As everyone is aware by now, the Minnesota Timberwolves are preparing to face the Los Angeles Lakers in round one of the playoffs this coming weekend. When they do, they'll actually have quite a bit of an advantage over the Lake Show.
Everyone wants to point to Luka Doncic and how he played so well against the Wolves in last year's Western Conference Finals. But although Doncic is still a great player, he does not have nearly the same teammates with which to hurt Minnesota that he had last year with the Dallas Mavericks.
It was the versatile big wings and lob threats that Luka played alongside last year that enabled him and the Mavs to take down the Timberwolves. This time around, it may not be so easy, and you can make the argument Minnesota's roster has leveled up in that time as well.
But even so, the Wolves still have to do a good job of preparing for an all-world player like Doncic. This week at practice, Chris Finch revealed who has been playing as the scout team Luka: Joe Ingles. While this was funny to hear, it seems many people are missing the point of Finch doing this.
Chris Finch on who is playing Luka Doncic on scout team
— Andrew Dukowitz (@adukeMN) April 15, 2025
Luka=Joe Ingles
“We have our scout team ready. Yeah, it’s hard to replicate everything he does. We have Joe Ingles kind of simulating things, who gives us a comp on size and IQ for sure, but it’s certainly tough.” pic.twitter.com/VEss3TmVV7
Finch is having Ingles as the scout team Luka Doncic
Minnesota's coach is not so blind to the point that he thinks Ingles is as talented as the Lakers' new franchise player. He knows exactly what he is doing. Since Finch is aware that Ingles is a high IQ player with a knack for good passing and a large physical frame, he obviously seemed to be the best fit for acting as Luka during practice. And we have to also remember that these scout team guys are usually end-of-bench players, since the rotational players need the reps.
This is really a pretty common practice that those who may not be aware of may find more humor in. Dave McMenamin reported that Shake Milton and Bronny James split time acting as Anthony Edwards during the Lakers' practice on Wednesday as well. It's a normal routine that every team goes through when facing an important opponent, it just isn't always publicized who is playing which role.
At the same time, we can still have some fun and recognize the hilarity of Joe Ingles, who has played 114 total minutes in Minnesota this season, imitating one of the best players in the NBA at the Timberwolves' practice. Ingles is playing in the twilight of his career at this point, and it's cool to see him still be helping his team in this way.