Breaking Down Trey Lyles' Now-Cloudy Timberwolves Outlook

After Trey Lyles hung up a call with a member of the Timberwolves' front office over the summer, he mentioned on his vlog that signing in Minnesota could potentially allow him to earn a starting role.

“We in there like swimwear,” Lyles said. “Back to the L. Opportunity to be a starter on an NBA team after being out for a year? What am I going to say, ‘No?’”

When the Wolves signed Lyles to a one-year veteran’s minimum contract, they still had a clear hole at power forward with both Naz Reid and Julius Randle elsewhere at that point. I made the case for Lyles being a viable candidate to start at power forward, especially against bigger lineups.

But in came Jonathan Kuminga, who the Wolves signed to a two-year, $12.4 million deal in late August, and has been running with the starters during training camp this week. He will almost certainly be an everyday starter this year under Chris Finch.

So what does that mean for Lyles? What will his role look like? Will he be an everyday rotational player? I think he might, but it looks unlikely.

Let’s take a stab at predicting things.

Lyles is ready to be a vocal, veteran presence

Asked about his role, Lyles told reporters Monday that he believes his on-court duties with the Wolves this season will become clear during training camp and the preseason. For now, he is ready to leverage his 11 years of professional basketball experience to help others.

“Right now I just want to be more of a locker room guy, vocal guy,” Lyles said. “I’ve been through, you know, quite a few different situations. For me personally, I just want to bring confidence to the team, myself, and others.”

Trey Lyles NBA Timberwolves — Trey Lyles has only played in 12 playoff games in his career. Still, his ample experience playing professional basketball—both in the NBA and internationally—could make him a much-needed veteran presence in the Timberwolves' locker room. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Lyles, 30, played last season for Real Madrid. The optics of a player in his thirties being out of the NBA for a year aren't great, but Lyles played well in Spain, averaging 12.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.6 assists on 49.8% from the floor and 43.5% from deep in 20.9 minutes across 67 regular-season and European competition games. He served as a key part of Real Madrid’s offensive scheme with a blend of inside scoring and off-ball floor spacing.

International stats rarely (if ever) translate to the NBA because of how differently the game is played in both environments. Still, if Lyles can physically be close to what he was last season, he would still have enough left in the tank to fill a consistent role in Minnesota.

Will he actually be in the rotation, though?

Earlier this month, I included Lyles as the tenth man in my mock Wolves rotation. I felt it was beneficial to include Lyles over Bones Hyland because Minnesota is still small in the frontcourt, even with Kuminga, who is 6’7” and will struggle while defending bigger power forwards.

Lyles would give Finch a switchable defender who has the strength and size to provide resistance at the rim and snag defensive rebounds. However, it appears as if Finch is preparing to lean into the small nature of his roster. Minnesota’s head coach mentioned on WCCO last week that he sees Terrence Shannon Jr. and Anthony Edwards playing the four at times this season, with Jaden McDaniels potentially even playing the five.

If Finch prefers to go smaller in the frontcourt, it would make sense that Lyles slides out of the rotation, with Hyland—a speedy point guard who excels in transition—playing consistently instead. In that situation, Lyles’ role would likely shift to providing positional insurance at center, should Rudy Gobert or Joan Beringer suffer foul trouble or an injury.

Lyles is not the sexy, glamorous talking point right now. After the Wolves signed Kuminga, pairing his speed and athleticism with fellow newcomer LaMelo Ball, the excitement entering the season is far from Lyles and the veteran minimum contract he signed this summer.

Regardless of what Lyles does in training camp, the chance to earn a starting role has passed by him. He appears to have fallen to a fringe rotational player who's ready to lean into being a locker room leader, rather than an on-court difference-maker. Maybe the Wolves will look to waive his partially guaranteed contract at some point this season to free up cap space and flexibility.

However, I still think Lyles holds an important role for the Wolves as currently constructed. He has found ways to be an impact player at every one of his six stops in the NBA, averaging 18.4 minutes across 650 regular-season games. Lyles credits his adaptability to his routes in Indianapolis, which is where he played his high school ball.

“That kind of helps me everywhere I go,” Lyles said. “Just figuring out my niche, where I see a team needs help at, and just kind of going 100% in that area, and it kind of opens up the doors for me as the season goes on.”

Final prediction

I think the niche Lyles will ultimately fill is to lean into being a small-ball center. He has the physical tools, experience, and floor-spacing ability to play that position, especially in an ecosystem that features Ball and Edwards. But primarily playing center over power forward with the Wolves would likely mean Lyles is out of the rotation to start the season.

But he understands that if he can lock in to exactly what the team needs from him, he could find himself an expanded role during the season. And I could certainly see that happening if Gobert or Beringer suffers an injury that keeps them out for an extended period.

I do think Lyles is rotation-caliber still. But even though I am not predicting him to be in the rotation, that doesn’t mean the experienced veteran will not play a key role for the Wolves on and off the court this year.

Get Timberwolves On SI straight to your inbox: sign up for our free newsletter here.

Add us as a preferred source on Google