Can the Minnesota Timberwolves rely on backup PG Jordan McLaughlin?

A smaller point guard

One of the challenges for Jordan McLaughlin’s NBA career is his size. At 5-foot-11 and 185-pounds, he is one of the smaller NBA players. But in terms of point guards, that can be positive, and McLaughlin’s style of play creates that size differential advantage.

Even as the team has invested heavily in Tall Ball, the roster continues to have the makings of a formidable small ball lineup and McLaughlin is one of the keystones to that downsizing.  Some believe that Jaylen Nowell or Austin Rivers will be first off the bench to run the floor. I’m not of that opinion. Nowell is far more effective off-ball creating shots, and Rivers is a veteran just-in-case option for the team who can help coach up his teammates.

I see a point guard as a bit of a different beast. For all other positions on the court, it’s a matter of moving the ball, shooting the ball, or passing the ball. But point guards have to play smarter. They are the mini-coaches on the basketball court. They call the plays. They set up teammates, not just on plays but in head fakes, misdirections, and resets.

Can other players step into that role for the Timberwolves? Sure. But does it make sense to take a dirt bike for a drive on a Nascar Race track? Does it make sense to take a Winnebago down narrow city alleys?

For me? I believe Jordan McLaughlin has earned the right to run the floor for the Timberwolves off the bench. Can the Minnesota Timberwolves rely on backup PG Jordan McLaughlin? I think so, yes. You cannot trade away a player like Patrick Beverley, someone who has made this team competitive again with his never-back-down attitude, without a clear path of how to make up the difference. After all, let’s see how good this young man can be, right?