Who gets more Timberwolves PF minutes? KAT, Slo-Mo, Minott, or other?

While the Minnesota Timberwolves front office has worked hard to upgrade the team’s overall roster, the position that appears to have received the least amount of attention recently is the power forward role. Well, perhaps the least amount of attention is too strong. What the role has become in terms of the Timberwolves strategy is the equivalent of the ‘All Other,’ category.

The power forward role has been a key component of the best years of the Minnesota Timberwolves franchise. The legendary power forward Kevin Garnett himself set the bar very high indeed for the position, and no one has gotten to the same level as Garnett, let alone been close enough to that level of play to draw natural and logical comparisons.

The Timberwolves planned to start Karl-Anthony Towns as the 4, but that only lasted for 21 games. In the end, the Timberwolves were compelled to give a starting role to newly arrived veteran Kyle Anderson. But even that strategy ran a bit aground as the team also had to lean on Anderson to handle the point guard role that disagreed with PG D’Angelo Russell.

Minnesota MacGyver’d the 2022 Timberwolves roster at PF

Throughout the 2022-23 NBA season, the absence of Karl-Anthony Towns from the roster for 53 games created a lot of headaches for Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch and forced a  lot of adaptive and MacGyver-like temporary solutions upon the Timberwolves starting line-up and every changing rotations.

The truth is that all of the Timberwolves’ tactics throughout the 2022-23 NBA season were more about surviving the unique set of circumstances to compete in any given game.

As far as how well last season carries over to the 2023-24 NBA season in terms of minutes distribution, I would expect very few similarities in terms of how the Wolves coaching staff dispatches playing opportunities and minutes this season. There are new and rising equations that must be solved by this time this year and in the years ahead, and curiously, many of those solutions hinge on the power forward role this season. What do I mean? Let’s dig in and I will explain:

How to distribute minutes for Minnesota Timberwolves Power Forwards

The Timberwolves may have one of the strongest rosters in franchise history this season, at least since the team last boasted Kevin Garnett on this roster. But the superpowered Timberwolves roster is only temporary, as many expect the team to be forced due to the NBA salary cap to part ways with at least one All-Star player.

The Timberwolves front office has already homegrown one young All-Star to take the place of All-Star C/PF Karl-Anthony Towns in the form of All-Star SG Anthony Edwards, a player whom the Timberwolves will now pivot to in terms of Timberwolves roster additions to augment Edwards with complimentary players.

The Timberwolves front office has also added an additional All-Star to assist Towns where he is his weakest, by dealing for arguably the NBA’s best rim protector in center Rudy Gobert. Gobert’s presence last season helped the Timberwolves to avoid utter disaster by helping the entire team scratch and claw their way into the 2023 NBA Playoffs by earning the eighth and final seed.

More than injury impacted the Wolves’ woes last season

Some were dissatisfied with the Timberwolves fortunes last season. But this team did manage to stitch together two consecutive NBA Playoff appearances despite a tsunami of injuries and adversity that should have knocked the team out of any postseason discussions.

But on the heels of that injury-riddled season, let’s not turn a blind eye to the fact that 29 games were simply not enough time to cross-train former Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns into current power forward Karl-Anthony Towns.

In truth, the Timberwolves had allowed the players to free-flow throughout the game. But it was clear that whenever Towns and Gobert were on the court together, they gravitated to the same spots on the basketball court.

The Timberwolves did Towns no favors by flipping him to the 5 role when Gobert rested. That reinforced bad play by Towns, which showed up in KAT’s sub-average season in his statistical production, which dragged down his impact on the Timberwolves roster from a low due to competing in just 29 regular season games.

That has created a vortex of speculation and projections for the Timberwolves’ 2023-24 NBA season. So let’s try to focus on how the Timberwolves will handle the upcoming basketball season.

Most minutes: Karl Anthony Towns

While he has played most of his NBA career at the center position, the success of the Minnesota Timberwolves this season depends entirely upon Karl-Anthony Towns becoming completely comfortable in the 4 role.

Ignore all of those casual NBA analysts who have already ruled the Timberwolves’ effort to combine the defense of Rudy Gobert with the offense of Karl-Anthony Towns a failure after 29 regular season games. That was just over one-third of an NBA season and was hardly enough time for the two to make each other’s acquaintance. That was simply the appetizer. But the 2023-24 NBA season? That will be the main course.

The Timberwolves will almost certainly assign the most minutes, That could and should work out to about 30-33 minutes per game. If Towns can remain healthy, that will be a huge boost over last season, as Towns will easily be among the Timberwolves’ top two scorers throughout this season.

Towns time to shine?

KAT is already putting on a performance, as he averaged 17 minutes, 17 points, 3.5 rebounds,1.5 assists, 1.0 steals, and 1.5 blocks per game in two spectacular preseason performances against the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Abu Dhabi Tournament.  That is impressive work for a guy who is just getting back to NBA basketball.

But this is not an easy season for the Timberwolves big man. You see, KAT has a lot of pressure thrust upon him this season. He is not just trying to reclaim his own performance, but many NBA insiders, analysts, and pundits believe that he is literally playing for his spot on the Timberwolves roster in the future.

Before you stick a fork in the future of Karl-Anthony Towns just yet, try to consider the possibility of KAT reclaiming his prime-time production. If KAT recovers his true All-Star form on this team, the Timberwolves will have two players who will flirt with 30+ points per game. More than just points, Towns has proven to be incredibly impactful to the performance of his teammates as well, particularly to the offensive output of Rudy Gobert.

Towns may or may not be on the Timberwolves roster in the 2024-25 NBA season. But he can be one of the Timberwolves’ main offensive engines that will drive this team to a deep NBA Playoffs run this season. If he can recapture his past offensive prowess, Timberwolves fans will see his true potential, and perhaps a greater appreciation of his contribution will develop as a result.

And his market value will skyrocket as well.

Some minutes off the bench: Naz Reid

The Minnesota Timberwolves front office did not hesitate to extend backup center/power forward Naz Reid in the offseason. The theory behind bringing back Naz Reid has plenty of wild narratives, but let’s dispense with wild speculation and focus on what we know in terms of facts.

Naz Reid is 24 years old and is a hometown hero for the Minnesota Timberwolves. What that means is that he signed a Two-Way contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves after going undrafted in the 2019 NBA Draft.  He continued to compete in a dual role, playing for the G-League Iowa Wolves, but repeatedly being called up to compete for the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Standing 6-foot-10 and weighing a burly 264 pounds, Reid has competed at the center position, but he has the natural size and physicality to compete effectively as an NBA power forward as well. While Naz Reid insisted on a starting role in signing his next NBA contract, the Timberwolves were able to persuade him to return by expanding his role to both NBA center and power forward, a promise that they are already delivering on

Naz Reid powerful power-forward

Here is Naz Reid talking about his early soiree’ into the power-forward role:

Naz Reid competing at the power forward role is more than a dalliance. It is a logical and necessary progression for this Timberwolves roster to flex into their Tall Ball potential. And yes, when this team flips to big-time basketball, the Wolves have a very competent lineup that can deliver huge defense while still putting up plenty of points:

The Minnesota Timberwolves learned a painful lesson last season about not covering positions strategically and effectively. And with the financial pressure mounting on the team to find the funds to pay small forward Jaden McDaniels, Naz Reid becomes a vital component for the Timberwolves to resolve those difficult money matters.

He is already demonstrating a tremendous ability to play at a high level in the power-forward role. But he will toggle between both center and power forward roles this season.

Some minutes off the bench: Kyle Anderson

The Minnesota Timberwolves front office hit the bullseye when the team signed former Memphis Grizzlies free agent forward Kyle Anderson. Anderson is an incredibly versatile and adaptive veteran who could effectively compete at all five basketball positions if need be. The thing is, the Timberwolves roster needed him to shoulder the burden of the power forward role after Karl-Anthony Towns’ injury last season.

While Slo-Mo delivered for the Timberwolves under those emergency conditions last season, I would not count on him in a similar primary power forward backup role this season. Unless similar emergency conditions occur this season, the Timberwolves will most likely deploy Kyle Anderson in any number of roles this season.

Slo Mo delivered solid minutes

But the Timberwolves are immensely pleased with the job that Kyle Anderson did last season. Not only did the Timberwolves get 46 starts from Slo-Mo, but he delivered 9.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.9 assists per game.  You see, he was not just a power forward, but he also became an entrusted point forward for the team as well.

He is an excellent facilitator, is very strong defensively, and can nail perimeter shooting, but his strongest position is at the small forward role.  That should persuade the Timberwolves to trial more of Anderson’s minutes in that small forward role this season.

So if Naz Reid is splitting his time between center and power forward, and Kyle Anderson is splitting his time between the power forward and small forward roles, will the Timberwolves need other players to take up the slack of 60 minutes at the four?  Yes, and that leads us to discuss two or more players who can absorb PF playing time.

Begging for minutes: Leonard Miller

The Minnesota Timberwolves loved the versatility of rookie Leonard Miller, but they were not alone. In post-draft interviews, a number of NBA general managers cited Leonard Miller as the top prospect on their respective draft boards in Round 2. Just to refresh everyone’s memory, the Timberwolves traded up to the third pick in Round 2 of the 2023 NBA Draft just to select Miller.

So what is all the fuss about?

Well, the truth is that forward Leonard Miller is 6-foot-11 and weighs 210 pounds. More importantly, he is only 19 years old, and could easily top 7-foot-2 when he stops growing. But that is just the tip of the good news iceberg surrounding this rising NBA rookie star.

Miller has point guard ball-handling skills. He has NBA center height and rebounding prowess. And he has the wingspan of a small forward, and the tenacity to stick in an opposing player’s back pocket and create plenty of frustration for the entirety of an NBA game.

In two preseason games, Leonard Miller played 24 minutes, scored 14 points, hauled in four rebounds, delivered one assist, snagged two steals, and blocked two shots. And that was as a 19-year-old rookie against the Dallas Mavericks, a team that is almost a unanimous projection to make the 2024 NBA Playoffs.

Much like many players on the Timberwolves roster, Miller’s versatility will allow the team to pick their spots in terms of playing him in a power-forward role. It may not be his primary spot in the Timberwolves rotations, but he has the raw ability to deliver if and when he is asked to play at the 4.

Begging for minutes: Josh Minott/Matt Ryan

Being at the bottom rung of the ladder for the power forward rotation is not exactly an ideal situation for Josh Minott. The only player in an even more precarious spot on the Timberwolves roster in terms of rotating in for playing minutes for the power forward role is Two-Way Contract, Matt Ryan.

In two preseason games, PF Josh Minott did get 28 minutes, scoring four points, hauling in seven rebounds, dishing out four assists, and blocking one shot.  While that is not exactly screaming ‘play me,’ category of statistics, it is a solid foundation to build upon this season. Minott could get some duty in those last four to six minutes at the end of decided games where Coach Finch needs reserve players to clean up and close out the game.

The Timberwolves also got 21 minutes out of PF Matt Ryan, who failed to score but did get three rebounds and three assists from the young forward.

Iowa Wolves will play a huge role for Minott and Ryan

I expect that both Minott and Ryan will pull double duty this season, playing minor roles for the Timberwolves in late-game appearances, but commuting to the G-League affiliate, the Iowa Wolves, to get significant playing time and significant roles as either a starter or in a rotational support role.

Both Minott and Ryan will need to improve their ability to score, manufacture shots, and drop a solid perimeter basket.  The Timberwolves will also keep a keen eye trained on either player to see if they have the ability to rebound and defend, as both skill sets are in high demand on the Timberwolves roster this season.

If the Timberwolves do nothing by the 2024 NBA Trade Deadline, then the power-forward spot on the team could be all Karl-Anthony Towns. But if the team does make a move at the deadline, all eyes will turn to see not only how KAT fares but how the Timberwolves will manage at the 4 without him.

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