The Minnesota Timberwolves are 7-3 on the season; they are also 4-2 without Anthony Edwards, and Chris Finch deserves his flowers for his role in the Wolves' early success. Even though the Wolves upgraded their roster this summer, figuring out how to make things work with a new-look roster isn't easy. Add in an injury to your best player after four games, and nobody would've been surprised if the Wolves were a .500 team or even worse after 10 games.
Make no mistake, the players deserve the lion's share of credit for this success. Ultimately, they are the ones who execute on the court. However, Finch has also played a key role in their success on both ends of the court, and he's helped the team stay collected despite not having their best player.
Chris Finch's offensive schemes have been much more creative
Finch has long been known for his strong defensive schemes. The main knock on him, though, has been his offensive creativity. So far this season, though, his schemes have been awesome. Part of this is the creativity that LaMelo unlocks. Still, Finch's offense has had much more movement than in years past.
In past years, the Wolves' offense often looked stagnant. The ball movement was often limited, as was the off-ball movement. Now, the ball is constantly zipping around, and off-ball players are constantly screening and moving to create advantages or open shots.
And this isn't simply a product of LaMelo, as these trends continue when he's off the floor. This everybody-eats style of play has allowed the Wolves to balance "the usage puzzle" and maximize everyone's talent. Likewise, it's given them a blueprint to success without their No. 1 option.
At the same time, Finch has relied on set plays too much. As a result, this has allowed Ball to do what he does best as an improviser. Simply put, Finch has found a great balance between structure and freedom. All of this has led to the Wolves ranking sixth in offensive rating (per Cleaning the Glass) despite Ant's absence. Plus, when we saw this team at full strength, they looked like a genuine offensive juggernaut.
Finch is a big reason why the Wolves have had success without Ant, and his schemes have maximized every last ounce of talent that this team has.
The Timberwolves' defensive success is a reflection of Finch's culture
The Wolves have been equally as impressive, if not more so, on defense. Despite leaning into a smaller and supposedly less physical frontcourt identity, the Timberwolves have the second-best defensive rating in the league. Frankly, it looks a lot like the Timberwolves' elite 2023-24 defense.
The Wolves play one of the most aggressive styles of defense in the league. They are constantly pressuring ball handlers, with Jaden McDaniels at the point of attack. While many teams sell out on stars, the Wolves mostly guard stars straight up. Finch trusts his guys to get stops, and this strategy pays off for the most part. This style of defense allows the Wolves to consistently limit opposing teams' complementary players, not just their stars.
Of course, Rudy Gobert's elite rim protection and ability to shut down opposing centers are central to Minnesota's defensive success. So is McDaniels' POA defense. Jonathan Kuminga has been stout defending forwards, and this defensive system plays to his strengths. I wouldn't say Ball has been a good defender, though the stats would. In any event, his aggression on the ball is there, and it's a reflection of the system and culture that Finch has built.
While the Timberwolves have a high level of defensive talent, they are overachieving by being a top-three defense, particularly with such a thin frontcourt. That's clearly a result of Finch's coaching.
Truly, everyone is bought in, and everyone is engaged on defense, and Finch certainly plays a role in that. Moreover, his style of defense leads to turnovers and creates easy transition scoring opportunities for the Wolves.
Overall, Finch has maximized the hand he's been dealt this season, and it's resulting in success for the Wolves. At its core, that's what great coaching is. Amid all the rightful praise the Timberwolves players are getting, don't forget to mention Finch's name, because he's been fantastic.
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