It was a significant stroke of luck that the Minnesota Timberwolves were able to make it through the first half of this season without any truly major injuries befalling them. Outside of Mike Conley missing a short stretch of action in November, this team was really largely healthy through the first half of January.
But then came the news of Donte DiVincenzo's injury after the home game against the Golden State Warriors. With the sharpshooter sidelined indefinitely, it was going to be time for some younger guys to step up in the backcourt, and that is precisely what happened. Jaylen Clark, Rob Dillingham and Terrence Shannon Jr. all put together extremely strong Februaries.
Perhaps even more detrimental than DiVincenzo's absence was the loss of Julius Randle at the end of January. Randle missed all 13 of Minnesota's games last month, and it is safe to say that not having him around made life significantly more difficult for the Timberwolves. The month of February started and ended with some really rough losses without one of the team's most important players. They began last month with an inexplicable loss to the Washington Wizards, and ended it by being upset at the hands of the Utah Jazz.
Timberwolves severely missed Randle's presence
Overall, Minnesota finished February with a 5-8 record overall. Without having Randle's services available, Chris Finch was forced to dive into his bag of tricks. Outside of playing the rookies and younger guys more minutes, he had to attempt using many new lineups, and tinker with playing guys at different positions. Some things turned out better than expected, with Jaden McDaniels' impressive recent play being a great example.
But especially in the latter half of the month when both Rudy Gobert and Randle were out, the Timberwolves' depth was diminished greatly, and life became extremely difficult. In an eight-game stretch from Feb. 10 to Feb. 28, Minnesota went 2-1 against the Oklahoma City Thunder, and 0-5 against everyone else. With Randle back in the mix now, things have changed for the better.
People wanted to see this team operate without Julius for an extended stretch, and the results were not great. After his 20-point night on 8-for-14 shooting against the Phoenix Suns, it is clear that having him healthy is going to be for this team's ultimate good in the long-term.