicted damage that hurt Minnesota last season. He led the NBA with six flagrant fouls, and not all of them were minor.
Some were accidental, like ending up in a shooter’s landing space. Others crossed the line, including a push of an airborne Mark Williams in December.
Those fouls cost him two suspensions, and the second absence hurt badly in a 135-108 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. With 19-year-old Joan Beringer set to enter the permanent rotation for the first time, the Wolves can’t afford Gobert missing games because of suspension.
They need him on the floor and leading.
Minnesota’s starting five has been reshaped. Now the challenge is making sure every piece does more than just fit.
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Timberwolves Could Face A Tough Rudy Gobert Call Sooner Than Expected
The Timberwolves frontcourt picture could look very different a year from now if the right pieces start to click. Joan Beringer is expected to open with limited minutes, but the organization clearly sees a path for him to grow into a quality starter, and that kind of development would change the long-term math around Rudy Gobert. Add Jonathan Kuminga into the mix on a short-term deal, and Minnesota suddenly has another moving part to weigh as it tries to balance present-day contention with future flexibility.
Minnesotas decision on Gobert would not come lightly, but salary cap realities always have a way of forcing the issue. If Beringer keeps progressing and Kuminga settles in as more than a temporary solution, the Wolves could face a difficult call next offseason about whether to keep paying for an elite veteran center or pivot toward a younger, cheaper structure. For now, it is more of a planning exercise than a deadline, but it is the kind of roster question that can sneak up fast. [Read more 🡒]
Timberwolves Suddenly Have One Big Problem Fans Will Gladly Take
The Timberwolves have spent much of the summer trying to answer the same question every contending team eventually faces: how do you feed enough mouths without dulling the edge of the ones who matter most? Anthony Edwards remains the centerpiece, but Minnesota now has a deeper mix of shot creators and versatile pieces around him, with Jaden McDaniels and LaMelo Ball adding to a group that can score in different ways. For once, the concern is less about finding enough talent and more about keeping it organized.
Jonathan Kumingas arrival helped settle an earlier frontcourt worry and gives Minnesota another useful option in a rotation that suddenly looks crowded in all the right places. The challenge now is figuring out how the offense can keep everybody engaged, and the answer may come from a quicker tempo that lets the Wolves spread touches around without forcing one player to carry too much. It is a nice problem to have, even if it still leaves the coaching staff with a few lineup puzzles to sort out. [Read more 🡒]
Timberwolves Preseason Will Decide Which Young Guards Earn Finchs Trust
The Timberwolves are headed toward a preseason that should say plenty about the back end of Chris Finchs rotation, especially among the young guards trying to carve out a role before the real games begin. Minnesota has six exhibition games on the schedule, and the next two weeks should give Jaylen Clark, Terrence Shannon Jr. and Cody Williams a chance to show they can handle the speed, decision-making and consistency Finch wants from his reserves.
For that trio, the opportunity is as much about trust as it is about raw talent. Clark and Shannon have each flashed enough to stay in the conversation, while Williams arrives with a different kind of spotlight after being brought in from Utah as part of the maneuvering that opened room for Minnesota to pursue Jonathan Kuminga. The preseason wont solve everything, but it should clarify which of these young wings is ready to force Finchs hand when the regular season begins. [Read more 🡒]