The Minnesota Timberwolves have undergone a seismic shift in the way they play basketball over the last few years. First, it was Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert, both employed (in theory) as a way to stop Nikola Jokic with a double-big lineup. Now, they are going to run a guard-heavy lineup with LaMelo Ball, Anthony Edwards, and Ayo Dosunmu all projected to start.
It’s crazy how quickly the NBA switches up. When the Nuggets won, it was a race to take them down in the West. Now, teams are more commonly running one-big lineups, and triple-guard lineups aren’t all that unpopular. Look at the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs. They’ll run guys like Alex Caruso and Devin Vassell at the three. Neither of those two is all that big.
In the span of just a few years, the Wolves have completely switched up the lineup style they’re going to use as their go-to option.
Wolves went from giant lineups to small-ball in just a few years
The Gobert-Towns pairing did its job. The year after the Nuggets won the championship in 2023, the Wolves were able to take them down in the postseason, largely thanks to their massive lineup.
When that group eventually didn’t pan out, the Wolves traded KAT for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo. The Randle-Gobert duo was still big, especially considering they were also running Jaden McDaniels at the small forward.
Plus, the Wolves still had Naz Reid, so they could run double-big lineups when they needed to. Minnesota always had a way to run giant lineups whenever they wanted to.
Now, those options are seriously dwindling. Not only did the Wolves trade Reid to the Charlotte Hornets in a deal for Ball, but they also dumped Randle’s contract so they could re-sign Dosunmu.
Ball is big for a guard, but he’s very much a guard. And he’s not that great on the defensive end. Dosunmu is a guard who is projected to start at the small forward, with McDaniels moving up to the power forward.
Just a few years ago, the Wolves were rolling out some of the biggest lineups in basketball. Now, they’re going to start the season with a three-guard look.
But that’s today’s NBA. You have to be ready to switch up your play style at the drop of a hat. And evidently, that’s what the Timberwolves have decided they need to do.
The days of giant lineups, anchored by two centers, are over. Now, it’s all about versatility. The Wolves’ guard-heavy rotation certainly has that.
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