Imagine the Minnesota Timberwolves sending a five-player rotation to the basketball court with 6-foot-4 Anthony Edwards and no other player on the court shorter than 6-foot-9. Well, the Timberwolves roster can currently support that rotation in any number of ways, as the team has two forwards who can conceivably serve as point forwards in Kyle Anderson and now rookie Leonard Miller.
Imagine a Timberwolves team that plays Kyle Anderson, Anthony Edwards, Naz Reid, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Rudy Gobert. Far fetched? Not if you believe Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch, that is.
After all, you really can never rule out anything where the rotation and Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch is concerned, can you?
At Naz Reid’s contract extension press conference, Chris Finch said Reid’s role will be as a backup 4 and a backup 5, but that he isn’t ruling out playing Reid, Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert all at the same time.
— Dane Moore (@DaneMooreNBA) July 5, 2023
If Naz Reid plays at the 3? Hmm . . .
Tall Timbers
If the Timberwolves play Reid at the 5, 4, and 3 this season, that will certainly benefit Reid. But does that have the undesired effect of forcing these Timberwolves to go with a smaller version or less competent rotation? I don’t think so.
In fact, if the Minnesota Timberwolves trial a 5-man rotation that includes center Rudy Gobert, power forward Karl-Anthony Towns, small forward Naz Reid, shooting guard Leonard Miller, and point forward Kyle Anderson, the Timberwolves will have a unit that ranges from 6-foot-9 to 7-foot-1. Now that is a Tall Timberwolves squad.
But, could it work? Well, I don’t know that Coach Finch would go that route at first. But, if Miller can prove to develop a perimeter shot, he certainly has the energy to defend the 2 position. And would it get rebounds? I think that the team would have a huge advantage in that department (pun intended).
Whether or not the Timberwolves roster uses their size advantage this season, the team is clearly committed to being big. That gives plenty of mix-and-match combinations for the team this year.
And each one seems more exciting than the last.