The Minnesota Timberwolves have become one of the great stories of the 2024-25 regular season. Hope appeared to be lost after it fell to 32-29, let alone when it neared the midway point at 17-17, but Minnesota has completed a miraculous turnaround that has it on the doorstep of the second round.
While many deserve credit for the Timberwolves' success, star forward Julius Randle has praisedƒedwa one individual for righting the ship: Head coach Chris Finch.
The Timberwolves closed out the regular season in dominant form, winning 17 of its final 21 games. That created a massive surge of momentum that has since enabled the team to go up 3-1 on the No. 3 seed Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs.
According to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic, Randle believes that Minnesota's success has been fueled by the way the players trust Finch and have thus willingly sacrificed their egos.
“I just think our trust in coach is extremely high. He wants to win, and everybody in the locker room wants to win, as well,” Randle said. “That’s all it’s about right now. It’s not about egos, or minutes, shots. None of that stuff matters.”
The Timberwolves are winning and losing as a team, and as Randle describes it, it's Finch who has created the culture within which they're thriving.
Julius Randle credits Chris Finch for helping Wolves put egos aside
Randle deserves credit of his own for the success Minnesota has experienced. Luka Doncic is shooting just 25.0 percent from the field when Randle is the primary defender, and LeBron James isn't faring much better at 35.0 percent.
In the midst of a dominant series on the defensive end of the floor, Randle has pointed to Finch as the inspiration for his and the Timberwolves' shared success.
It's easy to see how Randle's words translate to actual team success. Three different players have led the Timberwolves in scoring during this four-game series, with franchise player Anthony Edwards not joining the group until Game 4.
Furthermore, four different players have scored 20-plus points during the series: Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, Randle, and Naz Reid.
That's been a direct result of what Randle discussed: A unique unselfishness on both ends of the floor. No one seems to be concerned with who's getting the shot up at the end of a play, but instead with the simple goal of pursuing to best possible outcome.
That translates to the defensive end of the floor, as well, where the Timberwolves are playing as a cohesive unit and allowing just 101.5 points per game.
Furthermore, eight different players are averaging at least 18.7 minutes per game, including seven at 22.4 or more. Rudy Gobert's playing time has dipped, but rather than complaining about the slight, he stepped up with seven offensive rebounds in Game 4.
The Timberwolves are exceeding expectations, and Randle has pointed to Finch as the source of this tremendous display of resilience.