Timberwolves start, bench, cut: Mike Conley, Shake Milton, Jordan McLaughlin
By Will Eudy
The Minnesota Timberwolves have made some major roster changes over the past year. The team’s decision to shake things up at the trade deadline last February and move on from D’Angelo Russell proved to be a smart choice, as the Wolves’ starting unit seemed to gel even more with the conclusion of the regular season.
Mike Conley fit in seamlessly next to Anthony Edwards and allowed the young star to flourish as he played in a much lower-usage role than D’Lo. Then, in the offseason, Minnesota signed Shake Milton from the Philadelphia 76ers as well.
Seemingly overnight, the Timberwolves’ depth at point guard grew dramatically. Nickeil Alexander-Walker even started at PG in four of the team’s five playoff games. But outside of NAW who typically plays more at the two, Minnesota has three players that project as prototypical point guards for the upcoming season.
Here at Dunking With Wolves, we already looked at how Shake Milton could fit into the Wolves’ offense as a floor general. It will be up to Head Coach Chris Finch to tinker with lineups and see who fits best at certain spots on the floor, but he will have no shortage of options at point guard between Milton, Conley, and Jordan McLaughlin.
Start, bench, cut: Timberwolves point guards
Start: Mike Conley
It would seem that the obvious choice to start among these three would be the established veteran, Mike Conley. Playing the final third of the 2022-23 regular season with the Wolves, Minnesota Mike made a strong first impression on fans that has many excited to see what he can do next.
With Conley turning 36 years old next month, many questioned if supplanting the spry D’Angelo Russell with a player in the twilight of his career was a wise move. After all, D’Lo had some solid stretches last season where he took over on offense and gave Minnesota some needed fire power.
But as the home stretch of the season wound down, many began to see that Conley was an excellent fit with this team. His drive-and-kick ability combined with a knockdown jump shot made him a perfect pairing next to Anthony Edwards.
He is not as young and athletic as he once was, but his timely decision making and on-court leadership makes Mike Conley the easy choice as the Timberwolves’ starter.