Chris Finch sounds far from enthused about Minnesota's young supporting cast

The biggest disappointment might be Terrence Shannon Jr., whose defensive rating could cause blindness if stared at directly.

Nov 29, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Terrence Shannon Jr. (1) during a stoppage against the Boston Celtics in the fourth quarter at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Blewett-Imagn Images | Matt Blewett-Imagn Images

Chris Finch isn't going to hand out flowers for every positive play, but the way he spoke about, or didn't speak about, a couple of young guys in the rotation on Thursday night did nothing more than generate concern about the Timberwolves' depth.

While Naz Reid, Mike Conley, and Jaylen Clark have supplied steady minutes off the bench, the inconsistent play of second-year players Terrence Shannon Jr. and Rob Dillingham has left much to be desired — and Clark has certainly had his ups and downs while providing high-end defense.

"Yeah, I mean, listen, we're trying to stay committed to giving them minutes as they come. I thought Jaylen played really well tonight. I think he made his first two, then missed a bunch of other really good looks," Finch said. "TJ gave us some pop early on. You know."

In a clip of that part of Finch's press conference, you can hear that Finch was asked specifically about Clark, Shannon, and Dillingham, but he completely ignored Dillingham in his response.

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Clark had 12 points on 4-of-9 shooting in 14 minutes during Minnesota's win over the Pelicans Thursday night. Shannon played nine minutes and finished with seven points, one rebound, and two turnovers. Dillingham was on the floor for eight minutes and produced two points on 1-of-3 shooting to go along with three assists and no turnovers.

Shannon is averaging a little more than 14 minutes per game this season, and his 123.9 defensive rating is killing him. It's nearly 17 points worse than his 107.0 defensive rating from last season, when he averaged 10 minutes off the bench per game as a rookie.

Dillingham becomes a target for opposing offenses as soon as he steps onto the court, and it's apparent with a negative-7.9 net rating. As the eighth overall pick in the 2024 draft, Minnesota's gamble to trade up to get him is not yet paying off — and there aren't many signs that Finch is anywhere close to being comfortable putting him on the floor for extended stretches. That's a huge problem, especially if any of the other guards go down with an injury.

This is why the Timberwolves are connected to any and every point guard rumor. Ja Morant? LaMelo Ball? Chris Paul? James Harden? Unless Dillingham shocks the world and suddenly becomes an elite three-point shooter (31.6% this season) and his small frame doesn't make him a small fish in a big pond, the Wolves have to rely on unnatural primary ball-handlers in the starting five, and the aging legs of Conley off the bench.

Fortunately, Minnesota's starting five has been so elite that they've helped cover up some of the depth concerns.

Anthony Edwards, Donte DiVincenzo, Julius Randle, Jaden McDaniels, and Rudy Gobert have played more minutes together this season than any other five-man lineup in the NBA, and the results are fantastic. With a 123.7 offensive rating and a 108.5 defensive rating, there are only two five-man lineups (with at least 100 minutes played together) with a better net rating than their plus-15.2.

Orlando's starting five of Jalen Suggs, Desmond Bane, Paulo Banchero, Franz Wagner, and Wendell Carter Jr. leads the league with a plus-19.3 net rating. The champion Oklahoma City Thunder's starting five of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Cason Wallace, Lu Dort, Chet Holmgren, and Isaiah Hartenstein is second with a plus-18.3 net rating. OKC is especially scary since Wallace has been kicked out of the starting five with the healthy return of star guard Jalen Williams.

All of this is to say that the Timberwolves only have seven guys they can truly trust on any given night, and one of them is Conley, who hasn't shot the ball as well from deep in reduced minutes off the bench.

The other eighth, ninth, and 10th guys off the bench — Clark, Shannon, and Dillingham — haven't gained Finch's trust yet. It's especially concerning with Shannon and Dillingham, as Minnesota needs point guard help, and Shannon was supposed to be the guy to fill Nickeil Alexander-Walker's shoes, both on defense as a bigger-bodied player and as a more versatile scorer who flashed as a slasher late last season.

Shannon returning to last season's form seems more likely than Dillingham blossoming out of nowhere, but both are issues and reasons why Minnesota may have to look outside the organization for help if they want to put their best foot forward as a contender in the stacked Western Conference.