The Minnesota Timberwolves have a nearly perfect roster largely thanks to their offseason improvements. A starting lineup of LaMelo Ball, Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, Jonathan Kuminga, and Rudy Gobert can rival anyone in the league. Plus, they have an elite super-sub in Ayo Dosunmu. This group can beat you in multiple ways, whether it be defense, shooting, or pressuring the rim.
There's one major question mark, though: frontcourt depth.
Why the Timberwolves' frontcourt depth is a concern
Currently, Joan Beringer and Trey Lyles are the team's only backup frontcourt players on standard roster contracts. That's pretty far from ideal.
Look, I like Beringer and think he'll make a massive jump in year two. Nevertheless, a Beringer year-two leap won't be enough to silence all of the concerns about Minnesota's frontcourt depth, since, as we've established, their true depth is limited.
What happens if one of Gobert or Beringer gets injured? There's also the unfortunate possibility that the 19-year-old is still too raw. These scenarios are where things would get dicey for Minnesota.
Regarding Lyles, he's a fine depth piece and could provide some solid minutes as a stretch four. Still, playing him significant minutes at the five would be problematic given his subpar rim protection. Playing McDaniels at the five could be a nice wrinkle, but it isn't something that is sustainable in large spurts.
Beyond not having a true emergency center, not having a natural bench forward outside of Lyles is a concern. Perhaps Finch staggers McDaniels and Kuminga for this reason. If not natural wings such as Terrence Shannon Jr. and Jaylen Clark will likely have some true forward duties. Of course, this concern would have been more grave if the Wolves didn't sign Kuminga, but it remains a legitimate worry.
With the two conference juggernauts, the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder, having deep frontcourts, this is an especially relevant concern.
The Timberwolves' paths to upgrading their frontcourt depth
Now the Wolves do have an open roster spot, and they can fill it while remaining under the second tax apron. However, that would increase their luxury tax bill by $8.5 million. While it would be nice to have some extra frontcourt insurance, it's unclear whether the juice would be worth the squeeze for Minnesota to sign someone who won't be a regular rotation piece.
If the Timberwolves do opt to fill out their roster before the start of the season, Kevin Love, Drew Eubanks, and Kelly Olynyk are three notable options. With Love being the team's franchise legend and Jon Krawczynski reporting that there's some level of mutual interest in a reunion, he'd be the frontrunner for this spot.
Again, though, it's unclear if the Timberwolves will go down this road. If they don't and their frontcourt depth proves to be an issue, a trade deadline move could be in the cards. This would be a pure depth move given the Wolves' needs, high payroll, and lack of draft capital. Thomas Bryant, Mo Bamba, and Trayce Jackson Davis are three players they could target to fill this emergency big man void.
A less conventional option could be reshuffling the two-way room and trying to find a diamond in the rough (with all due respect, second-year big man Rocco Zikarsky looks years away from NBA minutes). Rotating through some 10-day contracts is another outside-the-box option.
In any event, as the season inches closer, the Timberwolves' lack of frontcourt depth remains a clear concern.
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