LaMelo Ball is truly one of the league's best playmakers, and for years the Minnesota Timberwolves have lacked high-end playmaking. Simply put, he is a fantastic fit. While Ball will solve a lot of problems for the Wolves, they can't count on him to solve all of their playmaking woes.
Last season with the Charlotte Hornets, Ball played less than 30 minutes per game. Given his injury history, it might make sense for the Wolves to structure his minutes similarly. So the question remains: Who will initiate the Timberwolves' offense when Ball is off the floor? And the more sinister question is: What happens if Ball gets injured?
Less than a week before the regular season starts, it's unclear who will provide playmaking other than LaMelo. Naturally, teams have several unanswered questions heading into the season. Still, the Wolves will ideally solve this problem sooner rather than later.
It's unclear who will organize the Timberwolves' offense when LaMelo Ball is off the floor
Conventional wisdom would suggest that Anthony Edwards should take over this void. Last season proved that Edwards isn't well suited for a facilitator role, though. Could this change if he's used in a situational playmaker role? It's possible. Edwards isn't an awful playmaker—he's just not a natural one.
Regardless, opposing teams will try to double Ant as much as possible when LaMelo is off the court. It's fair to wonder whether Edwards can make tough reads, and this will limit him as a scorer, which is his best trait.
Ayo Dosunmu is another clear option. Dosunmu offers a lot of positive traits. He is a quality defender, a blazing-fast north-south driver, a dependable 3-point shooter, and a solid connective playmaker. While Dosunmu is a smart playmaker who is willing to make the extra pass, he doesn't organize the offense like a true lead guard.
Bones Hyland, despite his size, is an off-guard who thrives as a microwave scorer. Terrence Shannon Jr. is a wild card. The Wolves have talked about empowering him on the ball throughout the offseason. I've been skeptical of this vision given the Wolves' plethora of on-ball creators. Plus, Shannon's playmaking vision and control as a creator must improve for him to earn this role.
Jaden McDaniels is ready to take on more offensive duties and has leveled up as a playmaker. Is he ready to organize an offense, though? I'm not sure.
That's the tough reality: Minnesota has skilled creators, but no true lead guard or playmaker other than LaMelo.
The Hornets were 11.6 points per 100 possessions better with Ball on the floor. This underscores LaMelo's offensive brilliance. At the same time, you can't be overly reliant on one player and have your offense crumble when a player leaves the court.
Over the past two years, we've seen the Wolves' defense crumble when Rudy Gobert leaves the floor. In turn, this has prevented the Wolves from reaching their defensive ceiling and, frankly, cost them certain games. Unfortunately, we could see a similar predicament this year when Ball is off the floor.
Maybe I'm overreacting—after all, the Wolves had a solid offense despite their playmaking limitations in the past two seasons. The best teams are balanced, though. In many ways, the Wolves are, but their lack of playmaking outside of Ball is one way in which they lack balance. And if they become overly dependent on his playmaking, that could cause real problems for the team.
As such, finding playmaking from players other than LaMelo will be vital for the Timberwolves.
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