Who will start at power forward for the Timberwolves?

The Timberwolves young core is mostly set, but there are definite holes in the rotation — most glaring at the power forward spot.

The Wolves started the 2015-16 season with Kevin Garnett opening games at power forward and 27 year-old Serbian rookie Nemanja Bjelica playing the bulk of the minutes off the bench. When Bjelica had a long stretch of rough play that began in late November, coach Sam Mitchell shuffled his rotation accordingly.

This led to some small-ball ‘four’ from Tayshaun Prince, as well as a few (which is still too many) Adreian Payne minutes. Eventually, Gorgui Dieng became the starter at power forward when Garnett was injured and sat out the rest of the season.

In fact, Dieng ultimately played the majority of his minutes at power forward this season, which was a complete departure from his first two seasons in the NBA. Perhaps just as surprisingly, it worked swimmingly for the Wolves as Dieng and Karl-Anthony Towns meshed exceedingly well.

Both players’ high-low passing ability and willingness to play in the post and crash the boards were vital to the Timberwolves’ late-season success. Additionally, both players excel at mid-range jumpers, with Towns even extending his range beyond the arc and Dieng flashing the ability to knock down corner threes in the final games of the year.

But inserting Dieng into the starting lineup meant that there wasn’t a backup center. Greg Smith was originally a ten-day contract signee who is more of an undersized power forward to begin with, and he was the only other big man on the bench this side of Payne.

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One of the first questions that Tom Thibodeau and Scott Layden will have to answer for themselves is if Dieng is a starting power forward or an outstanding third big man, capable of playing either the ‘four’ or the ‘five’.

If the answer is that he’s a third big, than they need to find a starter, whether through trade, free agency, or the draft. All three are viable options, to be sure, and we’ll delve deeply into each throughout the off-season.

The draft offers the likes of Croatian Dragan Bender and Marquette stretch-four Henry Ellenson in the top-ten. Free agency will include expensive home runs like Al Horford, expensive fixes like Ryan Anderson, or second-tier but still-starting-caliber choices such as Marvin Williams.

It’s tough to decipher which rosters around league have power forwards that are both on the block to be traded and would be clear upgrades for the Wolves, but Layden and Thibs are no doubt exploring this option as well.

If the Timberwolves opt to stay in-house, they could choose to start Nemanja Bjelica and bring Dieng off the bench as the top backup to both he and Towns. Garnett may also be back, and could provide 10-15 minutes at the ‘four’, bringing a much different dynamic than any of the aforementioned big men.

There are certainly options, but there also must be at least one more capable, NBA body added to the team. If Garnett retires, they’ll need two.

Next: What Would Timberwolves Do With A Top-3 Pick?

Along with the backup wing spot and the lack of shooters on the current roster, this is the spot to look for the most activity this off-season. We’ll break down each of the above-mentioned options for acquiring a power forward as we move along this summer.