The Minnesota Timberwolves already have a core that looks locked in if everyone stays healthy. LaMelo Ball, Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, Jonathan Kuminga and Rudy Gobert make up the starting group, with Ayo Dosunmu and Joan Beringer also projected as steady rotation pieces. That leaves the real question for Chris Finch’s group: who else is going to earn dependable minutes once the season gets rolling?
The clearest answer, at least to begin the year, points to Terrence Shannon Jr. and Bones Hyland.
Shannon has to get off to a strong start. Injuries cost him a significant stretch last season, and in his first two years he has also picked up DNP - CDs.
His style, built around heavy on-ball usage, does not scream perfect fit in Minnesota. Even so, he brings real scoring ability, something he flashed during some of his playoff appearances.
Hyland comes with a different set of concerns. He has not been effective in postseason play over the course of his career, even though he was a welcome regular-season addition for the Wolves. The wrinkle is that Dosunmu could eventually handle some of the backup point guard work, which would make Hyland’s hold on minutes less certain.
Then there are the players who sit in a more fluid middle ground: Jaylen Clark and Trey Lyles.
Clark’s calling card is defense, and he plays it with real toughness. The issue is what happens when Minnesota has the ball. Until he takes another step offensively, it’s tough to see him being a clean fit, especially in playoff-type games where opponents can afford to ignore him.
Lyles is back in the league after a year overseas and is entering his 11th NBA season. For most of his career, the 6-foot-9 forward has been a bench presence and a rotation piece, and that’s the lane he could occupy again. Finch may use him as a backup four, but the Wolves could also decide to search elsewhere for those minutes on many nights.
Below that group sits the depth tier, where playing time looks hard to find unless injuries force the issue. Cody Williams, Isaiah Evans and the two-way players all land there.
Williams might still make a case if he can show why the Utah Jazz made him the 10th overall pick in 2024. He did take a step forward in Year 2, but not enough to clearly push into regular minutes on a team with playoff expectations.
Evans, a second-round pick, could spend a fair amount of time with the Iowa Wolves in the G League. Finch has not leaned heavily on rookies since taking over as head coach, and Beringer last season is part of that pattern.
The Timberwolves also bring back the same three players on two-way contracts that they finished last season with: Zyon Pullin, Enrique Freeman and Rocco Zikarsky. Minnesota barely used its two-way group a year ago, and there’s little reason to expect that to change much this season.
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Lakers Still Have One Roster Problem They Need To Solve Fast
Jonathan Kuminga is headed to Minnesota on a two-year deal, and the Timberwolves are already planning to use him as part of their starting group. For a team trying to keep building around length, athleticism and defensive versatility, adding a wing with Kumingas profile fits the broader direction and gives Minnesota another piece to slot into the mix before camp fully settles in.
The Lakers, meanwhile, are left sorting through the fallout after missing out on that move and still have a roster issue they need to clean up quickly. They are working the trade market with Dalton Knecht and Jarred Vanderbilt as they try to strengthen their wing and forward spots before the season starts, a reminder that the margins around the roster are still very much in play. [Read more 🡒]
Jonathan Kuminga Faces The One Wolves Concern Fans Cant Ignore
Minnesotas front office already made one major pivot this summer, moving Julius Randle to the Brooklyn Nets before turning around and signing Jonathan Kuminga in free agency. It was a clean break on paper, a chance for the Timberwolves to reset the frontcourt mix and try to add a different kind of athleticism and upside around their core.
The concern, though, is less about talent than fit. Kuminga brings the kind of ability that can change a game, but the Wolves have watched how quickly a player can bog down an offense when the role is not fully embraced. If he slips into the same kind of ball-dominant habits and mental mistakes that frustrated Minnesota with Randle, the team could be right back where it started, which is why how Kuminga handles his place in the offense matters so much. [Read more 🡒]
Jaden McDaniels Could Be The Wolves Answer To A Real Roster Concern
The Timberwolves have spent much of the offseason looking at a familiar roster question: what happens behind Rudy Gobert when the lineup needs a true backup center? Chris Finch has already acknowledged the team may need to get creative, and that conversation has included the possibility of leaning on Jaden McDaniels in a small-ball role while also mixing in more zone defense to cover some of the frontcourt gaps.
McDaniels has always stood out as one of Minnesotas most versatile defenders, and last seasons rim-protection numbers only strengthen the case for him as a situational answer when the Wolves want to change the shape of the floor. It is not a permanent fix and it would not solve every depth concern, but it gives Finch another lever to pull if the backup big picture gets thin at the wrong time. [Read more 🡒]