Without a doubt, the Minnesota Timberwolves' biggest concern is their lack of a true power forward. Trading Julius Randle and Naz Reid was necessary to land LaMelo Ball. Still, this left a clear power forward void the Wolves have been unable to fill. They will likely struggle against physical forwards, and their rebounding will take a major step back.
However, one question that I haven't seen asked often enough (and I've glossed over) is: Which teams will specifically present the Timberwolves with matchup problems?
Okay, from a rebounding standpoint, probably a good amount. In terms of teams that can expose the Timberwolves' lack of natural defenders against power forwards, though? There aren't many teams that can expose this part of the problem. Let's explore why.
The best teams in the West can't fully expose the Timberwolves' lack of a power forward
First, we need to start with the two teams that the Wolves will long be judged against: the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder.
Starting with the Spurs, yes, defending Victor Wembanyama will be tricky, but that's always going to be the case. And functionally, nothing changes; Rudy Gobert will still guard him. The Spurs did land Tobias Harris, but are you really worried about how they'll guard Harris?
One tricky wrinkle could be the Spurs utilizing double-big lineups, with Wemby and one of Luke Kornet, Tarris Reed Jr., and Jayden Quaintance. Yes, the Timberwolves would get destroyed on the glass, but Kornet and the two rookie centers aren't proven offensive threats.
As for the Thunder, Chet Holmgren feels poised to play a fair share of his minutes at the four, with one of Isaiah Hartenstein, Aday Mara, and Thomas Sorber playing the five. Holmgren is a skilled offensive big man but not forceful or aggressive. With all due respect, I'm not concerned about defending him.
The Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers, and Denver Nuggets are the other main threats in the West. Of this bunch, the Rockets have the most frontcourt size with Kevin Durant, Jabari Smith, and Alperen Sengun. Plus, they are the only team whose best player is a forward.
Still, the Timberwolves could throw Jaden McDaniels on Durant and keep Ayo Dosunmu or Anthony Edwards against Amen Thompson. That will work just fine. The Rockets' lack of spacing will also make defending them easier.
To me, McDaniels is best utilized against the opposing team's best creator, and most of the time that happens to be a guard. Make no mistake, though, he can defend most forwards, certainly those like Durant who aren't physical forces.
The Timberwolves can still stop Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets thanks to Gobert. Defending Aaron Gordon is a minor concern in the grand scheme of things. The Lakers are a perimeter-centric team that the Timberwolves should still be able to contain.
Frankly, the team that Minnesota might have the most problems with in terms of guarding physical forwards would be the Utah Jazz with Jaren Jackson Jr. and Lauri Markkanen. It feels unlikely this will be a playoff matchup. So yeah, maybe the Wolves lose their regular season series to the Jazz, but in the end that shouldn't matter.
Beyond the Jazz, Zion Williamson is a player who gives the Wolves problems, but the New Orleans Pelicans are a clear-cut lottery team.
A few teams in the East can give the Timberwolves problems
Let's shift to the East (which frankly won't matter a ton unless the Wolves make the NBA Finals).
The defending champion New York Knicks start three wings and no true power forwards. Jayson Tatum remains an elite forward, but McDaniels can absolutely defend him, and the Boston Celtics backcourt isn't good enough for the Timberwolves to worry about moving him off the perimeter.
The Detroit Pistons lack spacing and forward play -- no worries there. Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen on the Cleveland Cavaliers could hypothetically pose a difficult matchup for Minnesota. But much like Chet, Mobley isn't aggressive.
Alright, so here are the teams that could give the Wolves problems: the Philadelphia 76ers (LeBron James and an elite backcourt), the Toronto Raptors (Kawhi Leonard and Scottie Barnes), the Orlando Magic (Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero), and finally the Indiana Pacers (Pascal Siakam).
The reality is that there are few forwards with the ample physicality and scoring chops to give the Wolves headaches. Look, their lack of a natural power forward isn't ideal, and rebounding-wise it could be a major issue. At some point, they'll likely have to upgrade this void.
With that being said, defending forwards isn't something to completely panic about, and the Timberwolves can still have success despite this flaw; the rest of the roster is nearly perfect.
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