When it comes to issues that either fans or NBA media see with the Minnesota Timberwolves for this upcoming season, a lot of it revolves around the lack of size on the roster. They point to a lack of bigs on the roster, with the exception of Rudy Gobert, but honestly, I think that issue is pretty overblown.
Sure, the Wolves don't have a prototypical power forward in their starting lineup. Still, Jaden McDaniels is 6-foot-9 with extreme length and will have no problem matching up with just about any opposing power forward on both sides of the ball. The only ones that would give McDaniels problems are the ultra-strong, skilled combo ones, and there are only a handful of those in the league.
I'm talking about guys like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Zion Williamson, and Jaren Jackson Jr, but with all of these matchups, McDaniels will have Gobert behind him as insurance. Besides this, the Wolves have another weapon to give them more size on the court, and, strangely, I don't see anyone talking about it: LaMelo Ball.
LaMelo Ball provides elite size at point guard
Sure, the Wolves may be a slightly small team, but I think people are forgetting that their new point guard is 6-foot-7 and a nightly triple-double threat. With career averages of 5.7 rebounds per game, Ball will undoubtedly be able to help on the defensive glass, as he'll likely have a significant height advantage over his matchup.
Assuming Ayo Dosunmu starts at small forward, the Wolves' starting lineup by height would be 6-foot-7, 6-foot-4, 6-foot-4, 6-foot-9, and 7-foot-1, which doesn't sound like a small lineup to me.
Chris Finch will certainly ask Ball to crash the defensive glass frequently, as he will probably be defending the worst offensive player on the opposing team. If Ball is up for that task, I wouldn't be surprised if he averages around 7 rebounds per game.
Ball can be part of the committee that negates the power forward void
I don't think anyone is expecting Ball to be an elite defender, but if he can use his height and length to be a pest in passing lanes, as well as consistently crashing the boards, that will give the rest of the team a huge boost, given what he will already be responsible for offensively.
Guys like McDaniels, Trey Lyles, Josh Green, and maybe even some Joan Beringer will all most likely get reps defending opposing power forwards, and their jobs will be a lot easier if Ball is there to help out with rebounding and potentially defending bigger wings as well.
I understand the roster concerns, but we are in an age of positionless basketball, and the amount of versatility this roster has should cancel out any "height issues" brought up. Ball, being one of the tallest, if not the tallest, point guards in the league, will certainly help with that.
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