Recently, Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic did a "mailbag" article about the Minnesota Timberwolves' upcoming season, where he answered multiple questions about the Wolves. In this article, Krawczynski was asked about Donte DiVincenzo's role heading into his second season with the Wolves. Krawczynski subtly mentioned that he's not ruling out the possibility of the Wolves tweaking their starting lineup, replacing Mike Conley with DiVincenzo.
"With Conley another year older, it’s entirely possible DiVincenzo gets the nod in the starting lineup," Krawczynski wrote.
Undoubtedly, this is an intriguing possibility. Adding DiVincenzo to the starting lineup would give the Wolves an extra scoring boost and could give them some more overall upside. Having two natural point guards off the bench in Conely and Rob Dillingham would be a benefit of this lineup change as well.
Mike Conley is aging, and changing the starting lineup could make sense
Conley, who turns 38 before the season starts, has shown some serious signs of decline, especially last year. Notably, the Ohio State product averaged a career low 8.2 points and 24.7 minutes, while shooting just 40 percent from the field. Regardless, Conley started in 64 out of 71 games. Conley is still a high-IQ playmaker who can run an offense. However, he lacks burst as a shot creator and scores mostly off the gravity of others.
DiVincenzo is a dynamic outside shooter who netted 39.7 percent of his 3-point shots last season. The Villanova product is far from an elite self-creator, but he is a lot more capable of being a shot creator than Conley. With extra perimeter creation being a need for the Wolves, starting DiVincenzo makes sense. Plus, at 6-foot-4, he gives the Wolves some extra size in the backcourt, which would certainly benefit their defense. DiVincenzo got more minutes than Conley in the regular season, so starting him seems feasible.
Conley took a step back last season, and it's fair to be bracing for some more regression. DiVincenzo is the more impactful player, and he already played starter-level minutes, so it could be a good move to insert him into the starting lineup. While DiVincenzo is currently dealing with a recurring toe injury, he's expected to be fully healthy before the start of the season.
It's also worth noting that DiVincenzo, in place of Conley, with the rest of Minnesota's starting lineup, posted a 4.6 net rating. Comparatively, with Conley alongside the Wolves' starters, the team had a 3.2 net rating.
Changing the starting lineup is possible but not guaranteed
However, starting DiVincenzo isn't a no-brainer. He is a natural off-guard, and it's unclear if he could handle more ball-handling responsibilities. Point guard play has been fairly problematic for the Wolves, and Conley is still a crucial stabilizing force for Minnesota's offense. Krawczynski also noted that head coach Chris Finch trusts Conley a ton. As a result, they could keep him in the starting lineup.
If DiVincenzo earns a spot in the starting five, it could signal the Wolves' belief in Anthony Edwards improving as a playmaker. With Edwards, DiVincenzo, and Julius Randle, the Wolves would have somewhat of a ball-handling by committee approach.
Ultimately, I wouldn't bank on the Wolves changing their starting lineup on opening night. However, it wouldn't shock me either. If they get off to a slower start and/or Conley takes another step back, I would consider a lineup change fairly likely. Nevertheless, the Wolves are in a great spot overall, and they are well-positioned to compete for a championship.