The Minnesota Timberwolves may not be inspiring too many to envision this team as an NBA Championship roster just yet. While there are many reasons for that, and the list feels like it is growing as scrutiny intensifies, let’s focus for the moment on the starting five on the Timberwolves roster, or rather where the roster could be improved.
The Timberwolves just acquired center Rudy Gobert, and as a result of trading so many assets for one player, the team and player are not going to sit him this season for anything short of rotations or injuries. The same can be said about power forward Karl-Anthony Towns and shooting guard Anthony Edwards. Ant-Man and KAT are one-twos in terms of leading the team in scoring, and two-threes in terms of leading the team in assists. They all need to up their game and play far more cohesively
Two Timberwolves roster spots
That leaves just two roster starting roster spots to tinker with right now. Small forward Jaden McDaniels is new to the Timberwolves’ starting rotation, and point guard D’Angelo Russell is playing in the last year of his current contract. Of the group, the two players who are struggling most on the Timberwolves roster are DLo and J-Mac.
Can the Timberwolves fix this struggling roster quickly? I don’t think that is possible. The problem is not fixated on the poor play of one player, but rather upon the fact that the Timberwolves starting five players are learning how to swim in the 2022-23 NBA season by being tossed into the deep end of the pool and being told to swim in unison.
So far, fans are seeing a lot of splashing, and not a lot of movement from this roster. Of course, early reactions are to name, shame, and blame. But that approach will not fix this roster with any degree of urgency, any more than repairing an automobile in disrepair means taking out a loan to purchase a new vehicle. The Timberwolves must fix this roster, not replace parts. Here’s why:
What about Timberwolves lineups?
Part of the Timberwolves roster challenge is that the starting five have almost no history playing together, and that has compelled Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch to allow the starting five, even when nothing seems to be going right, to remain in the game longer than you might expect. But that has come at an expense to the Timberwolves’ success this season.
Per NBA.com stats for lineups, the Timberwolves starting five have a net rating of (-5.3). Replacing Anthony Edwards with Bryan Forbes has a net rating of (-18.3). Finally, swapping out Rudy Gobert with Jaylen Nowell results in a net rating of (-16.1).
Many pundits and fans are already marching on Castle Timberwolves and laying the struggles of this team at the feet of PG D’Angelo Russell. While he has not shown that he is not responsible for the challenges of this team, he is by no means THE reason this team is struggling.
More problems than just PG on Timberwolves right now
Using the same NBA.com stats for lineups website, the Top-5 four-player rotations in terms of minutes played have all shown a negative net rating, including the four-player lineup that excludes D’Angelo Russell (net rating -3.0).
Ultimately, the Timberwolves field general for this temporarily-dysfunctional roster is going to struggle to weave a cohesive unit on the basketball court early in the season. And since D’Angelo Russell is the starting point guard for the Timberwolves, he is viewed as responsible for the mishaps, miscommunications, and missed opportunities.
I’m not washing D’Angelo Russell’s hands on this. He has struggled in his leadership role so far. But even when he makes pinpoint passes, even sure-handed center Rudy Gobert has lapsed, negating a sure-fire assist, and instead being scored as a turnover on Russell. But after reviewing those plays, the fault lies in the unfamiliarity of new teammates. In my mind, the Timberwolves will likely try to improve those lapses, rather than replace any players, particularly after just eight games of the season.
What about Timberwolves trades?
Some believe that the Timberwolves will look for an upgrade via an NBA Trade. I’m not so sure that is a remedy that the Timberwolves even have in their arsenal right now. And I’m not the only one who has reached that conclusion. Here is a really succinct answer that covers the speculation that the Timberwolves can upgrade their point guard play with a trade:
Translation: The Wolves have no assets. So, just a reminder, when you’re saying “DLo + picks” that is basically the same as “DLo + nothing”.
— Dane Moore (@DaneMooreNBA) November 2, 2022
If you want to have a based in reality trade conversation that upgrades the roster in a meaningful way, Jaden McDaniels is involved.
So the only realistic options available to improve the Minnesota Timberwolves roster are via the NBA Draft (with limited picks) or by signing an NBA Free Agent. So how easily will that happen? I don’t think that upgrading at point guard is ever easy, let alone at eight games into the NBA season. Rosters are set, and all but the higher-risk free agents are already signed.
NBA Buy-Out Window
There will be a window that opens later in the season, as non-contenders will buy out veteran contracts which will allow those players to sign on to round out the rosters of a contender. But even that ‘plan’ is flawed, as it compels the Timberwolves to be a contender when that window opens, and even then the newly-available players are only able to round out a roster, not fix a broken one.
This season, the NBA Trade Deadline is scheduled for February 9, 2023, at 2:00 pm CT. After that point in time, NBA teams will offer buy-outs to players. That will allow the team to shave salary costs off their payroll while allowing NBA players to re-sign with new teams and perhaps compete in the NBA Playoffs.
Of course, the optimal outcome is for the Timberwolves to diagnose and self-correct the challenges that this team faces this season. Can Coach Finch pull it off?
Stay Tuned . . .