If you compare last season’s Minnesota Timberwolves roster with this year’s, the current roster is obviously younger. Many of the older veteran players are no longer on the team.
Britt Robson of MinnPost recently sat down to talk with head coach Chris Finch. This is what Finch had to say about leadership, with some believing there is now a void in that area:
“We purposefully haven’t added a bunch of veterans to the team this year. My approach with Ant (Edwards), or with Jaden (McDaniels), or with all these guys is, if we’re going to take the diapers off, let’s take the diapers off. Like, it’s your team now. What you say and the way you say it, and setting the tone from the first days of practice—that stuff matters. And it’s time. It is seven years into the league.”
Since the Edwards and McDaniels have long had veterans to lean on, this could be seen as a risk. It is a necessary risk, though. Edwards and McDaniels have more than enough experience to lead the team. Likewise, the Wolves' longest-tenured players and stars becoming the team's true leaders is what they need to make a championship leap.
No longer newcomers to the league
The current roster features just two players in their 30s: 30-year-old Trey Lyles and 34-year-old Rudy Gobert. Players no longer on the roster include Mike Conley, Kyle Anderson, Joe Ingles, and Julius Randle.
Minnesota’s starting lineup could be the only one in the Western Conference that has four players 26 or younger. Edwards and McDaniels are now the longest-tenured players, with Naz Reid having been traded. They, along with Gobert, have been there for Minnesota’s five playoff series wins over the last three years.
If Edwards and McDaniels need veterans to help them throughout the season while in their seventh year, then let’s be honest: they probably aren’t the guys to lead Minnesota to the promised land.
Edwards seems aware that he needs to take on more of a leadership role. He's done so by helping LaMelo Ball feel at home soon after joining the club, helping spearhead the team's trip to France, and recruiting Jonathan Kuminga.
Conley certainly could have helped Ball. Ball has yet to play in a playoff game and, honestly, hasn’t really had a veteran lead guard to lean on early in his career with the Charlotte Hornets. He is also entering his seventh year, though, so it’s time for him to show how meaningful he can be on a good team, as he did once Charlotte went on a tear last season.
Finch’s quote could mean that the rumored interest in bringing Kevin Love back to Minnesota may not occur. The Wolves could easily decide to leave the one open roster spot unoccupied.
The bigger picture is that teams usually have their best players also be some of their best leaders. Jalen Brunson. Nikola Jokic. Giannis Antetokounmpo. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. You get the point. While a lot of the Wolves’ key players are still young, they aren’t inexperienced and need to show they are ready for that role.
Add us as a preferred source on Google