The Minnesota Timberwolves’ starting lineup of the future

Minnesota Timberwolves’ starting lineup of the future: Forwards

The starting forward spots are the greatest point of debate among both fans and the organization.

Anthony Edwards, Jarred Vanderbilt, Jaden McDaniels, Jarrett Culver, Josh Okogie, Jake Layman, and Juancho Hernangomez all have justifiable cases for starting at one of the forward spots. To complicate things further, all of the aforementioned names, minus McDaniels, have started at least one game for Minnesota in the 2020-21 season.

The most important thing for the future of the Minnesota Timberwolves’ forward positions is to find capable defenders who can play next to Towns while also helping to hide the defensive deficiencies of the expected long-term backcourt.

The other principal factor is finding two forwards who can space the floor and make shots when given the opportunity. Most teams will focus on containing Towns, Russell, and Beasley in an effort to minimize the Wolves’ primary scoring threats. In turn, this provides plenty of space to attack the rim or knock down open threes for the remaining two players in the lineup.

Most of the forward options for Minnesota fit one of the defining skillsets mentioned but not both.

Hernangomez and Layman can be capable floor-spacers on offense but are too often beat on the defensive end by quick wing players or strong power forwards. Okogie and Culver provide flexibility on the defensive end but have proven to be extreme liabilities on offense when left open. While a trade may be the most immediate solution to finding a two-way player who checks all of the boxes, the team currently has three young players with the potential to grow into successful starters: Anthony Edwards, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Jaden McDaniels.

Edwards is the most obvious starting option of the three but also causes the most roster construction problems. Of course, Edwards was drafted with the No. 1 overall pick and is expected to be a focal point of the franchise’s future. Since moving into the starting lineup, Edwards has averaged 16.6 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game and is beginning to flash elite offensive potential as a three-level scoring threat.

Perhaps the most impressive stat from the rookie is that he is averaging less than one turnover per game despite a 22.2 percent usage rate when starting.

The key for Anthony Edwards to find success as the starting small forward is by improving as a point-of-attack defender. Parts of Edwards’ offensive skillset cannibalizes D’Angelo Russell’s strengths. This creates a fairly strong argument for trading one of these players for a more defensive-minded starter in the future.

Their similar play playstyles suggest that one of these two will have to become a positive on the opposite end in order to justify starting both players alongside each other. It is no secret that Edwards has struggled immensely as an off-ball defender early on in his career. However, he has also shown flashes of the strength, length, and lateral quickness necessary to be an above-average on-ball defender.

Continual improvement from Edwards’ on-ball defense would give Minnesota their desire point-of-attack defender, allowing the team to hide Russell on defense while taking full advantage of the offensive firepower this lineup would offer.

In the short term, Vanderbilt makes sense as the Timberwolves’ starting power forward, slotting in between Edwards and Towns. Vanderbilt’s combination of rim protection, rebounding, and spirited tenacity can often provide a huge boost to the team’s most glaring weaknesses. He gives the roster construction much-needed size and takes pressure off of Towns on the defensive side of the ball.

In a starting lineup overflowing with offensive weapons, Vanderbilt is the lone professional who makes his money with his defense. At just 21 years of age, Vanderbilt still has time to round out his game but his growing chemistry with backup point guard Ricky Rubio and his inability to space the floor with 3-point shooting advocate for utilizing him as a valuable rotation player off the bench.

Instead, a 20-year-old rookie may be the long-term solution for the Timberwolves’ most debated position: the No. 28 pick in the 2020 draft, Jaden McDaniels.

McDaniels is the epitome of everything Gersson Rosas wants the Minnesota Timberwolves to be. At 6-foot-9 with a 7-foot wingspan, McDaniels offers the perfect blend of size and athleticism to be an elite two-way talent. He allows the offense to play with increased pace while also stretching the floor with adequate three-point precision, shooting over 37 percent from beyond the arc in the early stages of his career.

Meanwhile, his potential as a switchable defender is the real game-changer. McDaniels’ stellar lateral quickness allows him to switch onto speedy guards while also using his length to serve as a superior rim protector in the paint.

Among all rookies playing over 15 minutes per game, McDaniels ranks first in both defensive rating and net rating on the season. Not only does McDaniels lead all rookies, but his net rating of 5.9 is the best of any regular Timberwolves’ rotation player since Jimmy Butler in 2017-18.

There are sure to be mistakes and slumps that will come with moving a 20-year-old, late-first-round draft pick, into a starting role but his potential raises the organization’s ceiling in a way that cannot be overstated.