Jaylen Clark is quickly becoming an irreplaceable part of the Timberwolves

How the Minnesota Timberwolves would navigate the void left behind by Nickeil Alexander-Walker was a key storyline heading into the season. It was widely believed that the young trio of Terrence Shannon Jr., Rob Dillingham, and Jaylen Clark would earn increased roles. Most of the excitement was around Shannon and Dillingham, though. That's understandable given that those two were first-round picks, and admittedly, I hyped up Shannon and Dillingham more than Clark.

However, Clark has undoubtedly been the most impressive of this group, and even once Anthony Edwards returns to the court, I think Clark has done enough to stay in the rotation. Now you might look at Clark's counting stats (5 ppg, 3 rpg, and 1.2 apg) and say, wait what. Regardless, Clark's impact far exceeds the box score, and his defense is central to the Wolves' success.

Clark is averaging a respectable 17 minutes, a number that exceeds Shannon's 16 mpg and Dillingham's 13 mpg. It's impossible for this number to remain exactly the same once Edwards returns, but somewhere within this range is reasonable.

Clark's defense makes him highly valuable

The 6-foot-5 wing has a highly malleable skill set that allows him to fit nicely next to the Wolves' top players. Defense is clearly Clark's bread and butter. Clark hounds opposing perimeter players on the ball, and he's an impressive defensive playmaker as well. He is a classic glue guy who makes hustle plays and does all the little things well. Here's a great example of Clark's stifling on-ball defense, which ultimately led to a turnover.

Notably, Clark posts an absurd -8.7 on/off defensive swing, and is holding opponents to 31.6 percent shooting. With all due respect to the amazing Jaden McDaniels, Clark has been the Wolves' best point-of-attack defender through seven games.

Likewise, playing these two together would benefit the Wolves in a massive way. Having McDaniels roam around the floor more would take advantage of his elite defensive playmaking abilities and lessen the on-ball burden. We've only seen 24 minutes of this combination so far, but I expect Chris Finch to go to this duo more once Edwards returns, especially during the non-Rudy Gobert minutes.

Sure, Edwards gives the Wolves another perimeter defender, but Clark has been too impactful on that end of the floor not to play. The Wolves rank 23rd in defense, a shocking fall for a team that has been within the top 10 for the past two seasons. To restore their elite defensive identity, playing Clark is necessary.

Clark is impactful despite his limitations

Clark isn't a perfect player; he isn't a shot creator at all. However, that's fine on a team filled with creators. The real concern, though, is that he is shooting a horrid 12.5 percent from 3-point range. He was a below-average shooter at UCLA, but last year, Clark netted 43.1 percent of his 3-pointers, meaning there's reason to believe this trend won't hold.

Will Clark be a 40 percent 3-point shooter again? It's not likely, but will he continue to be one of the worst shooters in the league? Again, I think that's unlikely.

Despite his offensive limitations, Clark crashes the boards at a high rate (1.3 offensive rebounds per game), and he's an excellent cutter. Clark's basketball IQ really stands out to me. He's always in the right spots and makes the right plays. His connective playmaking is another strength.

Ultimately, Clark's elite defense is enough to keep him in the rotation, and even though he has limitations on offense, he's hardly unplayable on that end of the floor.