The Minnesota Timberwolves' embarrassing second-straight fourth quarter collapse to the Sacramento Kings on Monday night rightfully sent panic throughout the fan base. One thing that really stood out to me was how Chris Finch seemingly couldn't decide if he wanted to close with Donte DiVincenzo or Mike Conley. Of course, DiVincenzo replaced Conley in the starting lineup just hours before opening night. Yes, DiVincenzo got 5.7 clutch minutes, to Conley's 2.7 minutes.
However, looking at the context, it almost seemed like Finch trusted Conley more. The veteran point guard first entered the game at the 3:09 minute mark of the fourth quarter. He was pulled at the 1:01 mark, after the Kings closed the lead from seven to one. When overtime rolled around, though, Conley started the game. DiVincenzo eventually replaced him after a minute, but it's clear how much Finch trusted Conley down the stretch for better or worse.
Conley didn't do much in his late-game minutes. He made a couple of nice connective passes but didn't take a single shot and was targeted relentlessly on defense.
It's easy to say DiVincenzo should have closed; I certainly believe this. Regardless, taking care of the ball and making smart decisions have been key problems for the Wolves. Let us not forget the Wolves starters melted down in the fourth quarter of Friday's game against the Phoenix Suns. To me, this highlights a bigger issue: the Wolves need a stabilizing force like Conley, but his all-around game makes him limited in high-leverage situations.
The Timberwolves need a point guard in Conley's mold
With all due respect to Conley (he's had an amazing career), the Wolves desperately need a point guard. The hope was that Rob Dillingham could fill this void, but he hasn't shown that he's ready for high-leverage minutes. And even at his best, Dillingham isn't a stabilizing force like Conley is. If this were the Conley from two years ago, this wouldn't be a problem, and the Wolves would be in a far better spot.
However, at 38, Conley lacks shot creation and burst, which hurts him and the team on both ends of the court.
With his age, this is very much too be expected, but it's still a key problem for a Wolves team with title aspirations. Anthony Edwards benefits from being alongside a playmaking guard like Conley, but he also needs someone with some shot-creation juice. Notably, an absurd 89.7 percent of Conley's made field goals are assisted, which is a 22.2 percent increase from last year. He is also shooting just 41.7 percent at the rim.
This season, Conley is averaging 6 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 3.6 assists on 39.7/43.1/91.7 shooting splits. His points, minutes, and field goal percentage are all career lows. Even still, Conley's 20.5 minutes are second on the bench behind Naz Reid. Which again goes back to how badly the Wolves need a point guard.
Sure, the Wolves could give the young trio of Dillingham, Jaylen Clark, and Terrence Shannon Jr. more collective minutes. I've advocated for this plenty of times. Unfortunately, though, there's not much evidence to suggest the offense would be better with any of these players earning within the 20-minute range per game.
While some fans are baffled by Conley's still significant role, it's understandable given their roster construction. In my eyes, this roster flaw will ultimately lead to a move ahead of the trade deadline.