How Late-Game Offense Will Look for Timberwolves With Micah Nori Gone

The Minnesota Timberwolves' roster may have undergone changes, but it wasn't the only aspect of the organization that saw a little rearranging over the offseason.

Along with a bevy of moves sure to reshape head coach Chris Finch's rotation this coming season, Finch also saw his top assistant of the last five years, Micah Nori, head to the Portland Trail Blazers for his first NBA head coaching job.

An admired connector of people, Nori was also an excellent tactician whom Finch gave freedom to and empowered in his role as an organizer.

In a recent four-part interview with Britt Robson of MinnPost, Finch talked a bit about what they'll be filling with Nori on the bench and where some areas will be in which he leans in more with his staff than he previously did.

"The things where Micah was really good were special situations (end of game, clock management, tracking fouls and timeouts). Obviously Pablo (Prigioni) is going to take some of that. Nate (Bubes) is going to take some of that," Finch explained. "On late-game stuff, I’ll take some of it back... I look at it the same as when we lose players: It is hard to replace a player straight-up for who they are. Coaching staff is no different."

As big a blow as Nori's departure is to the organization, late-game situations might be an area in which a fresh perspective could be useful.

Analyzing the Timberwolves' late-game approach heading into 2026-27

Over the last two seasons, the Wolves have struggled to find the top half of the league in clutch-time net rating. In 2024-25, Minnesota was 23rd in clutch-time net rating and 20th in offensive rating. This past season, they were 16th in net rating and 20th in offensive rating. While they had the benefit of a veteran point guard in Mike Conley able to organize things a couple of seasons ago, Anthony Edwards was not able to read defenses at a proficient enough level for the operation to run completely smoothly.

Last season, Edwards made sizable clutch-time leaps, while not having a true point guard to offload to as a pressure release when he was double-teamed and blitzed. Edwards shot 56% from the field in clutch time last season compared to 42% the season before.

Now he has his point guard, and the head coach will be taking more control of the operation. Last season, Donte DiVincenzo would stay high above the break as the de facto point guard as a release option for the ball handler in Edwards, and sometimes it would work; other times, it would force their leading scorer to make a hero shot (h/t Timberwolves Clips).

Donte DiVincenzo clutch catch-and-shoot 3, assisted by Anthony Edwards pic.twitter.com/oLEr9WIOfF
— Timberwolves Clips (@WolvesClips) April 21, 2026

Sometimes, Julius Randle would call his own number. And while improvements were made year over year, there is plenty of room in the department to improve.

Edwards paced the team by a sizable margin with a 42% usage rate in clutch time last season, with much of it coming in the form of isolation. His usage mark was more than double that of the next two players on the team, Terrence Shannon Jr. and Julius Randle.

While it would be foolish to actively take the ball out of the star player's hands in the last moments of the game, there is no question that Finch's late-game situational philosophy will involve LaMelo Ball and Jaden McDaniels more than it did in previous seasons. Why? Because it was predictable to a fault.

Anthony Edwards dribbling. Stepback. Dribble pickup. Pass. Get the ball back. Dribble more. Shot!

Many times it worked in the regular season; sometimes it didn't. But come playoff time, it's important to be multiple. And with Finch planting his flag in being proactive later in games, it will assuredly get more parties involved.

And Anthony Edwards? He'll still have plenty to do. His job however, might just become much easier.

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