Since the Minnesota Timberwolves traded for LaMelo Ball, it was clear he was immensely important to the team. They are banking on him being a high-end second option alongside Anthony Edwards. And if it doesn't work out, they'll be hard-pressed to find an easy pivot given their lack of draft capital.
While it was always clear that Ball is a crucial part of the team's success and future, his importance increased after the Jonathan Kuminga signing last week.
To be clear, the Kuminga signing is largely positive. He fills the Wolves' top need: a physical power forward, and he was the highest-upside player available. Still, Kuminga is a ball-dominant player who often takes ill-advised shots.
On a team with plenty of established creators (Edwards and Ball chief among them), they don't need Kuminga to be a primary creator. Rather, they need him to be an athletic play-finisher who scores around the rim, while providing high-end defense and rebounding.
Ball's role in unlocking Kuminga's play-finishing abilities is key. We saw how he fed Miles Bridges open shots around the rim in transition and on pick-and-rolls. This is the role that the Timberwolves should be envisioning for Kuminga, even if he still offers some level of shot creation. If LaMelo can't help unlock this version of Kuminga, though, the Wolves could be stuck in a situation where they have too many cooks in the kitchen.
The bigger concern is Ball's lengthy injury history. Sure, LaMelo played in 72 games this past season, but this marks just the second time in his career that he's played in 55 or more games. Unfortunately, if Ball gets injured, the Timberwolves' offense will be just as chaotic as last season, especially with Kuminga in the fold.
The Timberwolves will be stuck in an undesirable spot if Ball gets injured
The Timberwolves are counting on Ball to be a stabilizing playmaking presence. As one of the league's best playmakers and most effective offensive players, I'm confident that LaMelo can fill this void. Notably, Ball led the Charlotte Hornets to the league's best offense after the turn of the calendar, and he ranked third in the league for offensive estimated plus-minus per Dunks & Threes.
Outside of him, though, the Timberwolves still don't have much playmaking. Last season, we saw how problematic this was to Minnesota's offense down the stretch of games and in the second-round of the playoffs. Relevantly, the Wolves ranked 29th in clutch turnovers.
Even though the Timberwolves have solid talent beyond Ball and Edwards, they lack a second option and star-level creation next to Ant.
Perhaps Chris Finch taking on more of a hands-on role could help ease some of these concerns if a Ball injury pops up. However, the reality is that without LaMelo, a lot of the Timberwolves' hierarchy and structure would collapse.
Regarding Kuminga specifically, he'd be thrust (or perhaps thrust himself) into a role with sizable shot creation responsibilities. An optimist might argue that Kuminga being able to scale up is a luxury. The problem is that Kuminga is an inefficient scorer with poor shot selection. Sure, Kuminga could have some big scoring nights if LaMelo misses an extended period of time, but his overall impact on the offense will be negative.
Kuminga has boosted the Wolves' overall talent, but he has made their hierarchy foggier, particularly if an injury occurs.
While we haven't seen Kuminga and Ball play together, I'm confident this pairing can help Kuminga thrive as a play-finisher. To cover up Kuminga's weaknesses, though, a high-end playmaker like Ball is needed.
More generally, an injury to Ball would mean that the Timberwolves' offense would spiral into isolation-centric, predictable basketball that plagued them last season. Overall, Kuminga's arrival gives LaMelo another key responsibility, which in turn makes the Timberwolves more reliant on him staying healthy.
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