The Timberwolves have managed their young players well this season
By Bret Stuter
Timberwolves choreography keeps younger players involved
There are valid reasons for the hot/cold nature of the Timberwolves’ season so far. With frequent injuries to the seasoned veterans, the team has been forced to promote younger players into significant roles for the team.
In fact, only shooting guards Anthony Edwards and Jaylen Nowell have suited up for each and every game for the Minnesota Timberwolves this season. That has left plenty of holes for the Timberwolves’ lineup and rotation to fill for head coach Chris Finch. So, how has he managed it so far?
In short, he’s leaned on his younger players. In fact, the team has already gotten two starts out of rookie shooting guard Wendell Moore Jr., which is as many starts as veterans SG Jaylen Nowell and PF Taurean Prince. That has taken a lot of coordination and a bit of choreography to pull off:
NEWS: @Timberwolves recall forward Josh Minott from G League affiliate @iawolves and transfer forward Matt Ryan to Iowa.
— Timberwolves PR (@Twolves_PR) January 27, 2023
Minott will be available for tonight’s game against Memphis while Ryan will be available for Iowa’s game against Oklahoma City Blue.
That is just one example of the gyrations that are necessary to ensure that the team has sufficient frontcourt players available for each game. But it’s not just been injuries that have posed the problem, but the unpredictable nature of the injuries. We know that backup PG Jordan McLaughlin was out for an extended period of time. In response, the team directed some of the floor general duties to point forward Kyle Anderson. But he struggled with back spasms, which forced the team to include Anthony Edwards as a pseudo-point guard too.