One of the biggest questions about the Minnesota Timberwolves is how they can hold up against physical teams, with Julius Randle and Naz Reid out of the picture.
The Wolves' first four games will give us a glimpse into this pressing question. They start the season against the Miami Heat on Wednesday; then on Friday they play the Orlando Magic; next Sunday and Monday they have back-to-back games against the Toronto Raptors and Cleveland Cavaliers.
Look, these four games are far from the be-all and end-all. It's an 82-game season after all. Regardless, they surely challenge the Timberwolves' physicality, and they can all do so in different ways.
The Heat and Cavs can challenge the Timberwolves with their double-big lineups
The Heat and Cavs both run double-big lineups. Miami has Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo, while Cleveland has Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. Both of these teams offer a different type of challenge.
The Heat will challenge Minnesota in a more traditional way. Both Giannis and Bam are classic physical big men with a ton of power and strength. I'd expect Rudy Gobert to guard Giannis, while Jonathan Kuminga will guard Bam. Gobert should be able to hold his own against Giannis, but Kuminga's ability to hold up against Bam is a major question mark.
Kuminga took some defensive strides last season and has a ton of athletic gifts, but Bam is a handful to deal with. He weighs 35 pounds more than Kuminga and can punish smaller defenders around the rim. The rebounding question also needs to be considered, as Bam and Giannis combined for 19.8 rebounds per game last season.
Davion Mitchell is also an elite point-of-attack defender. LaMelo Ball has a size advantage, but Mitchell backs down from no challenge, and he could bother Ball by getting up in his grill, giving him no space to operate. The Wolves' 3-point shooting and perimeter creation are two clear advantages against Miami, but there's no doubt they'll be challenged.
Thankfully, Cleveland's big men don't play with the same level of physicality, but they are still a force on the glass. Plus, unlike Miami, they have a high-powered backcourt of James Harden and Donovan Mitchell. As such, the Cavs could expose the Wolves' frontcourt size while matching their offensive firepower.
The Magic and Raptors play a physical style of defense
Neither the Orlando Magic nor the Toronto Raptors have elite center play. Still, they have a ton of positional size and play an extremely physical brand of defense. Therefore, these matchups will be a particular challenge for LaMelo.
On the Raptors side, Kawhi Leonard and Scottie Barnes are an elite defensive pairing. While they are both forwards, they are nimble enough to shut down perimeter players. One of them can guard Anthony Edwards, while the other can guard Ball. That'll make it tough for Minnesota to get into their offense.
In preseason, we saw the Detroit Pistons get into LaMelo's chest and pick him up nearly full-court. The Raptors will replicate this strategy, which could cause problems for the Wolves. Ball is a gifted passer and shooter, but he struggles to finish around the rim. This high-pressure defensive strategy can work because it makes it harder for Ball to get to the rim, which takes away the drive-and-kick game, and it limits his 3-point shot. Moreover, the Wolves don't have many natural playmakers outside of Ball.
Not every team can have success by playing this way, but the Raptors certainly can. Unfortunately, so can the Magic. Jalen Suggs is an elite and physical point-of-attack stopper. Anthony Black is no slouch either, and he offers more size at 6-foot-7. Franz Wagner can operate as a jumbo-sized perimeter stopper. And while Desmond Bane isn't a great perimeter defender, he's super physical.
The bright side is that the Magic are an abysmal 3-point shooting team. Last season, they ranked 24th in 3-pointers made and 27th in 3-point percentage. Still, if their defense can limit the Wolves' 3-point shooting, this advantage might be irrelevant.
Look, the Timberwolves have a chance and some advantages in all of these games, but this opening schedule will be a big test for the Timberwolves.
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