Which Timberwolves roster additions have upgraded the bench?

There was no debate over the Minnesota Timberwolves starting five players last season. Long before the 2022-23 season ever arrived, the performance of point guard D’Angelo Russell, shooting guard Anthony Edwards, small forward Jaden McDaniels, power forward Karl-Anthony Towns, and just acquired center Rudy Gobert was expected to be among the NBA’s best, even from the team’s worst skeptics.

The questions arose when pivoting to focus on the Minnesota Timberwolves roster and the bench for the 2022-23 NBA season.

It helped nobody when the Timberwolves’ roster suffered numerous and lengthy injuries. Not only did the team lose Karl-Anthony Towns for 53 games, but lengthy injuries to Taurean Prince (28 games) and Jordan McLaughlin (39 games) crippled the Timberwolves bench and the ability to generate points in games that were already burdening the starters.

Wolves need a better bench this season

Compounding the problem was the influx of new faces who had to learn all about their new coaches and new teammates. While many were veterans who were added to suit a specific role, not everyone was able to meet expectations.

If the Minnesota Timberwolves are to win this season, the team must do more than sit back and watch the starting five players cook. This team needs a true boost off the bench. Now the question is, does the Timberwolves bench have that sort of offensive firepower to put up a ton of points?  Does the Wolves bench have the type of smothering defense to halt opposing teams’ rallies?

While we certainly can list out the questions today, we really do not know the answers, and won’t, until the start of the 2023-24 NBA season. But we can make some intelligent guesses, particularly when it comes to how players on the Timberwolves depth chart may impact the team as they come off the bench this season:

V: Leonard Miller

Rookie Leonard Miller possesses a jack-of-all-trades tool chest of utensils and appliances that can fix almost any problem that can spring up on the basketball court. The trouble is that the Minnesota Timberwolves coaching staff has to learn how to use each tool, which means plenty of trial-and-error this season.

Leonard Miller is a 19-year-old forward who currently stands 6-foot-11 and weighs a svelte 210 pounds. But he is still growing and could be as tall as 7-foot-2 and 235 pounds by the time he reaches the age of 22. The fun and intriguing skill set of this young man’s skillsets is the fact that before his growth spurt, he was a competent point guard.

Show me what you’ve got

As it now stands, Miller can plug and play at almost any position on the basketball court. He has the ball-handling chops and the velcro-like ability to stick to his opponent like a point guard. But on the other hand, he has the height and the ferocity to bang the boards and haul in rebounds like a center.  Best of all, he has the ability to score from and defend the perimeter like a prized 3-and-D player.

The trick is, which role will the Timberwolves need from him this season?  Where will the team find the minutes to develop this young man in so many different roles?

It’s clear that in terms of Swiss Army Knife talent, Leonard Miller checks all of the boxes. Yet, he is a young rookie and will need to develop up to the NBA level for each and every role. Beyond that, he will need to prove to his teammates and coaching staff that he deserves playing time.  I love his upside, but I fear he will simmer this season, rather than burst into the scene as an instant playmaker.

IV: Nickeil Alexander-Walker

While not a new face in the purest sense of the word, shooting guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker will enjoy his first full NBA season on the Timberwolves roster. Let me explain. He arrived at the 2023 NBA Trade Deadline as part of the compensation that sent veteran point guard D’Angelo Russell to the Los Angeles Lakers.  Since he arrived late in the season, his initial role with the team was a bit limited.

This season, his role could and should expand for the Timberwolves. And that can only translate into positives for the young Timberwolves’ versatile wing. After all, when starting small forward Jaden McDaniels was injured and unable to compete in Round 1 of the 2023 NBA Playoffs, the Timberwolves turned to Alexander-Walker to start four of the five contests.

Playoffs suit NAW

While he did not put up an MVP performance, he did step up in a very difficult situation, playing incredible defense and even modestly spiking on the offense half of the basketball court as well. Best of all, his perimeter shot improved from a 36.1 percent accuracy rate up to 40 percent accuracy.

Two areas with a strong need to improve this season are the Timberwolves’ ability to defend the perimeter and the ability to score points from the perimeter. It was no mere coincidence that after NAW’s arrival, the Timberwolves turned the corner in both areas and began to show improvement.

The Timberwolves bench last season was a blend of young players and veterans who were a bit long in the tooth. The Timberwolves front office made the best of the situation, but the roster was assembled with no more strategy than a person tossing darts at a dart board.

Beginning at the 2023 NBA Trade Deadline, strategy has taken the driver’s seat in how this Timberwolves roster has been fitted. NAW is the perfect example, as he has an ideal blend of experience and youth, offense and defense. I would not be the least bit surprised if he scores 12+ points per game while shooting 40+ percent from three-point range this season.

III: Troy Brown Jr.

There may not be excessive hopes for newly arrived forward Troy Brown Jr., but he could develop into a very pleasant surprise for Timberwolves fans. Not many fans who cheer for the Minnesota Timberwolves know much more about Brown than the fact that he was not good enough to be brought back by the Los Angeles Lakers. Ah, but don’t judge this book by its cover, as I will explain why.

Troy Brown Jr. is a 6-foot-7 215-pound NBA forward who is entering his sixth NBA season. In the past five seasons, he has played a number of roles for the Washington Wizards, Chicago Bulls, and the Los Angeles Lakers. While the best season of his career occurred in 2019-20 while playing for the Washington Wizard, his best performance could very likely be this year for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Here is why that could happen:

TB fills all of the Timberwolves bench needs

The shortcomings of the Timberwolves bench last season are pretty expansive, but three areas that truly stood out as huge deficits were the lack of perimeter defense, the inconsistency of perimeter scoring, and a lack of rebounding.

When the Los Angeles Lakers signed former Timberwolves forward Taurean Prince, they may have done the Minnesota Timberwolves an unexpected favor. Just like that trade that sent D’Angelo Russell to the Lakers, the unexpected loss of Prince allowed the Timberwolves front office to raise the bar for the power forward position just a wee bit higher.  You see, Prince was a solid perimeter shooter off the bench. But he was never going to grab rebounds, and he was far more valuable at scoring points than shutting down opponents.

Value added acquisition

But Troy Brown Jr. adds value to areas where the Timberwolves bench needs help. He has a very accurate perimeter shot, hitting at a 38.1 percent clip from three-point range last season. But he is a significant upgrade at rebounding, pulling down 4.05 rebounds per game. And then there is his defense:

Brown is not at Jaden McDaniels level of defense just yet. But when McDaniels is resting or chooses to punch a stone wall out of frustration, it’s great knowing that the Timberwolves bench can offer defensive pressure to shut down opposing teams’ rallies.

And a few extra rebounds per game can’t hurt either.

II: Shake Milton

There are so many ways that newly arrived guard Shake Milton can help the team, I hope that his production can keep pace with the expectations. Unlike other NBA players who suddenly find themselves as free agents, Milton did not enter the 2023 NBA Free Agency Market because he did not deliver for the Philadelphia 76ers. Rather, he played in a position of depth, and the Sixers needed both cap space and roster room to strengthen other positions.

Which allowed the Timberwolves to add a solid backcourt contributor at a team-friendly price.

Shake Milton is not an obvious NBA point guard, but he could be. After all, the 6-foot-5 205-pound backup guard played in 254 games for the Philadelphia 76ers and started 45 of those games. At the age of 26 years old, he is entering his prime NBA playing time, so if he is going to ascend in his performance, now is the time for him to make that move. That is exactly what the Timberwolves hope happens this year.

What role suits him best?

The versatility of Shake Milton to fill the role of a backup point guard as well as a backup 3-and-D role is an ideal combination for the Timberwolves’ roster needs this season. After all, his versatility allows him to show up in a shooting guard role and play alongside veteran point guard Mike Conley Jr. to allow Anthony Edwards to rest, and he can slide into a point guard role to sit Conley and play alongside Anthony Edwards. Or the team can sit both Conley and Edwards and rotate Milton with Nickeil Alexander-Walker to give the Timberwolves multiple options.

Milton has the ability to score points, defend opponents, and spark a team coming in off the bench. While he is not a primary facilitator, he has the potential to enhance his ability to distribute the basketball to the open shooter. His experience with 76ers center Joel Embiid will ease the transition of playing with Rudy Gober and Karl-Anthony Towns this season.

He has shown growth and development each season. Perhaps his biggest challenge is the fact that he was expected to fill whatever roles were not primarily addressed by the Sixers’ starting lineup. With the Minnesota Timberwolves, his role will likely be more clearly defined. With a change of scenery and a chance to carve out a larger role, Milton could be a steal this season.

I: Naz Reid extension

While backup center Naz Reid has been a staple on the Timberwolves roster, it’s clear that his role changed with his new extension. Long buried on the Timberwolves depth chart, Reid suddenly finds his role expanding to backup both the center and the power forward positions.  While that may not be the starting role that he hoped for, it’s clearly a step in the right direction.

Naz Reid has been a dependable contributor over the past four seasons for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Despite the many changes to the Timberwolves roster, Reid’s role has seldom changed since he arrived on the team. He has played in 245 games over four seasons and started 43 games over that period. That works out to an average of 61 games played and 11 games started per season. I point that out because, despite the Timberwolves roster facing numerous injuries in the front court throughout the 2022-23 NBA season, Reid played in 68 games and started 11 games.

That aligns almost perfectly with his career averages. But the 2023-24 NBA season will likely be different for Naz Reid, and here’s why:

A more prominent and diverse role

The Minnesota Timberwolves were forced to draft Naz Reid into a more prominent role last season and were not disappointed with the results. Reid set career highs in points per game, and rebounds per game, and flirted with career highs in assists and steals. While he is still not quite at the same level of perimeter shooter as Karl-Anthony Towns, his energy and resolve have been solid qualities that have helped him anchor that Timberwolves bench when he makes an appearance in games.

Reid may not be a star of the team. But with teammates like Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels, he needn’t be. He simply needs to be a workhorse in the paint, boxing out opponents, pulling down rebounds, and putting points on the scoreboard. As he flexes from the backup center to back up both the center and the power forward positions, Naz Reid will have an even greater number of opportunities to get minutes.

At 24 years old, Naz Reid continues to grow and develop, and the Minnesota Timberwolves are firmly backing that trajectory. With future uncertainties over whether or not the Timberwolves will be active at the 2024 NBA Trade Deadline, the Timberwolves are wise to expand Naz Reid’s role in the present.

Whatever comes will come this season. But after a quick review of some key bench players on the Timberwolves roster, all I can say is: Let them come.