Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch has long been known for his tight rotations. Last season, he gave Rob Dillingham, Terrence Shannon Jr., and Jaylen Clark limited spot minutes as the team tried to make up for the loss of Nickeil Alexander-Walker.
Despite the frustration of some fans, running a tight rotation made sense, as they had Naz Reid, an elite super sub, and the young trio struggled mightily early in the season. Bones Hyland's emergence and trading for Ayo Dosunmu eventually helped the Wolves have a competent bench.
Now, the Timberwolves are in a different situation with Reid in Charlotte. Unless they opt to bring Ayo off the bench, the Timberwolves will be left without a proven high-end bench player. Plus, they lack a natural power forward. As such, Finch might need to be open-minded about the Wolves' rotation, which could mean expanding it at least to start the season and see what sticks.
LaMelo Ball typically doesn't play heavy minutes due to his injury history (he played 28 minutes per game last season). Managing Ball's minute load is another reason why Finch might have to be comfortable with an expanded rotation.
The Timberwolves' uncertain bench and forward room could call for a deeper rotation
Currently, Joan Beringer is primed for a massive role off the bench as a high-energy big man. It's fair to assume that Hyland will be the team's primary backup ball-handler. Shannon should also see a role as a sparkplug scorer. That gives the Timberwolves a solid top-eight, yet one without a clear answer to their biggest problem (unless Shannon can perfectly adapt to a power forward role).
But what about Josh Green? His 3-and-D skill set could certainly be helpful. Likewise for Jaylen Clark's tenacious defense. Both of these players could also be options to defend opposing fours. And if the Wolves sign someone like Georges Niang who could play rotational minutes, they could have yet another option.
The point is that the Timberwolves could have a legit 10-man rotation, and (right now) there's not a massive drop-off between someone like Shannon and Green.
During an interview with Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic, Finch discussed having a flexible starting lineup.
“I see the opportunity to be creative with that, maybe, every night,” Finch said. “Maybe it’s a different person starting at the four based on who we’re playing. Why not?”
Given the Timberwolves' lack of a natural power forward, I think this strategy makes a lot of sense. The idea of flexibility is something I'd extend to the whole rotation, though. As Finch said: Why not?
Barring a fairly significant roster change, the Timberwolves don't have a conventional option to defend power forwards. The best solution to this problem might simply be to throw different looks at opposing teams. And to accomplish this, the Timberwolves could need to run a deep rotation.
Another option could be that the Timberwolves keep a nine-man rotation and have the ninth man be situational. Regardless, we've seen depth become more and more prevalent in the NBA lately. Finch should follow this trend, particularly given the Timberwolves' lack of forward depth. Encouragingly, Finch's comments about lineup flexibility make it seem like we'll see him adapt his ways, which could involve a deeper rotation.
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