With the Minnesota's Timberwolves' inconsistency this season, there has been plenty of discussion about where the biggest changes are needed. Changing up the roster right before training camp introduced a lot of variables, and basically nothing will be set in stone until this team starts churning out wins on a consistent basis like they did last season.
Of course, one of the most common topics that will come up when any team is struggling will involve the starting lineup. If things seem off about the starting group, fans are going to discuss where they see problems that could be addressed with different guys off the bench being promoted to the first five on the floor. If the coaching staff sees some of these same problems, they might look at addressing the issues by making a change.
But at least in the Timberwolves' case, it does not look like we will see anything like that happening anytime soon. Chris Finch has stated that everything is always on the table, and he is not against trying new things. But after Saturday's loss to the Pistons, he affirmed that a starting lineup change is not imminent.
"If I felt like the magic bullet was changing the starting lineup, I would've done that already. And I don't think I'm being particularly stubborn," said Finch. "There's a chain reaction to everything that you do. There are other combinations and things that go on on the floor that are just as important, if not more important, than the starting lineup."
Finch: Other things are "just as important" as the starting lineup
Fans may not want to hear this, for the simple reason that a starting lineup change often *feels* like the most significant adjustment a team can make. But in the grand scheme of things, Finch is correct. Much of what Minnesota has been doing in recent weeks has involved changing the lineup on the floor based on their opponent, with no set tactic in place every night. This is of course only logical when you have a group as diverse talent-wise as the Timberwolves.
It seems like Finch still believes the current starters have a high ceiling as well. He talked on Saturday about how much better he believes they can be at punishing opponents on the boards. "We should dominate the glass with the size that we do have out there," Finch said. "We should dominate both ends of the glass, but that group has also struggled to rebound, too, defensively."
The numbers certainly prove Finch to be spot-on here as well. Minnesota currently ranks 22nd in the league in defensive rebounds per game, with just 32.9. It is hard to think that number cannot be improved with three guys that stand at least 6-foot-9 in the starting lineup.
Obviously, if certain factors like the rebounding stats do not ultimately improve, it could push Finch to try something different. But for now, we can expect to continue seeing the same five players in the starting unit.