Slo Mo returning to the Minnesota Timberwolves was a feel-good story. Previously spending two years with the club (2022-23 and 2023-24), Kyle Anderson’s second tenure with Minnesota began early in March after he cleared waivers. Along with Ayo Dosunmu coming at the trade deadline, the bench looked to no longer be the weakness it was once seen as.
Now 32 years old, Anderson has appeared in nine games since returning to the Wolves. He’s made a positive impact with his passing, but putting the ball in the basket has been somewhat of a rare occurrence. It begs the question with 11 regular season games remaining: Will Kyle be a part of their playoff rotation?
Nobody should have expected Slo Mo to play the 25.3 minutes per contest that he averaged in his first two years with the Wolves. The 12-year veteran would certainly have a role, though, and thus far he has. Playoff rotations often dwindle, and that has been the case with Chris Finch-led teams.
Anderson's role in the upcoming playoffs remains unclear
During much of the last two postseasons, the Timberwolves have mostly utilized an eight-man rotation. Last year featured Donte DiVincenzo, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and Naz Reid coming off the bench until Terrence Shannon Jr. began seeing non-garbage time minutes in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals. In the 2024 playoffs, it was Reid, Alexander-Walker, and Anderson playing as reserves.
Without question, if the starting 5 of DiVincenzo, Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, Julius Randle, and Rudy Gobert remain the same come postseason time, Reid and Ayo Dosunmu will be playing in games. Bones Hyland has had his inconsistencies, but he’s a better scorer than Anderson, and he has dropped 57 points in Minnesota’s last 3 contests.
Meanwhile, Anderson has only totaled 35 points in his nine games with the club. Now, his 26 assists with the team, compared to just eight turnovers, are very good. Opposing defenses in the playoffs aren’t going to have any respect in guarding him on the perimeter, though. Kyle hasn’t made a 3-pointer since re-joining the Timberwolves, and he has only attempted three.
If Finch were to go to a nine-man rotation, it looks as if Anderson has the advantage over Terrence Shannon Jr. to be that ninth man. Looking at Finch's past history, I’m not sure that’s what he will decide to go with. Slo Mo has 11 more games in the regular season to showcase why he should be receiving playoff minutes. An advantage he has is that Finch always showed trust in him during Kyle’s first stint with the Wolves.