The Minnesota Timberwolves' bench has exceeded expectations all season long. Entering the season, Minnesota's bench unit was an uncertainty, but now it's quickly become a strength. Notably, the Wolves rank 12th in bench points per game. And they have maintained success despite the ripple effects of Anthony Edwards' knee injury.
Obviously, this is a very good thing. However, when Edwards returns, Chris Finch will have to make a tough call about how to handle the Wolves' rotation. Donte DiVincenzo's return will further complicate this decision.
Terrence Shannon Jr. has also missed the last two games with a seemingly minor injury. As a result, we've seen Finch run a nine-man rotation (though Cody Williams earned a few minutes on Monday). When Shannon is healthy, though, the Wolves run a 10-man rotation.
Throughout his time with the Wolves, Finch has leaned on tighter rotations. Thus, it's not likely that he'd expand the rotation up to 12 when both Edwards and DiVincenzo return. Still, determining who the odd man out is will be a tricky task.
It's unclear who the Timberwolves will cut out of their rotation when the team is at full strength
Again, this is a really good problem to have, and maybe I'm thinking ahead too much since Edwards won't be back for around two months. This depth question is worth monitoring, though, and I don't envy Finch for the decision he'll eventually have to make.
The easy answer would be that Bones Hyland and Jaylen Clark will be on the chopping block once Ant and Donte return. Nevertheless, both players have been stellar with Ant sidelined, and they have skills that the Wolves need.
Hyland is averaging 13.4 points on 52/41.4/75 shooting splits. He can score in bunches and is capable of doing so both off the catch and as a self-creator. Sure, the Wolves won't need his scoring punch as much when Edwards and DiVincenzo return, but it's still a valuable skill. And with how well Bones is playing, it will be hard to relegate him to a pure depth role.
Clark, on the other hand, is a defensive menace. He can take on tough matchups at the point of attack, and his presence frees up Jaden McDaniels to roam more off the ball. The question with Clark has always been whether he can consistently knock down open shots. It's a small sample size, but Clark netting 43.8 percent of his 3-pointers without Edwards is a super encouraging sign. If he keeps it up, it's hard to come up with a good reason why he shouldn't keep playing.
Trey Lyles would be another candidate to fall out of the rotation. Admittedly, he doesn't have a signature skill like Bones' scoring or Clark's defense. Yet, he was in the rotation before, and Finch clearly trusts him. Furthermore, Lyles fills a positional need for the Wolves as a backup big man. His game isn't flashy, but he provides some nice frontcourt spacing, and he's a very smart player.
Ultimately, one of these guys will get their minutes squeezed when the team is at full health, and it's hard to determinewho that will be. I'd default to a 10-man rotation with the 10th guy being situational, but that doesn't feel fair considering how everyone is producing.
Now, there's still plenty of basketball left until Edwards and DiVincenzo return. If Clark's or Lyles' shooting regresses, or Hyland's inconsistencies re-emerge, then the Wolves' decision will become much easier. With how things are looking right now, though, the Wolves will have a tough call to make when Edwards and DiVincenzo return to the court.
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