3 Burning Lineup Questions Still Facing the Timberwolves: How Does Bench Depth Stack Up?

The bulk of the Minnesota Timberwolves' offseason moves are behind them. Julius Randle and cult hero Naz Reid are gone, and LaMelo Ball is in Minneapolis working out with his backcourt running mate, Anthony Edwards

While there is still an open roster spot that will need to be filled, the most sizable transactions of the Wolves' summer have likely already been made. There probably isn't another blockbuster waiting in the wings, meaning Minnesota's opening night roster will look very similar to what it does now.

With the dust finally settled and NBA teams and staff set to go on vacation, it's time to take a look at where the Timberwolves roster stands and the lingering questions that will need to be answered by the time the season begins in late October.

Should Jaden McDaniels be the starting power forward?

With the LeBron James sweepstakes finally over, the Timberwolves can now shift their focus away from courting arguably the greatest player of all time and toward filling their hole at the power forward position.

The simplest solution to the Wolves frontcourt problem would be to just play their five best players of Edwards, Ball, Ayo Dosunmu, Jaden McDaniels, and Rudy Gobert. That decision would push McDaniels from his usualy spot at small forward down to the power forward.

Timberwolves Head Coach Chris Finch is not convinced that moving McDaniels to the four is the best move, telling Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic, "I see Jaden playing largely the same role he’s always played."

Finch did indicate that McDaniels will likely see some time at the four and that they will make a determination at the end of training camp in September as to what McDaniels' role will look like this upcoming season.

It makes sense that the Wolves want to keep the same role for McDaniels, but they also have to have that same consideration for other players on the roster. McDaniels slotting in as the team's starting power forward would allow players like Dosunmu, Josh Green, and Terrence Shannon Jr. to play their more natural role off the bench.

The biggest issue with playing McDaniles alongside Gobert in the frontcourt would be a lack of rebounding. McDaniels averaged only 4.2 rebounds per game last season, which would need to increase greatly next season with the Wolves sending away their top two power forwards from a year ago.

Even with both Julius Randle and Naz Reid on the roster last season, the Timberwolves ranked No. 11 in the NBA in rebound percentage. With the size of Randle and Reid both gone, plus the Wolves likely playing smaller next season, McDaniels and others will need to more consistently rebound the basketball.

McDaniels filling the starting power forward slot feels like the right choice to begin the season, but also not a permanent solution. The Wolves will need to add another player via trade at some point to fill that role so he can shift back to his more natural position.

Do the Wolves have enough bench depth?

The Timberwolves struggled with roster depth at many points last season. Their starting five plus Naz Reid off the bench stacked up well with any other team's top six, but after that, the Wolves struggled to find value off the bench.

Now, with Randle and Reid sent out for Ball, Donte DiVincenzo out with a torn Achilles, and both Mike Conley and Kyle Anderson leaving in free agency, the Wolves again have some question marks as to who will fill out the back end of the rotation.

A couple of the answers are the same players who helped them out a year ago. Terrence Shannon Jr. will likely receive a good amount of playing time after an impressive showing in the playoffs, including a 24-point performance in the series-clinching Game 6 against the Denver Nuggets.

Bones Hyland, who excelled after joining the rotation in December last season, is back on a one-year league minimum deal to provide scoring and playmaking off the bench. Jaylen Clark returns as well to provide defensive intensity and potentially a renewed outside shooting game after signing a three-year $10 million deal with the Wolves this offseason.

Newcomer Josh Green should also be viewed as more than just a throw-in to the trade with the Charlotte Hornets as Green will have the opportunity to earn a rotation spot. Additionally, Trey Lyles also makes his return to the NBA with the Wolves and is the lone true power forward on the roster, making him a fit for that role if he plays well.

The most important addition to the Wolves' rotation this offseason is second-year player Joan Beringer. Currently, Beringer and Gobert are the only two big men on the roster, meaning if the young Frenchman struggles, it is unclear how this current iteration of the Timberwolves roster would deal with that.

The upside with Beringer is obvious to see, especially as he again dominated Summer League, even if it was for only a single game. The Wolves have talked incredibly highly of Beringer's potential as he projects to play most or all of the minutes this season with Gobert on the bench.

How all of these pieces mesh will be an interesting subplot to the start of next season. If a few of the players above turn out well, the Wolves will have no issue filling out their rotation. If more of them struggle like a season ago, Minnesota may have to tighten its rotation yet again.

How does Terrence Shannon Jr. fit with the new-look roster?

Shannon Jr. did not play well for most of the regular season last year. He struggled with injuries for most of the season, only playing 21 games through late February while averaging just 4.6 points per game.

Following his brilliant performance in Game 6 against the Nuggets, Finch took responsibility for Shannon's poor regular-season play.

"What we learned with TJ is he's definitely got to have the ball in his hands," Finch said postgame. "Silly me, we played him out of the corner most of the season, but he’s way better with the ball in his hands at the top of the floor."

It's refreshing to hear an NBA coach admit when their game plan didn't work. Shannon Jr. had the most success last season when he was allowed to have the ball to unlock his explosive downhill driving game. The issue is, finding opportunities to get Shannon Jr. the ball is going to be even more difficult next season.

With Ball on the roster, the Wolves now have two usage guards who will both necessitate on some level having the ball in their hands. Add in players like McDaniels, Dosunmu, and Hyland and there isn't much room for Shannon Jr. to also create with the ball as well.

The Wolves certainly can do a better job of not allowing Shannon Jr.'s role to devolve into standing in the corner, but it is also on the former Illini guard to more often find value for his team when he is off the ball.

That balance will be a tough one for the Timberwolves to strike, but one that will be necessary if the Wolves want to avoid another lost season for Shannon Jr.

Add us as a preferred source on Google