Much of the Minnesota Timberwolves’ offseason was spent with fans wondering who would be their starting power forward. That finally ended once the team signed Jonathan Kuminga in free agency late in the offseason to fill the need.
Adding the soon-to-be 24-year-old gives the Wolves what should be a formidable starting five alongside Anthony Edwards, LaMelo Ball, Jaden McDaniels, and Rudy Gobert. Bringing in Kuminga didn’t just complete the starting lineup. It also allowed whoever would have been the starting power forward to come off the bench and improve that unit.
Kuminga helps the bench, even if he won’t be coming off it
Before signing Kuminga, Chris Finch and Tim Connelly made it clear that McDaniels was unlikely to begin the year as the starting power forward. After losing both Julius Randle and Naz Reid, he was the assumed starter at the four until it was revealed he wouldn’t be.
Fans and insiders speculated about who would be their starting four. Terrence Shannon Jr.? Jaylen Clark? Josh Green? Trey Lyles? Someone else completely off the grid?
It’s now known that it will be none of those names, but instead Kuminga. His signing allows whoever would have been the starting power forward to come off the bench now.
The Wolves’ reserve unit had many unproductive nights last season, even with super-sub Naz Reid. Last season, Minnesota finished 21st in the league, averaging 35.0 points per game off the bench. That changed somewhat after the team traded for Ayo Dosunmu in February, but the bench would have lost him this season if Finch had eventually decided to start their best five players. In this scenario, the Wolves would have zero proven bench players. That's risky.
This is no longer a worry with Kuminga in tow.
If Minnesota had struck out on Kuminga—which seemed likely for some time as the Los Angeles Lakers loomed for his services—the other power-forward options in free agency didn’t seem like starting-level players or even guaranteed rotation pieces. The only natural power forward on the roster before his signing was Lyles, who spent last season playing overseas. That's not ideal.
The Timberwolves will not become the first team in NBA history to go an entire season without experiencing an injury. Depth is always needed, and more depth always helps. Signing Kuminga adds not only a starter for the Timberwolves but also another rotation piece, thereby strengthening the bench.
Minnesota now has a better chance of withstanding the injuries that will inevitably occur during the course of the season.
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