Minnesota Timberwolves: 5 things they need this offseason

#4 – Add to wing depth

Jimmy Butler and Andrew Wiggins each averaged north of 36 minutes per game during the 2017-18 season. That meant that there was precious little time for their backups to see the floor.

It ultimately led to a small, three-guard lineup that was used with some positive results in the five playoff games against Houston, featuring three of Jeff Teague, Tyus Jones, Jamal Crawford, and Derrick Rose. Crawford is unlikely to be back in a Wolves uniform, but it does seem somewhat likely that Rose will be back in Minnesota next season.

Such a diminutive lineup will not work in heavy minutes, and it typically requires either Butler or Wiggins to play the small-ball four.

Once Shabazz Muhammad was exiled from the regular rotation (and, eventually, from the roster altogether), Marcus Georges-Hunt was the only wing this side of Crawford who saw minutes — and his playing time dropped considerably after the calendar flipped to 2018.

The Wolves need to find something resembling a “3-and-D” backup wing to spell Butler and Wiggins for a 15-18 minute stretch on a nightly basis. Minnesota flirted with the idea of trading for C.J. Miles last summer and had interest in a variety of veterans either on the trade block or bought-out all the way into the season, but never pulled the trigger.

Of course, Thibodeau would actually need to give meaningful minutes to any additions, but it starts with making the effort to acquire the talent. And playing Butler north of 36 minutes a night in his age-29 season isn’t the ideal solution when it comes to filling out minutes at the two and the three.