Trading “Moodiness for Giddiness”: Higher Ceiling for the New Timberwolves?
Three ‘almost there!’ playoff runs later, the fresh-faced Minnesota Timberwolves enter the regular season with a new starting lineup, projected to include Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, Rudy Gobert, Jonathan Kuminga and former-All Star LaMelo Ball. With their sights set on an extended postseason, does this frontcourt fully complement their explosive backcourt?
KARE 11 journalist Ashley Moore on Timberwolves Media Day asked about the speculation surrounding Minnesota’s front office having only a short window to make their superstar happy.
“Who’s the superstar? Me?” said a surprised Anthony Edwards before adding, “I didn’t know nothing about that. I’m happy.” As the Wolves prepare for the regular season, spirits in the locker room and group chat run high indeed. Head coach Chris Finch seems just as excited as his squad for a new beginning this year, as they strive to “get to some sort of happy medium.”
A happy medium may just be what this team needs to rid themselves of the inertia keeping them from reaching the NBA Finals. This spring’s semifinal loss to Wemby and the Spurs, 2025’s Western Conference Finals loss to the Thunder, preceded by yet another Conference Finals upset by the 2024 Mavericks - the Timberwolves are stuck in a rut.
Karl-Anthony Towns’ 2024 departure to New York City meant losing a top-of-the-line shot creating big. The addition of Donte DiVincenzo as a connective playmaker, floor spacer and high volume 3-point shooter made defenses scramble during his minutes, but the lack of a primary playmaker and true floor general sent the entire offensive burden straight in Anthony Edwards’ direction. Edwards averaged 28.8 points per game last season, third overall behind only Luka Dončić and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Shouldering the majority of the ballhandling and being forced to self-create scoring opportunities, he shot a career high 48.9% from the field. However, Edwards struggled last season with off-ball rotations and coming off screens. Playing a career-low 61 games last season, the physical toll of bringing the ball up and running the offense meant he had to step back on defense. He was, in his own words, “super tired.”
The Timberwolves’ current roster makes this situation a whole lot different for Anthony Edwards. In a four-team trade sending former Sixth Man of the Year Naz Reid, Julius Randle, and selected picks, Minnesota acquired from the Hornets star point guard LaMelo Ball. Ball played 72 games last season, his first 70+ game season with Charlotte since 2021, averaging 20.1 points and 7.1 assists per game, shooting 40.7% from the field and 36.8% from three.
Standing at 6 '7 with elite court vision, Ball is an eccentric but high-IQ playmaker and passer, making him a natural engine through which to initiate an offense. Now that the Timberwolves have a primary ball handler in LaMelo Ball, the responsibility of bringing the ball up is taken off Anthony Edwards’ docket, leaving him free to play within his natural position as shooting guard and assume greater defensive responsibility. As Jamal Collier from ESPN reports, Edwards said on Media Day that he’s “going to be good in his game a lot differently”.
For Anthony Edwards, playing a better game would involve amping up on defense. Edwards has the qualities to be an elite on-ball, point of attack defensive player, with a 6 '9 wingspan and the versatility to attack both guards and big wing players. As Jaden McDaniels, one of the league’s best defenders, takes on a bigger role this season, the Timberwolves can be an absolute nightmare at the perimeter. During 4-time DPOY Rudy Gobert’s minutes, Minnesota operates as a top-tier defensive team, with opponents finishing only 48-52% at the rim with him on the floor. Gobert is also a rebounding machine, at 872 boards collected last season, the 3rd most in the league.
Much of the team’s defensive aptitude is unfortunately anchored around Gobert, with defensive rating climbing by as much as 8 to even 20 points with him off the floor. His ability to stabilize the floor and effectively block the paint allows McDaniels and Edwards to remain aggressive at the perimeter, bringing opponents to the interior. When he’s on the bench, the Timberwolves must rely on an inexperienced and yet unproven Joan Beringer, making consistent rim protection and high defensive rebounding numbers tough to maintain from start to finish. Without a commanding presence within the paint, Minnesota’s guards will be under immense pressure to attack in isolation. While they have elite POA defenders in Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels, LaMelo Ball does not have much defensive prowess to speak of.
For this Wolves roster hoping to make the NBA Finals, the problem of defense in Rudy Gobert’s absence is just one question about breaking their current ceiling. A glaring concern that remains with this team is the power forward position. Signed in free agency, Jonathan Kuminga possesses elite athleticism, with an extraordinary 38 inch vertical at just 6 ‘7.
A rim threat with a career 62.5% shooting, he is a strong roll man and is quick and elite in transition. As a defensive player, Kuminga has the versatility to guard players both in the interior and at the perimeter. He is also capable as a slasher, driving to the rim and drawing fouls by exploiting mismatches at the post. Kuminga is, however, an inconsistent shooter from the perimeter, with 3-point percentage hovering between 31 and 33% through his career. This poses major floor-spacing and corner-shooting woes for the Timberwolves. A poorer decision maker, he tends to develop tunnel vision when in isolation, resulting in potential turnovers. On the defensive end, he is vulnerable to missing rotations, and to a lack of consistent off-ball focus and awareness.
There is still more to ponder about the Minnesota Timberwolves. Can LaMelo Ball stay consistently healthy? Are their backcourt gains cancelled out by the loss in frontcourt depth? Jonathan Kuminga’s addition, while not detrimental, is not enough to overlook the loss of an established high-impact stretch player in Naz Reid, or a powerful point-forward in Julius Randle. A small frontcourt may not be fatal during the regular season, but the postseason in a packed Western Conference is unforgiving to weakness. The NBA Playoffs demand a perfect balance between an efficient, dynamic offense and high-powered defense.
Hard capped at the second apron and already paying luxury tax for the upcoming season, the Timberwolves do not have the financial leeway to make big moves and iron out gaps at the trade deadline. The past trade for Rudy Gobert and now LaMelo Ball has left them with barely any draft capital. As the disparity between the East and West also seems to be disappearing, reaching the ceiling they’ve already set may itself be an uphill battle for the Timberwolves. Making their finals aspirations clear, the front office has dealt their entire hand with no safety net. Here’s hoping the Minnesota Timberwolves have not swapped one rut for another.
Article written by Haritha Raghavan
