As the start of the 2025-26 NBA season approaches, one goal the Minnesota Timberwolves have is to push the pace and run in transition more. Notably, last season the Wolves ranked just 25th in pace and 29th in transition points. Prioritizing a faster playstyle makes a lot of sense given their previous struggles. Additionally, it plays to the strengths of Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, Terrence Shannon Jr., and Rob Dillingham.
However, key players like Mike Conley and Rudy Gobert naturally play at a slower pace. This, paired with the Wolves' slow pace and poor transition play over the past two seasons, makes being skeptical of this goal reasonable.
On a recent podcast episode of the Dane Moore NBA Podcast, Timberwolves analyst Dane Moore recently offered some caution when discussing this aspect of the Wolves' season. One of Moore's bold predictions was that the Wolves will finish in the bottom five in pace.
"I'm mostly just selling this idea that this takes, Moore said when going over his skepticism of the Timberwolves playing at a faster pace. Or that it takes a while for it to take, just the habits of getting and running. The habits of if you're Julius Randle and Anthony Edwards, not always coming back to the ball, and instead looking to run ahead of the floor for that hit-ahead pass. And then just some of the ideas that this is a team that just plays slow for the last few years."
Since this is a bold prediction, it's not something Moore fully believes. Nevertheless, for a team that has ranked in the bottom 10 in pace for the past two seasons, it's fair to expect this trend to continue despite the emphasis on playing at a faster pace.
Pushing the pace and running in transition would be a sizable change for the Wolves
Moore's point about habits is crucial. While many of the Wolves thrive playing at a faster pace, several don't. Even players who should excel at pushing the pace, like Edwards, need to develop better transition habits. Despite being one of the league's most explosive athletes, Edwards ranked in the 67th percentile for transition play. Developing as a playmaker and running off-ball more will help Ant in this area. Randle has the tools to be effective in transition, but has only ranked above the 50th percentile in transition once.
Simply put, the Wolves' two best players must improve their transition habits and efficiency. Sure, young guys like Shannon and Dillingham will help. But how much can Shannon help, and will Dillingham play enough to help change the Wolves' pace?
Another key problem is that pushing the pace lends itself to more turnovers. And this is an area that the Wolves have struggled with. Notably, during the Edwards era, the Wolves have ranked below league average in turnovers per game. Furthermore, the Wolves lack playmaking and point guard play.
While Chris Finch has openly discussed a desire to play faster if it leads to even more turnovers, it's unlikely this will continue to be a focus. It's hard to take a ton away from preseason. However, only the New York Knicks and Los Angeles Clippers have played at a slower pace than Minnesota so far.
Ultimately, despite how the Wolves have focused on pushing the pace and getting out in transition, I don't expect a massive stylistic change.