Chris Finch's lack of structured offense has been a controversial part of his coaching style among Minnesota Timberwolves fans. Admittedly, I've criticized Finch for this at times. However, Finch's vision of empowering players and removing some structure works a heck of a lot better with a more talented roster.
During a recent appearance on Bleacher Report's NBA Insider Notebook with Jake Fischer and Marc Stein, Chris Finch discussed what the Wolves' offense will look like with LaMelo Ball.
“I think you just put the ball in LaMelo’s hands early & just trust him to make the right play; he’s got a proven history of that,” Finch said.
Like it or not, the modern-day NBA is all about empowering your star players as decision-makers, and Finch's offense is a prime example of this. Gone are the days when coaches dictate every single play. I mean, seriously, which team runs an offense like this in 2026?
Now, coaches give players options within the offense and trust their players to make the right decisions. As one of the best playmakers and perimeter scorers in the league, LaMelo should be trusted to make the right reads.
Chris Finch empowering LaMelo Ball is a genius move
These free-flowing offenses have seen success across the NBA and are more unpredictable for opposing defenses to deal with.
Whether it's Nikola Jokic with the Denver Nuggets, Jayson Tatum with the Boston Celtics, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Jalen Brunson (and Karl-Anthony Towns) with the New York Knicks, or Tyrese Haliburton with the Indiana Pacers, countless stars are empowered as decision-makers in their teams' offense.
None of this is to say that Finch shouldn't or doesn't run plays. The point is that his offenses, like many in the league, give players optionality and trust them to make the right call as opposed to a methodical offense with a "right answer."
Detractors of LaMelo's game will point to his erratic decision-making abilities as a knock against empowering him. Listen, he's not going to make the right decision every time -- nobody is. Regardless, Ball has improved his decision-making abilities immensely in recent seasons, and statistically speaking, he's an elite offensive engine.
Last season, the Charlotte Hornets' offense was an absurd 11.6 points better with Ball on the court, and he led them to the fifth-ranked offense, according to Cleaning the Glass. So yeah, it's safe to trust him as a primary decision-maker.
Some people question how Finch would mesh with LaMelo, and while the proof will be in the pudding, I actually think they're a perfect match. Finch will let LaMelo do what he does best on the court, while giving some tough love behind the scenes when needed.
Finch's system will work much better with an improved roster
There were some flaws with Finch's style of offense last season, but that's also a reflection of the Wolves' roster flaws. Anthony Edwards isn't a natural facilitator. Making Julius Randle that important to the offense was a mistake, but the Wolves also didn't have many natural facilitators or creators, and thus Randle became overly essential.
Could the Wolves have benefited from more structure? Sure, but that doesn't mean Finch's philosophy is fundamentally flawed. Again, his style of offense is not dissimilar to successful teams around the league. With a high-end lead decision-maker like LaMelo, the genius of Finch's offense will shine.
Now, the Wolves have two dynamic backcourt threats with Ball and Edwards. This will help make the Timberwolves' offense incredibly difficult to defend, and empowering the backcourt duo as decision-makers is a perfect way to maximize this pairing.
With Ball, the Timberwolves' ceiling is undeniable, and Finch's offense is part of the equation.
If everything goes smoothly, fans will understand why Finch empowers his players so much and why he was considered an offensive mastermind when he was hired in 2021.
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