The Timberwolves’ offseason has mostly run its course, and that leaves Minnesota staring at the same thing every team eventually has to face: the roster that’s left, and the questions that still don’t have clean answers.
Julius Randle and cult hero Naz Reid are gone. LaMelo Ball is in Minneapolis working out with his backcourt running mate, Anthony Edwards.
There’s still one open roster spot to fill, but the biggest moves of the summer appear to be done. Unless something unexpected pops up, the Wolves’ opening night group is going to look a lot like the one they have now.
That puts the spotlight on the frontcourt, where the cleanest fix might also be the messiest one. Minnesota could simply roll out its five best players - Edwards, Ball, Ayo Dosunmu, Jaden McDaniels, and Rudy Gobert - and let McDaniels slide from small forward to power forward. Chris Finch, though, doesn’t sound sold on making that a permanent shift.
“I see Jaden playing largely the same role he’s always played,” Finch told Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic.
Finch did leave the door open for McDaniels to spend time at the four, and the team plans to make a final call on his role after training camp in September. That makes the next few months important for a roster that needs both fit and flexibility.
Keeping McDaniels in his usual lane would help other pieces settle into more natural spots. Dosunmu, Josh Green, and Terrence Shannon Jr. could all benefit if McDaniels is not forced into a full-time frontcourt job.
But if he does start at power forward, Minnesota’s rebounding becomes a major concern. McDaniels averaged 4.2 rebounds per game last season, and with Randle and Reid both out of the picture, that number would need to climb.
Even with Randle and Reid on the floor last year, the Timberwolves finished No. 11 in the NBA in rebound percentage. With those two gone and Minnesota likely to play smaller, McDaniels and the rest of the group will have to do more work on the glass.
For now, starting McDaniels at the four feels like the most workable opening-night answer. It doesn’t feel like the final one. At some point, the Wolves will likely need another trade to bring in a player who can handle that role and let McDaniels return to a more natural position.
Depth is the other big issue hanging over this team. Last season, Minnesota’s top six - the starters plus Naz Reid - could stand up against just about anyone. After that, the bench got thin in a hurry.
This year, the depth chart is being reshaped again. Randle and Reid are out, Ball is in, Donte DiVincenzo is out with a torn Achilles, and Mike Conley and Kyle Anderson are both gone in free agency. That leaves plenty of room for new faces and returning pieces to carve out real minutes.
Terrence Shannon Jr. looks like one of the key answers. He should get a meaningful role after flashing big-time upside in the playoffs, capped by a 24-point showing in the series-clinching Game 6 against the Denver Nuggets.
Bones Hyland is back on a one-year league minimum deal after finding his footing in the rotation in December last season. He gives Minnesota scoring and playmaking off the bench.
Jaylen Clark also returns on a three-year $10 million deal, bringing defensive energy and the possibility of a more reliable outside shot. Josh Green, meanwhile, should be more than a throw-in from the Charlotte Hornets trade and has a chance to win a rotation spot.
Trey Lyles is back in the NBA with the Wolves and is the roster’s lone true power forward, which makes him a natural candidate for that job if he plays well.
Then there’s Joan Beringer, who may be the most important addition of all. The second-year player and Gobert are the only two big men on the roster right now, so if Beringer struggles, Minnesota’s current setup gets very thin very fast.
The upside is obvious. He dominated Summer League again, even if it was only for one game, and the Wolves have spoken highly about his potential.
He projects to handle most or all of the minutes at center when Gobert sits.
How those pieces fit together will shape the start of the season. If enough of them hit, Minnesota should have no trouble building out a workable rotation. If they don’t, the Wolves may end up shrinking the rotation again.
Shannon Jr.’s role is especially tricky. He struggled through injuries for much of last season and had played only 21 games through late February, averaging 4.6 points per game. But after his breakout in Game 6 against Denver, Finch made it clear the team mishandled him.
“What we learned with TJ is he's definitely got to have the ball in his hands,” Finch said postgame. “Silly me, we played him out of the corner most of the season, but he’s way better with the ball in his hands at the top of the floor.”
That admission says a lot. Shannon Jr. was at his best when he could attack downhill with the ball, not when he was parked in the corner.
The problem now is that Minnesota’s new mix makes those touches harder to come by. Ball needs the ball.
So do McDaniels, Dosunmu, and Hyland at different times. That leaves less room for Shannon Jr. to create.
The Wolves can do a better job of keeping him from disappearing into a corner, but Shannon Jr. also has to find ways to help when he’s not initiating. That balance is going to be one of the tougher things Minnesota has to solve if it wants to avoid another lost season for him.
In Other News...
Ayo Dosunmu Could Be At Center Of Minnesota's Riskiest Experiment
Minnesotas move toward a smaller lineup has put Ayo Dosunmu in a more intriguing spot than the one he occupied as a traditional point guard. After the trades that sent Julius Randle and Naz Reid out of the picture, the Timberwolves are looking at ways to keep enough ball handling and spacing on the floor, and Dosunmus athleticism and shooting give them a player who can fit several jobs at once.
The question is whether that versatility becomes a real advantage or a compromise. Dosunmu can help on the wing, but asking him to live there full time also brings size and rebounding concerns into sharper focus, especially for a team already trying to reshape its frontcourt balance. If Minnesota is going to make this leaner look work, it may end up relying on Dosunmu in a role that is useful, but not without risk. [Read more 🡒]
Timberwolves Fans Are Facing A Frustrating Trust Test With Tim Connelly
The Timberwolves are once again staring at a familiar kind of roster puzzle, one that leaves fans wondering whether the front office is comfortable letting the season begin with a hole still on the depth chart. Tim Connelly has built a reputation for staying active when he sees a need, and Minnesotas recent history under him suggests he is willing to keep hunting for upgrades rather than settle for a stopgap just to say the job is done.
For now, the challenge is less about urgency than patience, because the market at power forward does not appear especially rich in obvious solutions. Minnesota did add Trey Lyles, but his role is still something of a question after a year away from the NBA, and the more practical path may be to wait until the trade market opens up later in the season. For a fan base that has seen Connelly make meaningful moves before, this has the feel of a trust test: do you believe help is coming, or do you worry the answer is still out there somewhere? [Read more 🡒]
Anthony Edwards Finally Has A Shot At The NBA's Best Backcourt
Anthony Edwards finally has the kind of partner that can change the shape of Minnesotas offense, and the conversation around the Timberwolves is shifting fast. Pairing him with LaMelo Ball gives the Wolves a starting backcourt that already belongs in the leagues upper tier on paper, with enough shot creation, pace and playmaking to make opposing defenses work from the opening tip.
The real test, of course, is how it looks once the season starts and the league gets a full read on the fit. Minnesota will be measured against other elite guard tandems around the NBA, but the Wolves case is especially intriguing because the ceiling is so high and the margin for error is so small. For now, the idea of Edwards and Ball being the best backcourt in basketball is more a challenge than a conclusion, and the answer will come only after the games start to count. [Read more 🡒]