To duck the second apron, the Oklahoma City Thunder cut into their otherworldly depth this offseason by trading Isaiah Joe, Aaron Wiggins, and Lu Dort. These moves make them slightly more vulnerable, which is great news for the Minnesota Timberwolves, as they try to compete with the Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs.
Nevertheless, OKC has plenty of depth and a clear advantage over the Wolves in this department, who, outside Ayo Dosunmu, don't have any proven players off the bench.
The Thunder still have an impressive bench unit
Ajay Mitchell is among the league's best sixth men. Jared McCain proved he can hang in a playoff setting. Both of these players could grow in their third seasons. Then there's Alex Caruso, one of the best per-minute defenders in the league and a proven two-time champion.
Jaylin Williams (not J-Dub) had some solid moments in the playoffs. His blend of physical defense and 3-point shooting makes him an ideal bench big man. Kenrich Williams is also a quality connective veteran forward. Though he hasn't played much in the playoffs, this is a reflection of OKC's depth rather than glaring flaws in his game.
When you break it down, OKC still has a rock-solid top-10. None of this includes unproven players, including rookies Bennett Stirtz and Aday Mara, along with Thomas Sorber (who missed his rookie season with an injury) and Nikola Topic (who has rarely played two years into his career due to an ACL injury and a battle with cancer).
If even one of these players hits, OKC will remain incredibly deep. And given their track record, there's a strong chance that at least one of these guys becomes a quality rotation piece this season.
The Timberwolves' bench is unproven
Look, the Timberwolves have a really good team. Frankly, in terms of starting lineups, I don't think LaMelo Ball, Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, Jonathan Kuminga, and Rudy Gobert are that far off from what the Thunder offer.
Regardless, they can't match OKC's depth. At least right now. That's not to say that the Wolves' bench is a major weakness, but there's some clear uncertainty outside of Ayo (who is an amazing sixth man).
Joan Beringer could be a quality backup big man. He has all the athletic gifts and traits you could ask for. However, he won't turn 20 until November, and he could prove to be too raw in year two. Terrence Shannon Jr. showcased his upside as a creator in the playoffs. At the surface level, this proved that he can be a high-end rotation player. The problem is that Shannon needs the ball in his hands and doesn't thrive without it. On a Wolves team with a ton of established talent, it'll be hard to empower him, and this might lead to his impact being diminished.
Then there are players like Jaylen Clark and Bones Hyland who have bankable skills, but also have clear flaws. Clark is a tenacious defender, but unless he grows as a shooter, it will be hard to play him in the postseason. Hyland, on the other hand, is a gifted yet erratic microwave scorer, whose slight frame makes him an easy player to target on defense. Without some clear development, these two guys aren't playoff-viable.
Trey Lyles has some intrigue as a floor spacer and skilled big man, but he's not much of a defender, and he was out of the NBA last season. There are clear question marks about Lyles' role in the regular season, forget the playoffs.
My overarching point is that the Timberwolves need a lot to go right just to get up to eight trusted rotation players, while the Thunder have that and more. As the Timberwolves try to catch up to the Thunder and Spurs, their depth could remain a clear hurdle.
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