For much of the season, the Minnesota Timberwolves possessed a bench that wasn’t rather productive. Other than Naz Reid, nobody was consistently making an impact. What made it even worse was that a key bench piece for the two previous years in Nickeil Alexander-Walker, is having a breakout year for the Atlanta Hawks.
It’s funny how narratives can change over the course of the season. For the Timberwolves, it went from having maybe seven guys at most they can count on once the playoffs come around, to which deserving players aren’t going to crack their postseason rotation?
While it still stings for much of the fanbase to see NAW doing this outside of Minnesota, the bench has been much more formidable.
Chris Finch has some tough decisions to make with his rotation
Between trading for Ayo Dosunmu, re-adding Kyle Anderson off waivers, and the recent ascension of both Terrence Shannon Jr. and Mike Conley, Chris Finch is going to have someinteresting decisions with his rotation come playoff time.
For much of the last two postseasons, Finch has only gone eight deep with his rotation. Assuming the starting five remains the same (and that the team is at full strength), you would think the next three in line to receive minutes are Reid, Dosunmu, and Bones Hyland.
Going eight again leaves out Slo Mo, TSJ, and Conley. It’s hard to go 11 deep, and it’s something you don’t really see in the playoffs, but all three have sure made a strong case of late that they deserve to play.
The Timberwolves' bench has grown by leaps and boundsÂ
Starting the last two games, Anderson has averaged 12.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 2 blocks in 28.5 minutes. Not just that, but he provides versatility with the ability to guard some centers when Gobert is on the bench and does a wonderful job keeping everyone involved on the offensive end. Not being a 3-point threat can be an issue, but he’s always been a winning player.
Shannon has now scored 56 points over the last two games, the most he has accumulated over two outings in his career. While his overall time in the NBA has mostly been a disappointment, he’s getting hot at the right moment (10-of-14 from 3-point distance in those two games). We shouldn’t act like this small sample size is a definite turning point in his career, but TSJ has always proven himself capable of performing in the playoffs.
Conley has now scored 42 points in his last four appearances. Most of that scoring has come from long distance as the 38-year-old is 12-of-19 from beyond the arc. His efficiency has been poor for the season, but much like Shannon, he’s heating up as the playoffs near. You also know that he will take care of the ball, and we are all aware how much Finch admires Conley.
So, a known weakness for the first four or so months of the regular season has now turned into a strength. Since March 1, the Wolves bench has averaged 40.8 points (shooting splits of 46.8/38.1/82.8). In the 60 games prior to that, they averaged 32.7 (shooting splits of 44.1/35.8/72.8).
Ayo has been awesome since being acquired by trade. Bones has exceeded everyone’s expectations. Naz continues to be one of the most productive bench pieces in the league. Joan Beringer has shown glimpses of being the future starting center for Minnesota. The Timberwolves’ bench is no longer an issue.
All in all, this newfound bench production could be a game-changer as we approach the playoffs and it's certainly a strength they can lean on.