Examining the Minnesota Timberwolves’ new-look rotation

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - NOVEMBER 8: Karl-Anthony Towns #32 of the Minnesota Timberwolves greets D'Angelo Russell #0 of the Golden State Warriors during pregame warmups on November 8, 2019 at Target Center 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 2019 NBAE (Photo by Jordan Johnson/NBAE via Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - NOVEMBER 8: Karl-Anthony Towns #32 of the Minnesota Timberwolves greets D'Angelo Russell #0 of the Golden State Warriors during pregame warmups on November 8, 2019 at Target Center 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 2019 NBAE (Photo by Jordan Johnson/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The Minnesota Timberwolves are the talk of the league after orchestrating two trades in about 36 hours that completely reshaped the team’s rotation.

Minnesota Timberwolves president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas is here to make changes.

Rosas, a longtime Houston Rockets executive, brought his former bosses’ be-ready-to-acquire-a-star-at-all-times attitude to Target Center, and the Wolves have shipped off six players and received seven back over the last 36 hours. The Wolves’ starting lineup and rotation only loosely resembles the group that opened the season in Brooklyn way back in October.

Check out this list of the top 10 players in minutes played for the Wolves this season, through Wednesday’s loss to the Atlanta Hawks.

  • Andrew Wiggins
  • Robert Covington
  • Jarrett Culver
  • Josh Okogie
  • Karl-Anthony Towns
  • Jeff Teague
  • Shabazz Napier
  • Gorgui Dieng
  • Treveon Graham
  • Keita Bates-Diop

Of the top 10 minutes-getters for the Wolves, only Nos. 3, 4, 5, and 8 are still on the team. Six of the 10 are gone.

There’s a lot that needs to be finalized to make all of the new players available, but here is a list of the guys who were acquired just this week (the players acquired from Golden State have all “reportedly” acquired).

  • Malik Beasley
  • Juan Hernangomez
  • Jarred Vanderbilt
  • Evan Turner
  • D’Angelo Russell
  • Omari Spellman
  • Jacob Evans

Add in a few young guys (two-way players Jordan McLaughlin and Kelan Martin, second-round pick Jaylen Nowell and undrafted rookie Naz Reid) and the Wolves have an entirely remade roster.

Here’s a look at what the starting lineup and bench rotation will look like come this weekend.

Starters

D’Angelo Russell
Malik Beasley
Josh Okogie
Juancho Hernangomez
Karl-Anthony Towns

Bench

Point Guard: Jordan McLaughlin (two-way)
Wings: Jarrett Culver, Allen Crabbe, Jacob Evans, Kelan Martin (two-way), Jaylen Nowell
Forwards/Bigs: Gorgui Dieng, Omari Spellman, Jarred Vanderbilt, Naz Reid

This list doesn’t include Turner, who could be flipped in the closing minutes before the deadline, and even if he plays for the Wolves, will likely be bought out before March 1. It also doesn’t include Jake Layman, who looks poised for a return right after next weekend’s All-Star Break.

So…what’s the verdict?

Is this a playoff team? Nope. Is it a poor defensive unit? Absolutely; only Okogie is a clear plus-defender out of that starting five, and there are major question marks about both Russell and Towns defensively.

But offense is half of the game, and surrounding Towns with good shooters and a dynamic pick-and-roll guard is a good way to improve an offense that currently sits No. 23 in the league in offensive rating.

Next. The Wolves clearly won the D'Angelo Russell trade. dark

The roster is absolutely and unequivocally more talented and better-positioned financially than it was just 48 hours ago. And we have Gersson Rosas and his star-studded front office to thank for that.