Jaylen Clark is a rugged defender for the Minnesota Timberwolves. The problem is that he’s similar to players such as Isaac Okoro and Matisse Thybulle. Despite being wings who take much pride in their defensive abilities, they can be limited offensively.
While he’s not quite the defender that Clark is, Josh Green is at least someone who can punish the opposition if they leave him open. He’s not a high-usage guy on offense, but he’s more than capable of knocking down open outside shots.
Seen as somewhat of an afterthought in a trade that also brought star point guard LaMelo Ball to the Wolves, it may come down to either Clark or Green getting regular minutes for the team this season.
Green is just the more reliable outside shooter
Now six years into his NBA career, Green is still relatively young, turning 26 on November 16. After being a full-time starter with the Charlotte Hornets in 2024–25, he received his least playing time in four years after the team drafted Kon Knueppel.
Even with that, Green shot a career-best 42.0 percent from 3-point range. That was where the majority of his offense came from, as 76.2% of his field-goal attempts were from beyond the arc. Despite playing less, the on/off numbers show that Charlotte excelled with Green on the floor, both offensively and defensively.
While there were reports that his $14.7 million expiring contract could be used in a trade—specifically for a power forward—it’s starting to look more likely that Green will be with the team on opening night. It just feels like it may be either him or Clark getting the usual minutes in the rotation, especially if both are coming off the bench.
Clark was brought back this offseason, but his three-year deal isn’t for much more than the minimum salary each season. About a year younger than Green, Clark needs to show that his 3-point shooting as a rookie in 2024–25 wasn’t an outlier. He made just 32.7 percent of his 3-point attempts last season, which is more in line with how he shot from deep during his three years at UCLA. For the second straight postseason, Chris Finch didn’t trust him to play meaningful minutes.
Meanwhile, in 2024, Green was a member of the Western Conference champion Dallas Mavericks. Then-head coach Jason Kidd played him 18.1 minutes per game throughout the playoff run and 19.4 minutes per game in the NBA Finals.
Now, there’s still the possibility that one of the two is in the starting lineup. With comments from Finch and Tim Connelly making it seem like Jaden McDaniels will start the year at small forward, the starting power forward position is TBD.
If both come off the bench, though, it feels like Green will have the advantage in being a regular part of the rotation due to his more reliable outside shooting.
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