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Minnesota Timberwolves: Power Forward Competition

By Christian Anton

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JULY 10: Free Agent signees Jeff Teague and Taj Gibson of the MInnesota Timberwolves are introduced to the media by Tom Thibodeau, President of Basketball Operations and Head Coach and Scott Layden, General Manager, on July 10, 2017 at the Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx Courts at Mayo Clinic Square in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JULY 10: Free Agent signees Jeff Teague and Taj Gibson of the MInnesota Timberwolves are introduced to the media by Tom Thibodeau, President of Basketball Operations and Head Coach and Scott Layden, General Manager, on July 10, 2017 at the Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx Courts at Mayo Clinic Square in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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With the signing of Taj Gibson in the Offseason, Tom Thibodeau will have to decide who his starting power forward will be this next season.

The fun part about an offseason in any sport is the speculation that comes with it, from casual fans to career commentators, everyone has an opinion.

So here is something to speculate… who will be starting at power forward next year for the Minnesota Timberwolves?

Many may look at Gorgui Dieng starting all 82 games last year under Thibodeau as a sign, but that doesn’t guarantee him the job this year.  My guess is that the reason behind bringing in Taj Gibson was to introduce a position battle in order to improve performance at the four spot.

Dieng has been a solid addition to the Timberwolves over the course of his short NBA career so far. In fact, he has started almost half of his total games played while in Minnesota.  With the rise of Karl-Anthony Tons in the middle, Dieng has been forced to move to the four spot in order to get playing time.

Before last year, he was predominantly considered to be a traditional center with an above average scoring touch.

Although Dieng started all 82 games last year as a power forward he is still learning how to play a different position.

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Insert Taj Gibson into the conversation.

The fact is Tom Thibodeau loves this guy.  Oh and Jimmy Butler happens to like him a lot too. Funny how things work out sometimes.

Gibson spent most of his early NBA days under the intense coaching of Mr. Thibodeau and has carved out a good NBA career because of it.  He made a name for himself as a defensive grinder, the type of player who hustles and sets the tone defensively for a team on the court.

So how often did Gibson start wh

ile with Thibodeau in Chicago?  The answer might surprise you.

In Gibson’s first NBA season before the arrival of Thibodeau, he started 70 games.  The next year under Thib’s new regime he only started 19 games.

In fact, that year was the most games in a single season he started for a Thibodeau led Bulls team. Thibodeau instead relied on him to be a motor off of the bench for his teams.

Gibson found a clear role with his team under Thibodeau in Chicago.  He continued to grow while coming off of the bench and became a consistent sixth man that Thibodeau could rely on.

The question is should we expect that same usage while with the Timberwolves?

My guess is that ultimately Thibodeau will use Gibson in a similar way as when he was with the Bulls but not immediately.  It makes sense to make Dieng earn his minutes and continue to progress in the power forward slot instead of just hand it over to him.

Although Dieng has been a good front court player he should continue to progress defensively and can learn a lot by sitting behind Gibson.  I could see Thibodeau start Gibson early in the season and have Dieng take over half way down the road.

This would allow for a power forward position battle which could improve Dieng’s level of performance for both the short and long term.  Allowing Gibson to start and then move back into a bench role player position would be the best option for this team going forward.

Next: What will the new Timberwolves offense look like with Jimmy Butler?

Either way, it’s fun to speculate what our fearless leader will decide to do next year.

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