After a mostly strong playoff run last season, this year's playoffs didn't start very kindly for Julius Randle. His low scoring and assist output were key reasons why the Timberwolves were unable to maintain their lead in Game 1. If Randle isn't able to find his footing as either a scorer or a playmaker, it may force Chris Finch's hand to look at other closing lineup options.
Still, doing so might be easier said than done, given how much Finch has empowered Randle and that there's no perfect lineup to close with.
How can Randle be more effective against Denver's defense?
In Game 1, Randle had 16 points, seven rebounds, and two assists. He shot 7-of-16 from the field, and he wasn't able to connect on any of his 3-point attempts. Aaron Gordon is a tough matchup for Randle to get to the rim on, and in turn, Randle settled for a lot of heavily contested jumpers, which isn't a recipe for clutch time success.
The only body that Denver has that can check Randle is Gordon. If Randle is being guarded by someone else, he has to be able to play and process faster. Nobody else on the Nuggets has the strength-and-speed combo Randle has, so his ability to seek out mismatches and quickly take advantage of them is important.
The second step is to stop settling for jumpers. Simply put, that is exactly what Denver wants him to do. They will live with Randle beating them with his deep-ball. Catch-and-shoot 3s are fine, but to be more effective against an overall poor Nuggets defense, he needs to eliminate the off-the-dribble triples from his game this series.
Who are the candidates to receive increased minutes if Randle's minutes go down?
The easiest answer is Naz Reid, who plays the same position. The issue is that Naz Reid has been struggling as of late, too, especially with his shooting efficiency and on-ball defense. The part of Reid's game that really benefits the Wolves, though, is how quickly he makes decisions. He's more of a ball mover and less of a ball stopper compared to Randle.
The other option would be if the Wolves go smaller and run Ayo Dosunmu at point guard, Donte DiVincenzo at shooting guard, and then Anthony Edwards would shift to the three with Jaden McDaniels at the four, and Rudy Gobert anchoring the paint. This lineup doesn't have as much size, but it has lots of shooting and speed, which could put the Nuggets' defense on its heels. As such, it could be a high-risk, high-reward move.
All in all, the Wolves are at their best when Julius Randle is giving them high-level production, but if he's unable to do that, the Wolves may not have a choice but to look at other options on the roster.
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