There's a ton of excitement around the Minnesota Timberwolves' high-end talent, and after adding LaMelo Ball, this is more than understandable. However, finding players who can complement the Wolves' stars (Ball and Anthony Edwards) is vital. To thrive in this role, players must be comfortable not getting a ton of on-ball usage. This is especially valuable with the Timberwolves wanting to further empower Jaden McDaniels and Ayo Dosunmu.
Recently, during an appearance on the Jon Krawczynski Show, Timberwolves lead executive Tim Connelly discussed the value of players who can do more with less.
"We are going to have a lot of volume guys. Jaden is going to have more volume; LaMelo and Ant are going to have a lot of volume; Ayo is going to have a huge volume. So what we need is guys who can do more with less," Connelly said.
Connelly's comments make it clear that there will be opportunities for pure off-ball players. With that in mind, let's take a look at three fringe rotation players who could see a bigger role than expected thanks to this emphasis.
Josh Green
Josh Green has been treated as a throw-in piece of the LaMelo Ball trade. It was also widely speculated that he might not remain on the roster, since he's one of the team's few tradable contracts and the Wolves sorely need a power forward. Nevertheless, Green can be an impactful role player for the Timberwolves, and he perfectly fits into the idea of doing "less with more."
Throughout his career, Green has been a reliable rotational wing, including on a 2024 Dallas Mavericks team that made a finals run. He thrives in a low-usage offensive role, mostly spotting up from beyond the arc. Notably, in his career, Green has shot 38.9 percent from deep range, and last year over 90 percent of his baskets were assisted. Green is also a high-IQ player who moves well without the ball. This skill set makes Green a solid complementary player who can fit seamlessly alongside stars.
Defensively, Green is a sturdy perimeter player with the ability to guard bigger players if needed. As such, he could be part of the Wolves' solution at power forward. Whether it's in a consistent bench role or a low-usage fifth starter role, Green should have a meaningful role with the Timberwolves.
Jaylen Clark
Jaylen Clark is in a similar boat to Green. Defense is his bread and butter. Currently, he is a high-end point-of-attack defender, with ample size and strength to guard up. Regardless, Clark's path to regular minutes almost solely hinges on his growth as a shooter. He netted just 32.7 percent of 3-pointers last season, and given how important spot-up shooting is to playing alongside stars, this part of Clark's game must improve.
If Clark can improve as a shooter, though, he’d thrive in a low-usage role. Likewise, this would make him a high-quality role player when coupled with his already stout defense.
Given Clark’s defensive chops, I expect Chris Finch to give him more rotational opportunities in his third year. There’s a real possibility that we look up and Clark becomes a vital part of the Timberwolves’ rotation and success.
Trey Lyles
Trey Lyles has been the forgotten man of the Timberwolves’ offseason. Honestly, for most of the offseason, I’ve viewed Lyles as a pure depth piece. Still, we are in mid-August, and he’s one of the Timberwolves’ two true forwards. Thus, there’s a real path for him to earn minutes. Lyles’ floor spacing can allow him to complement the Timberwolves stars and could lend him to a low-usage role.
I do have concerns about Lyles’ ability to hold up on defense, though; playing alongside Rudy Gobert could help these concerns. The real appeal with Lyles is his blend of size and shooting — a skill set that is always valuable.
As the Timberwolves put a value on low-usage players, the possibility of Lyles cracking the rotation can’t be ruled out.
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