Trey Lyles came to Minnesota this summer with a real chance to carve out a bigger lane. Then the Timberwolves changed the shape of the frontcourt, and his outlook got a lot murkier.
Lyles said on his vlog after a call with a member of the Timberwolves’ front office that the move could open the door to a starting job. “We in there like swimwear,” Lyles said.
“Back to the L. Opportunity to be a starter on an NBA team after being out for a year?
What am I going to say, ‘No?’”
At the time, the fit made sense. Minnesota had signed Lyles to a one-year veteran’s minimum deal, and the team still had a clear opening at power forward with Naz Reid and Julius Randle elsewhere. That created a path for Lyles to start, especially in matchups against bigger lineups.
That path looks much narrower now. Jonathan Kuminga, signed in late August to a two-year, $12.4 million deal, has been working with the starters during training camp and is almost certain to be an everyday starter for Chris Finch this season. With that in place, Lyles’ role is suddenly a much tougher read.
Asked Monday about where he fits, Lyles said he expects his responsibilities to become clearer as camp and the preseason unfold. For now, he’s focused on bringing value in a different way.
“Right now I just want to be more of a locker room guy, vocal guy,” Lyles said. “I’ve been through, you know, quite a few different situations. For me personally, I just want to bring confidence to the team, myself, and others.”
The 30-year-old spent last season with Real Madrid, and while a year away from the NBA does not usually help a player’s stock, his production in Spain was strong. Across 67 regular-season and European competition games, he averaged 12.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.6 assists while shooting 49.8% from the field and 43.5% from three in 20.9 minutes per game. He was an important part of Real Madrid’s offense, mixing inside scoring with floor spacing.
Still, the NBA is a different animal, and international numbers do not always carry over cleanly. Even so, if Lyles is physically close to the player he was last season, there should still be a place for him in Minnesota.
The question is where that place is. Earlier this month, I had Lyles as the 10th man in my projected Wolves rotation, largely because Minnesota remained thin in the frontcourt even with Kuminga, who is 6’7” and could have issues defending bigger power forwards. Lyles offers size, strength, and enough mobility to hold up as a switchable defender, battle at the rim, and help on the glass.
But Finch may be leaning the other way. He said on WCCO last week that he sees Terrence Shannon Jr. and Anthony Edwards playing the four at times this season, with Jaden McDaniels potentially even getting minutes at the five. If that small-ball approach is the direction Minnesota takes, Lyles could be squeezed out in favor of Bones Hyland, whose speed and transition play make him a cleaner fit in a smaller lineup.
In that case, Lyles’ main value would be as insurance behind Rudy Gobert or Joan Beringer if foul trouble or injuries hit. That is a different job than the one he may have envisioned when he signed, and it’s a lot less glamorous, too.
The Wolves’ bigger buzz this summer has centered elsewhere, especially after adding Kuminga and pairing his speed and athleticism with fellow newcomer LaMelo Ball. Against that backdrop, Lyles is easy to overlook. His veteran minimum deal does not exactly grab headlines.
Even so, he still has a case to make. Lyles has been an impact player at every one of his six NBA stops, and he has averaged 18.4 minutes over 650 regular-season games. He said his ability to adjust has been shaped by the way he learned to play in Indianapolis, where he played his high school ball.
“That kind of helps me everywhere I go,” Lyles said. “Just figuring out my niche, where I see a team needs help at, and just kind of going 100% in that area, and it kind of opens up the doors for me as the season goes on.”
That niche in Minnesota may wind up being small-ball center. He has the size, experience, and shooting to handle that spot, especially in a lineup with Ball and Edwards. The catch is that if he’s playing mostly at center, he may not be part of the rotation right away.
Still, Lyles seems to understand the assignment. If he can give the Wolves exactly what they need, there could be another opening later in the season. And if Gobert or Beringer misses extended time, that opportunity could come quickly.
For now, the starting job he once talked about is gone. The most realistic version of Trey Lyles in Minnesota looks like a fringe rotation piece who can still matter - on the floor if the need is there, and in the locker room no matter what.
In Other News...
Bones Hyland Faces Early Pressure In Timberwolves Rotation
The Timberwolves have already mapped out their starting group, which means the real intrigue now sits in the first layer behind it. Ayo Dosunmu, Terrence Shannon Jr. and Joan Beringer are expected to come off the bench, and Bones Hyland appears likely to be part of that second unit after being re-signed for another season. For Minnesota, the question is less about whether he gets a chance and more about how long the team is willing to wait if the fit does not look right early.
Hylands case is an uneasy one because the Wolves know both sides of the scouting report. He has shown he can matter in big playoff moments, but his defensive limitations have also followed him around and make every rotation decision feel a little more fragile. If his offense does not hold up right away, his minutes could get squeezed quickly, and the bench hierarchy in Minnesota may shift before long. [Read more 🡒]
Anthony Edwards And LaMelo Ball Could Decide How Far Wolves Go
The Timberwolves spent the offseason reshaping the roster in a way that makes the coming year feel more than routine, and the addition of LaMelo Ball has pushed expectations up a notch in the Western Conference. Anthony Edwards has already been talking about how well the fit can work, stressing that the focus is on winning and that the team now has a blend of offensive punch and defensive strength that could make it a tougher matchup night after night.
Edwards and Ball will still have to prove the partnership on the floor, of course, but the early signs around Minnesota are encouraging. With the core group intact and the lineup looking more balanced than it has in recent memory, the Wolves are heading into the season with a sense that their ceiling may depend on how quickly their two most important stars settle into the same rhythm. [Read more 🡒]
Why The Timberwolves Bet Big On Ayo Dosunmu
Ayo Dosunmu arrived in Minnesota with the kind of contract that immediately changes the conversation around a player. The Timberwolves committed five years and $112 million to him, signaling real belief in the versatility and two-way usefulness that made him appealing in the first place, and Dosunmus own reaction has only reinforced why the team made the move. He has talked about wanting to justify the investment, a natural response for a player expected to fit into a larger core without needing the spotlight every night.
What makes the fit intriguing for Minnesota is that Dosunmu is more than just a scoring addition. His game offers the kind of complementary skills teams need around their primary pieces, and his presence is also valued for what he brings in the room as much as on the floor. At training camp, there has been a noticeable shift in how he carries himself, and the Timberwolves will be watching closely to see how that translates once the season begins. [Read more 🡒]