It was a bit surprising when it was announced that the Minnesota Timberwolves had signed Trey Lyles. Yes, the team needed (and probably still does) a power forward, but Lyles wasn’t exactly on many fans’ radars after not playing in the NBA in 2025-26.
It’s unclear how much of a role the 30-year-old is expected to play in the upcoming season. What hasn’t been talked about enough, though, is that it looks like Lyles will be the backup center whenever Rudy Gobert or Joan Beringer misses a game.
Lyles will likely be needed to play center at times
Yes, right now it is unclear who the Timberwolves’ starting power forward will be. If it’s not Jaden McDaniels, as both Chris Finch and Tim Connelly have stated—at least to begin the year—then there are a few candidates, even if they aren’t natural power forwards.
On the current roster, Lyles is probably the only player whose primary position is the four. Signed to a one-year veteran’s minimum deal in July, Lyles isn’t really expected to be in the running to start, although he hopes to find rotational minutes off the bench.
Since joining Minnesota, Gobert has mostly been durable. It’s not yet clear how Beringer will handle the rigors of an 82-game schedule, during which he will always receive meaningful minutes when available. It’s unrealistic to expect both of them to play all 82 games.
Unless the Timberwolves decide to convert Rocco Zikarsky’s contract to a standard one or frequently have him active (he barely ever was in 2025-26), the only other player who can line up at center is Lyles. Playing him at the five if either of the top two options is out would be a necessity. Lyles isn’t the rim protector that Gobert or Beringer is, but he’s the only other player with the necessary size to do so.
Jaden McDaniels probably wouldn’t shy away from the challenge of playing spot minutes as a small-ball center, but that doesn’t seem like a wise thing to do. He frequently got into foul trouble during the playoffs, and McDaniels would likely pick up some cheap ones while guarding men who outweigh him by quite a bit.
There isn’t much out there in free agency, so barring a trade, Lyles looks like the second big off the bench. That could cause him to play more minutes than the fan base expects.
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