The Minnesota Timberwolves' frontcourt trio of Julius Randle, Rudy Gobert, and Naz Reid is undoubtedly one of the team's biggest strengths. Each big man is highly talented but offers a different skill set. However, this trio rarely sees the court together.
Per Cleaning the Glass, they have played just 20 possessions together this season, which is actually an increase from 15 possessions last year. It's the ultimate small sample size, but in these 20 possessions, the Wolves have a plus-50 net rating, including an absurd 165 offensive rating.
Listen, these godly lineup stats won't hold. However, I think this lineup is worth experimenting with more, especially against smaller teams. On Friday night, we saw how impactful it was against the smaller Golden State Warriors. It's worth noting that 18 of the 20 possessions with this trio have come in games where Anthony Edwards hasn't played, including on Friday.
Edwards' injury is considered game-to-game, but once he returns, head coach Chris Finch shouldn't be afraid to experiment with this triple big combination.
The Wolves' supersized lineup is a weapon that can't be ignored
Assuming the Wolves would keep Jaden McDaniels on the court with this trio (he has been in every possession thus far), Minnesota would have four players of 6-foot-9 and up. That's an overwhelming amount of size. It's not exactly the same thing, but look at how the Houston Rockets are dominating with their 6-foot-7 and up lineup.
Crucially, each player's skill set complements the other. Gobert brings elite rim protection and screening. Randle is a high-level creator and playmaker. Reid is a knockdown shooter and secondary creator. With Randle and Reid being able to stretch the floor, you aren't sacrificing much spacing. Defensively, Gobert's rim protection covers up for Randle and Reid, who have notably struggled (on defense) when Rudy is on the bench.
This makes it realistic that they could all play together more on a regular basis. A simpler perspective is that this trio accounts for three of the Wolves' six (maybe even five) best players. I can't think of another team that plays three of its six players together less frequently. The supersized lineup doesn't need to start or close games, but it should be used a bit more often.
Having more size around Edwards would make his life easier. Most notably, it would be harder to put bigger and longer players on Edwards, as the other players could make teams pay for this. Maybe I'm wrong, but I just want to see it!
Reid is the player I think could benefit from the lineup combination the most. Given Reid's offensive skill set and lack of rim protection, he is actually closer to a small forward than a center to me, and this lineup could prove it.
He has spent more time guarding opposing forwards (52.5 percent) and guards (28.9 percent) than centers (18.6 percent) this season. Additionally, centers shoot 60.5 percent against Reid, while forwards shoot 41.5 percent, and guards shoot 43.8 percent against him. Becoming more of a pure forward could benefit Reid and the team as a whole.
Ultimately, adopting the "three-big" lineup more often could have significant benefits for the Wolves, and it could become their lineup of death, especially against smaller teams that can't match this size.