Projected starting lineup & rotation for Timberwolves NBA preseason game

The wait is finally over. The Minnesota Timberwolves will be tipping off their preseason slate for the 2024-25 season on Friday evening, with a road contest against the Los Angeles Lakers just a few hours away.

It will be the first of five preseason contests for Minnesota. After squaring off with the same foe they will face on the opening night of the regular season in Los Angeles, the Timberwolves will have a full week off before hosting Philadelphia at the Iowa Wolves' facility, then traveling to New York and Chicago before returning home to face Denver in the preseason finale.

These games will be the first chance we get to see the new-look Wolves with Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo in the mix with the rest of the roster. It will also be the first time everyone on the roster is able to compete in five-on-five action in a real NBA setting, against opponents other than their own teammates.

Projected Timberwolves starters

• Point guard - Mike Conley

• Shooting guard - Anthony Edwards

• Small forward - Jaden McDaniels

• Power forward - Julius Randle

• Center - Rudy Gobert

As of this writing, there have been no official reports of Minnesota planning to hold anyone out of preseason action. The Timberwolves will likely roll with the starting lineup they will plan to use at the start of the regular season, with Julius Randle taking Karl-Anthony Towns' old spot as the starting power forward.

With that said, we can also expect Chris Finch to pull most or all of the starters relatively early on. This starting five may play for the majority of the first quarter, but do not anticipate seeing much action for them beyond that. Preseason is all about trying different lineups, playing younger and less experienced guys, and figuring things out on the fly with the games not counting toward standings.

Projected Timberwolves rotation

Outside of the five starters, expect minutes to be on the table for nearly everyone currently on the Wolves' roster. After training camp concludes on Friday, Finch likely already has a solid view of where he thinks certain guys can help, and he will be implementing newer players in whatever ways he sees fit.

Look for Rob Dillingham and Terrence Shannon Jr. to get some major minutes. Additionally, the three new players Minnesota signed specifically to training camp deals should get some burn as well: Skylar Mays, Jaedon LeDee and Eugene Omoruyi. Once Finch calls his first timeout and breaks the lineup, expect everything to be in play in terms of who gets minutes.