Minnesota Timberwolves: Projecting the roster and wing rotation

With tip-off of the Minnesota Timberwolves’ season under a week away, let’s take a look at who will be included in the Wolves’ crowded wing rotation.

The Minnesota Timberwolves were short on wings during the 2018-19 season. Less than a year later, wing depth is suddenly a strength.

No, there isn’t a Jimmy Butler-caliber superstar on the wing. But there is a proven 3-and-D maestro in Robert Covington, a second-year lockdown defender in Josh Okogie, the versatile No. 6 overall draft pick Jarret Culver, and a newly-acquired, ultra-athletic cutter in Jake Layman.

The likes of Treveon Graham and Tyrone Wallace were acquired from the Nets and Clippers, respectively, and one could lump second-year forward Keita Bates-Diop into this conversation, too, although he figures to play mostly power forward. There’s also this year’s second-round pick and reigning PAC-12 Player of the Year Jaylen Nowell.

Oh, and Andrew Wiggins is still around, back for another round of “this is the year he figures it out” talk.

In summary, wing depth is absolutely one of the strong points of the roster that Gersson Rosas and the front office have assembled. Now, it’s up to first-year head coach Ryan Saunders to figure out the best way to deploy his wing corps.

Perhaps it’s starting three wings, with Covington slotting in at the power forward spot. Or maybe it’s a large reserve unit, with Culver playing the point alongside Okogie and Graham, or Okogie and Layman. Better yet, what about Karl-Anthony Towns at center and four wings around him, with Culver or Wiggins running at point guard?

Saunders has plenty of combinations to toy with, and we’ve only seen the beginning so far during the preseason.

Let’s talk through each wing player on the roster and who appears to be a lock to make the roster, who is solidly on the fence, and who could be the odd man out when the dust settles over the next few days.