Minnesota Timberwolves

Minnesota's rotation could shift game by game early, Chris Finch said at practice, playing nine or ten deep: "There'll be some guys that don't make the rotation that probably can help us too. It's just hard to play them all." He said 10 to 20 games is when the data matters.

Joan Beringer needs to play, Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said at practice: "it could be 14 minutes a night, it could be 24 minutes a night," depending on how he plays. He expects some inconsistency: live game reps are the biggest part of Beringer's development.

Enrique Freeman's energy and move from small-ball center to forward impressed Timberwolves coach Chris Finch, who hopes to keep him "in the program in some way, shape, or form." Asked about filling the open two-way spot right away, he called it "wait and see."

Isaiah Evans spent early camp trying to create his own offense. That has changed, Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said at practice: "now he's more in the catch-and-shoot mindset, which is... we saw the benefits of that the other night."

Anthony Edwards is "playing off ball even more now," Minnesota's Bones Hyland said at practice, with LaMelo Ball taking "a lot of pressure off of him." Chris Finch wants Edwards and Jaden McDaniels rebounding better after the team "got crushed on the glass" playing small.

Jonathan Kuminga played with Minnesota's starters, and Anthony Edwards wants him fed: "They can't really guard him. They try to put the worst defenders on him." The plan is to get Kuminga the ball and let him play in space.

Jaden McDaniels is getting more touches in pick-and-rolls and isolations, Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards said: "if they put a small guy on him, give it to him in the post." Edwards predicted McDaniels will "average 20 to 25 points easy."

Minnesota's Jaden McDaniels says teams put smaller players on him because they can't on OG Anunoby or Jonathan Kuminga: "they can put them on me. I don't care. I'm gonna take advantage of it every time." No timeline on Donte DiVincenzo: "we just can't wait to have him back."

Minnesota's bench will go fast and small. "Pushing out in transition and making the game go faster will be our identity," Terrence Shannon Jr. said, with Ayo Dosunmu and Bones Hyland. Rebounding is the focus; he said it has improved since the first preseason game.

Trey Lyles is still working out his Timberwolves role as Chris Finch keeps "switching up the rotations quite a bit." For now his job is mainly defense, rebounding and switching, but Finch recently got on him for turning down shots and wants him to keep shooting.

Rudy Gobert wants Minnesota's offense to run through him "as much as we can": "by playing through me... it relieves a lot of pressure on our guards." He had 8 assists in Game 6, and says he tells LaMelo Ball to slow down and use the advantage his screens create.

Jaden McDaniels doesn't know if the Timberwolves will use him off the ball more: "I'll do whatever. Like, on ball, off ball, I feel like I'm good at both, so it really don't matter to me." He told Cody Williams to keep guarding Jalen Brunson after a great job last game.

Whether to stagger Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball is undecided, but Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said "My gut tells me we'll play them mostly together," pointing to Ball's playmaking creating easy shots for Edwards in their most recent game.

Jaden McDaniels is sometimes moved off the ball on defense, Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said, "maybe mostly to help with rebounding." He beat smaller defenders for offensive rebounds, setting up threes; Finch expects the same from Jonathan Kuminga once the team is healthy.

Joan Beringer is playing only at center for now, Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said; he'd like to try him with Rudy Gobert once other things are sorted. He said Beringer, who used to overcommit into fouls, now regulates his energy better, helped by Trey Lyles beside him.

Anthony Edwards, back from an injury at the end of last postseason, hasn't looked limited. From Minnesota's postgame: "I haven't really noticed anything that he hasn't been able to do or anywhere he's been particularly cautious."

Don't read the Timberwolves' bench groupings as a depth chart yet. Beyond the starters, no second or third unit is set. From Minnesota's postgame: "We're just trying to get guys some minutes right now. So I wouldn't look at things as first, second, or third."

"So for him to come back and be able to play the game that he loves to play, that's all God." Timberwolves guard Ayo Dosunmu, after the Oct. 7 preseason game, on Tyrese returning to the court from his Achilles injury. Health matters most, Dosunmu said.

Terrence Shannon Jr. has been switched onto power forwards, and the Timberwolves guard says his body can handle it: "I feel like I'm physically able to guard a 4." What still needs work, he said after the Oct. 7 preseason game: rebounding and boxing out.

LaMelo Ball and Anthony Edwards together, not staggered: "My gut tells me I want them out there together," Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said, trusting the bench for ball-handling. Ball sees plays way in advance, he said, which lets the team get Edwards off the ball.

Ayo Dosunmu's bench pairing is one Chris Finch may lean on: "The TJ-Ayo combo is really, really good... we might just double down, play those guys together," the Timberwolves coach said. About 20 games, he said, is his metric to "figure a bunch of stuff out."

Jaden McDaniels or Jonathan Kuminga may take 25 shots on some nights while Anthony Edwards takes 15, the Timberwolves star said: "Some nights, Jaden may take 25 shots... JK may take 25 shots." On defense, the three guard the ball and "just switch everything with us 3."

Anthony Edwards says he took about two months off to let his knee heal after playing through pain last season, and it was still sore after that. The Timberwolves star credits his recovery work since: "I'm feeling good for the first time in a long time."

Chris Finch expects Timberwolves starters to play in the Oct. 5 preseason game against Milwaukee: "Oh yeah, for sure." But the game is really about the end of the roster, "figuring out which guys... we want to play... that are further down... on the roster."

Jonathan Kuminga has "the green light to kind of play his game," Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said, adding "we haven't overcoached anything yet." He said Kuminga has room to be more aggressive but has avoided forcing things to fit in, and is a better passer than expected.

Jonathan Kuminga says the Timberwolves haven't asked for anything new, just the best version of himself: "Rebound more, just playing defense, being more aggressive." His pairing with Rudy Gobert has gone well, he said, and their off-court bond carries onto the court.

Anthony Edwards on pairing with LaMelo Ball: his focus has shifted from scoring to winning. "Some games they gonna trap me, some games they may trap him and I may be the decoy." Ball expects "a lot of running and gunning," with lobs to Rudy Gobert a big part of it.

Anthony Edwards named his defensive core as himself, Rudy Gobert, Jaden McDaniels and Jonathan Kuminga, with LaMelo Ball "super good off the ball." Edwards also said he slept through three or four calls from Ball before learning of the trade: "I was asleep."

Ayo Dosunmu (Minnesota media availability) is teaching LaMelo Ball to defend pick-and-rolls next to Rudy Gobert: "I promise you his defensive is going to rise." He says the roster is built for a faster pace, though close games still need half-court execution.

Ayo Dosunmu said he's told Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball to turn the defensive attention they draw into lobs and pocket passes for Rudy Gobert: "that boosts his confidence." On his new deal: "I wanna look back in 3 years and they say, oh, that was a steal of a contract."

Minnesota's Bones Hyland expects a bigger role leading the second unit with Ayo Dosunmu. He says more pick-and-roll will free Rudy Gobert at the rim, Jonathan Kuminga will be a threat on the move and in transition, and "some guys may have to" sacrifice shots to win.

Hyland wants Jaden McDaniels "involved even more" on offense: "Unlock him." Half-court offense gets a "0.5 mentality" too: "Make a decision like it is transition," with cutting stressed on film. Anthony Edwards must speak up more as "the face of our franchise," he said.

Bones Hyland on the clip of Anthony Edwards trash-talking Jaylen Clark: "They had the wrong words what he said. He didn't say that." He declined to give the real ones. Hyland, Ayo Dosunmu and LaMelo Ball are the "core guys" who have hard talks with Edwards, plus Rudy Gobert.

Chris Finch says Minnesota will put the ball in LaMelo Ball's hands to play out of early offense, and lean into a Ball–Rudy Gobert pick and roll that could be "one of the hardest things in the league to guard." After years of playing slow, they'll play faster.

Finch also credited LaMelo Ball with changing how Anthony Edwards plays in the open floor: "Ant's getting ahead of the ball better than he has been." Finch said Ball pushes the ball up the floor and encourages Edwards to run.

Clark said camp has been light and ramps up Oct. 1 when referees arrive, with no game until Oct. 5. He's vlogging again after quitting at UCLA when Mick Cronin asked "do I want to be a YouTuber or a basketball player?" He expects criticism after his first bad game.

Clark expects a fast attack, with Ayo Dosunmu and Bones Hyland among the guards "all pushing" to open lanes. The game has "finally slowed down" for him in camp. On his contract year: anyone claiming not to think about the money is "lying... that's life-changing money."

Chris Finch says Minnesota is adding cutting with cleaner spacing, but must "hold your spacing" for Anthony Edwards isolations and Rudy Gobert pick-and-roll. LaMelo Ball is "near top of the league at finding cutters." Finch on flopping: "We don't teach flopping here."

Timberwolves media availability, Sept. 30: Jaylen Clark says he's made the 'blue squad' in practice splits, "finally." He cut less last year beside Julius Randle's post-ups; now he's cutting and running off screens more: "I don't really care if I miss or make."

On Sept. 30, LaMelo Ball on his Minnesota role: "I can play on ball, off ball, just whatever team needs," even in the corner. Says the staff "chopped it back to like the beginning so everybody's knowing the same thing." Team wants to run, like Charlotte did: "a great fit."