It should be all good vibes surrounding the Minnesota Timberwolves at the moment. They are up 3-1 in their opening round matchup with the Denver Nuggets, a series that very few were picking Minnesota to advance in.
Of course, that Game 4 win on Saturday was an unfortunate one. Donte DiVincenzo tore his Achilles, and Anthony Edwards suffered a bone bruise and hyperextension of his left knee. DiVincenzo is certainly out for the playoffs, and while Ant-Man may have a chance to return, it may involve the Wolves needing to reach the conference finals.Â
In the meantime, it’s time for Mike Conley to prove that Chris Finch’s faith in him all season long was for a good reason.
Conley gets another chance to start, but it's unclear how much scoring he can provide
Both of the heartbreaking injuries to Donte and Ant occurred in the first half on Saturday. That meant two new players would have to join the first five to begin the third quarter alongside Jaden McDaniels, Julius Randle, and Rudy Gobert. Those two guys ended up being Ayo Dosunmu and Conley.
Fans don’t have any worries about the former being inserted into the starting lineup. He has been all the Timberwolves could have hoped for since joining the team in early February and is coming off a career-best performance in Game 4. There have been talks from fans, though, questioning why Finch has constantly turned to the 38-year-old Conley all year long.
Without their top scorer and most prolific 3-point shooter this season, the Timberwolves may struggle on the offensive end at times. Now in his 19th season, it’s pertinent that Conley brings it on that side of the ball if Finch is going to stay with him in playoff games.
In Game 4, Conley saw about 21 minutes of action, with around 75 percent of that playing time coming after halftime. While he committed four fouls in the third quarter alone, he had a solid outing. Conley knocked down a 3-pointer, dished out four assists, and didn’t turn the ball over.
Even as he ages, Conley continues to take care of the basketball. Sure, there has been regression on the defensive end, but he gives effort on that end and is far from a liability. The main reason fans question why Finch continues to play him is because of his lack of scoring and lack of shooting accuracy.Â
In the regular season, Conley made 33.7 percent of his 3-point tries, his lowest mark since 2017-18 and third-lowest of his career. At this stage, most of his attempts do come from beyond the arc, but he also made less than one-third of his 2-point attempts.
The team’s starting point guard last season, there was some brutal shooting from Conley in the playoffs. While the team reached the conference finals, Bite Bite made just 30.2 percent of his field goal attempts during the postseason run and averaged just 6.0 points.
Once again, Conley will get to be a starter in the playoffs, something he has been for 108 games during his lengthy career. The Timberwolves will still bring it on the defensive end, but they may struggle at times on offense with Edwards and DiVincenzo. If Conley isn’t a threat to score, Bones Hyland may check in early to provide a spark.
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