It was a great Friday night for the Minnesota Timberwolves, who toppled the Houston Rockets 136-132 despite being without Julius Randle, Rudy Gobert, Naz Reid, and Bones Hyland. Plus, the Los Angeles Lakers' win over the Phoenix Suns kept Minnesota's dream of a first-round rematch with LA alive.
Minnesota's win over Houston was powered by a balanced scoring night, with seven players (Anthony Edwards, Terrence Shannon Jr., Donte DiVincenzo, Kyle Anderson, Jaden McDaniels, Ayo Dosunmu, and Joan Beringer) scoring 14-plus points. This was paired with exceptional ball movement, which led to plenty of open shots both inside and beyond the arc.
An offensive performance of this level without four key rotational players, against a top-end defense, is highly impressive, to say the least. Undoubtedly, this game is a reminder that the Wolves are at their best when the ball is zipping around, and everyone is involved. With the playoffs nearly upon us, the Wolves must adopt this style of play.
I've previously written about this being the Wolves' primary path to another deep playoff run, and I'm doubling down on this idea after Friday's win. It's not exactly a revolutionary concept, but it's clear the Wolves' offense is much harder to defend when everyone is involved, and they have plenty of offensive talent to justify this style.
The Timberwolves need to move the ball and get everyone involved in the playoffs
The Wolves might be filled with erratic players, but there's no denying this is a talented bunch. Having two players who aren't typically in the rotation step in and provide 23 points (Shannon) and 14 points (Beringer) is a testament to the Wolves' depth of talent. Moreover, I think some of the inconsistencies from key role players would lessen with more ball movement.
Another pivotal factor is that the Wolves' complementary of players can score in a variety of ways. DiVincenzo, Dosunmu, Reid, McDaniels, and Hyland are all high-level shooters. Dosunmu, McDaniels, and Hyland are all dynamic finishers as well. While Gobert is awkward at times, he's still a highly efficient lob threat. That, coupled with the scoring gifts of Edwards and Randle, makes defending the Wolves a tough task when everyone is at their best and involved.
I'm all for a steady diet of Edwards isolation plays down the stretch of games, but throughout the first 43 or so minutes, the Wolves' offense needs more diversity. Oftentimes, it is too dependent on isolation plays from Ant and Randle. Using Edwards off-ball a bit more can also open up easy looks for him as a 3-point shooter.
Friday's game and several of the Wolves' other best games (including March's win against Denver and December's win against Oklahoma City) reinforce this idea that the Wolves are at their best when the offense is balanced.
As noted, this style of play makes the Wolves' offense less predictable, and it takes advantage of their surrounding talent. Additionally, moving the ball more is an easy way to create open shots.
Whether they face off against the Nuggets or Lakers in round one, the Wolves must lean into their collective talent and ball movement. Another conference finals run might seem like a long shot, but if the Wolves get there, it will certainly be paired with ball movement and scoring balance.