As the Minnesota Timberwolves inch closer to the postseason and the playoffs, there are certainly reasons to be optimistic or pessimistic about this group and their chances, depending on the angle you want to take. The most obvious reason for optimism would be that the Wolves have shown us they have the collective talent to hang with the best of the best in the NBA this season.
Of course, the flip side is the inverse of that statement. Just when you think Minnesota is putting everything together, they may go and put up a totally head-scratching performance. This is why they will be a total wild card in the playoffs. The bad clutch time losses only serve to increase skepticism around this team's chances to win a championship.
But if you want to look at this group from a glass-half-full perspective, there are several reasons to feel good about their ceiling. One of those reasons is the play of Jaylen Clark. With the postseason just a few short weeks away, the reality is starting to set in: Clark is likely to be a real-minutes rotation player for the Timberwolves in the playoffs.
Clark is likely going to be a real playoff contributor
This is a concept that no one in Minnesota would have envisioned at the start of the calendar year. Clark saw game action for the first time this season on Jan. 9, but it was not until Jan. 29 against the Phoenix Suns that he truly had a big moment and made his mark. He came out with huge defensive intensity and made life extremely difficult for a veteran scorer in Bradley Beal. Truly, no one saw him becoming what he is now.
MinnPost's Britt Robson pointed out recently that one of the biggest reasons Jaylen is so valuable is that he knows exactly who he is and what makes him successful. He will consistently lock down on defense while not being a burden to the team offensively. Bringing that to the floor every single night has been one of the main reasons he has been a mainstay in Chris Finch's rotation since the end of January.
We know that Finch usually likes to roll with his typical top eight guys in the playoffs. But with Clark around, he is likely to expand that rotation to nine in the postseason. Some of the other young guys will likely have much smaller roles given how much stars play in the playoffs. While they wait for their opportunity, Clark has done all the right things to build himself into a legitimate 16-game player.