Judging by offseason comments, it seems clear that Chris Finch does not want to begin the season with Jaden McDaniels as the starting power forward. What hasn’t been talked about much, though, is that Finch never said that’s how it will be all season.
Earlier this month, when the Minnesota Timberwolves head coach interviewed with Christopher Hine of The Minnesota Star Tribune, he said this about McDaniels:
“I don’t immediately envision Jaden just moving over and playing the four,” Finch said. “While I can see at times he’ll play there and maybe play a good number of minutes there, I don’t see that right off the bat and I don’t necessarily, in my mind’s eye, see that as a starting lineup with him there.”
Using a word like “immediately” and a phrase like “right off the bat” just makes it seem likely that McDaniels won’t be the starting power forward at the start of the season. Finch could eventually decide to put McDaniels in that role, though.
Numerous candidates to start at the four, but McDaniels eventually may prove to be the best option
After all the Timberwolves’ moves this offseason—such as acquiring LaMelo Ball, re-signing Ayo Dosunmu, trading Julius Randle and Naz Reid—there looked to be a clear five best players on the team. Those five would be Ball, Anthony Edwards, Dosunmu, McDaniels, and Rudy Gobert.
Many fans assumed that would be the starting lineup before Finch’s comments. That’s because there was no natural power forward on the roster. Signing Trey Lyles changed that, but he seems best suited for a reserve role.
If McDaniels starts at the three as he did last season, that could send Dosunmu to the bench, a role he thrived in after joining Minnesota last season.
Right now, the starting power forward is unknown. Terrence Shannon Jr., Jaylen Clark, and Josh Green are three names that have been thrown out as candidates. Finch has also said that who starts there could be based on the matchup.
If whoever Finch chooses doesn’t work out, nothing is stopping him from turning to McDaniels. Using his words, McDaniels could “maybe play a good amount of minutes there (power forward).” While the six-year veteran isn’t a standard power forward, just as the other candidates for the starting role that were mentioned aren't, he certainly doesn’t fear guarding players that outweigh him.
The offseason also isn’t over. Tim Connelly certainly isn’t afraid to make a deal, even as the regular season nears, as evidenced by the Karl-Anthony Towns/Julius Randle trade in 2024. There’s a chance their starting power forward might not even currently be on their roster.
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