3 Players Chris Finch must be more open-minded with in Timberwolves playoff run
By Will Eudy
With the regular season capped off, the Minnesota Timberwolves can finally turn their eyes to the playoffs. And although they have now made the playoffs for three consecutive seasons for the first time since the Kevin Garnett era, it will be the first time they did not have to go through the Play-In Tournament to do so.
The flip side is that the Wolves got maybe their toughest matchup possible. The Phoenix Suns present a huge challenge with their top-heavy, star-laden roster. Minnesota also got the disadvantage of losing out on a top two seed during the final day of the regular season, falling down to third in the West for the playoffs.
All these circumstances will make it difficult for the Timberwolves to advance to the semifinals, but this is still a winnable series. With how different Phoenix is compared to many of Minnesota's other potential playoff opponents, there may be a few players Head Coach Chris Finch should consider utilizing in a slightly different way.
This morning on KFAN, @PAOnTheMic asked Chris Finch about the pros and cons that come with Minnesota's big lineups against Pheonix.
— Charlie Walton (@CharlieWaltonMN) April 16, 2024
"We've got to do a better job of taking advantage of the big lineup on the offensive end of the floor."
Finch's full response: pic.twitter.com/gk8rm2Fpan
1. Karl-Anthony Towns
For the second consecutive season, there will be questions about how well Karl-Anthony Towns might perform in the playoffs after recently coming off an injury. This time around, he will have even less time to prepare for a quick turnaround to the postseason.
But if Finch's quote about the matchup with Phoenix is any indication, it seems he is confident in still playing the Wolves' typical big lineups against the smaller Suns. It appears that the approach will be to attempt to punish Phoenix by imposing physicality on the interior and owning the offensive boards.
These are things the Wolves have worked on in various ways all season. Finch will likely have to stay creative in thinking about which matchups will work best for KAT at both ends of the floor.