The Minnesota Timberwolves entered the 2024-25 regular season facing widespread uncertainty over what their future might entail. Mere months after reaching the Western Conference Finals for the first time in 20 years, Minnesota traded Karl-Anthony Towns to the New York Knicks.
Fast forward to April of 2025 and the Timberwolves are fresh off of a statement win over the Los Angeles Lakers that gave them a 1-0 series lead—a victory that epitomized Minnesota basketball.
In five seasons under head coach Chris Finch, the Timberwolves have evolved into one of the most well-oiled machines in the NBA. They function as a true team, operating with a shared mentality that's permitted Minnesota's most resounding sustained success since the Kevin Garnett era.
According to Sam Amick of The Athletic, DiVincenzo believes that the Timberwolves have a unique identity as a team that legitimately embraces the strengths of its players on both ends of the floor—star or otherwise.
“The beautiful thing about this team is that when Jaden has a night like tonight, you keep it rolling with Jaden,” DiVincenzo said. “When Naz has a night like tonight, you keep it rolling with Naz. Mike can have a night. I can have a night. Julius can have a night. Most teams don’t have that. Most teams have your top two, three guys who may have a night. But here, we have eight guys who can have a night.
DiVincenzo elaborated, explaining the Minnesota's ability to utilize its depth extends to how it tackles the most challenging defensive matchups.
“It’s a different dynamic with Julius and I. For (starters), you’ve got two people who you can throw at (the other team). But also, you have two different types of guys. I think our makeup with Julius and I here is that we blend in well with them. We can have any eight guys guard Luka. … I’m not saying you’re going to stop him. I’m just saying you have eight guys to throw bodies at him, and it’s a full 48-minute game. When you have eight guys, you can just keep funneling them in. We’re in shape. We’re conditioned. And we want that challenge.”
There are an abundance of teams that claim to be deep, but Minnesota truly is the embodiment of the true value of a deep rotation.
Donte DiVincenzo highlights depth as what separates Timberwolves
Despite the drastic changes that arose via the Towns trade, the Timberwolves put together a successful regular season. They won 49 games, going 17-4 over the final 21 outings to secure the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference and avoid the Play-In Tournament.
That closing stretch speaks to the trouble that Minnesota experienced with a new-look rotation, but it managed to right the ship in the end due in no small part to what DiVincenzo described.
Seven different players led Minnesota in scoring at some point during the 2024-25 regular season. That should come as no surprise, as six Timberwolves averaged double-digit scoring numbers, while Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Mike Conley posted a combined 17.6 points per game.
With eight players averaging at least 8.2 points per game, the numbers clearly reflect the team-first attitude that DiVincenzo described.
The Timberwolves have no hesitation in riding the hot hand and getting every ounce of production out of a player who's found their rhythm. It's one of the primary reasons the Timberwolves can roll out a steady rotation of eight players whose roles are rarely, if ever, questioned.
Minnesota also has several promising up-and-comers waiting in the wings, including Jaylen Clark, Rob Dillingham, and Terrence Shannon Jr.
In what could've been a fragile ecosystem, Finch has found a sustainable source of energy for everyone in the rotation. He's navigated questions about fit and style of play by empowering his players to find themselves within his system—and all he's asked for in return is unwavering defensive intensity.
There's a long series to be played, but the Timberwolves winning Game 1 with Jaden McDaniels and Naz Reid as their leading scorers is the epitome of what makes this team special.