Things have begun to improve on the injury front for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Donte DiVincenzo and Julius Randle are both back in action, and both have begun to make their impact on this team in their own unique ways. Donte through his laser-sharp shooting from outside and his floor-spacing, Julius with his all-around play and strong inside presence.
As we see these guys continue to look more comfortable getting back on the hardwood, we begin to wonder if either of them will need to take time off down the stretch of the season to prepare for big time playoff action. Well, at least in the case of Julius Randle, it would appear the answer at least in the short term is no.
Chris Finch provided some insight on this topic during his appearance on KFAN with Paul Allen on Tuesday morning. Speaking with the radio host, Finch responded to a question from Allen about whether Randle would skip one of the Wolves' two games of the upcoming back-to-back against the Philadelphia 76ers and Charlotte Hornets.
Finch: Randle won't sit either game of Wolves' back-to-back
"He'll play both," Finch said. "We'll certainly be mindful of minutes, particularly with the guys that are returning to play after being off for extended period of time for injury. It might be the number of minutes or the way that they play, the length of their run, how long they sit, these are all things we have to consider. But he's slated to play both games."
Honestly, as much as Wolves fans want these guys to be healthy for the playoffs, this is the best move possible. Sure, having your top rotation guys available and playing at a high level in the playoffs is going to be crucial to making a big run in the postseason. But that will not even be possible if you do not get to the playoffs in the first place.
The fact of the matter is, Minnesota is in serious danger of missing the playoffs altogether if they do not have their top players out there every single night. Their schedule may be rather light the rest of the way, but we know that this team has had their moments of playing down to competition before. Playing Randle in both games of a back-to-back is absolutely the right move. He is a durable player to begin with, so the odds of this coming back to bite the Timberwolves in some way feels low.