Trey Lyles' Timberwolves Fit is More Complex Than You Think

With headphones still hanging from his ears, Trey Lyles hung up from a call with his agent and a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves’ front office.

On his vlog, he shared his initial reaction to signing with Minnesota.

“We in there like swimwear,” Lyles said, rubbing his hands together. “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?’”

Lyles, a 10-year NBA veteran, spent last season playing internationally in Spain. In his vlog, Lyles said he informed his agent that he would not return to Madrid for the 2026-27 season, as he hopes to return to the NBA. The Timberwolves were the first team to extend an offer to him. And according to what he said after hanging up that phone call, it appears he'll have a chance to compete for a starting job in Minnesota.

Are we overlooking Lyles? Could he be a larger part of the Timberwolves’ power forward solution than many are expecting?

What does Lyles have left in the tank?

After spending 10 years in the NBA between the Utah Jazz, Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons, and Sacramento Kings from 2015 to 2025, Lyles signed with Real Madrid on a one-year, $3.2 million deal last season.

El partidazo de Trey Lyles (29 puntos) en el Palau, clave para la victoria del Real Madrid ante el Barça pic.twitter.com/X9Tw465zMU
— Eurohoops España (@EurohoopsES) November 7, 2025

Lyles, 30, played in 25 games for Real Madrid, averaging 11.7 points (more than he ever averaged in an NBA season), 4.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists on 47.7% from the floor and 39% from deep in 20.6 minutes. He helped lead Real Madrid to a 19-6 regular season record.

In Spain, Lyles frequently showed off his back-to-the-basket game on offense, mixing his size with solid mobility and a soft touch, although his handle did look a little loose in those sequences. Lyles got around defenders on the perimeter with surprising speed for a guy his age and size (6’10”). Lyles was able to take defenders off the bounce because they were defending him tightly on the 3-point line. His 39% completion rate on threes with Real Madrid was also higher than he ever shot during a full NBA season. His NBA career average is 34.7% from deep on 2.9 attempts per game. Although in his previous three NBA seasons, he shot 36.2% from deep on 3.5 attempts. That is good enough to keep a defense honest.

Defensively, Lyles leverages his mobility fairly well. He is not going to be a forward capable of switching with the level of versatility that has become increasingly common in the NBA. Still, he can hold his own on the perimeter against forwards and provides some strength and athleticism around the rim and on the glass. Lyles has a career 13.3% rebound rate in the NBA, which, for comparison, is tied with Onyeka Okongwu for the 30th-best rebound percentage of any NBA player in the 2025-26 season.

It is difficult to compare international players' statistics and trends with those of the NBA. The level of competition among players overseas is lower than the NBA, but the physicality and emphasis on team-oriented basketball are usually greater. Still, Lyles’ production in Spain is encouraging for his return to the NBA because of how he shot the ball and the mobility, athleticism, and foot speed he showed.

At 30 years old, Lyles is currently the second-oldest player on Minnesota’s roster, but he is four years younger than Rudy Gobert and only a year older than Donte DiVincenzo. And despite not being in the NBA last season, there is reason to believe Lyles still has winning basketball left in the tank that could help the Timberwolves compete this season.

Is there a legit chance Lyles starts, though?

It is unlikely that the Timberwolves are expecting Lyles to start. Chances are, they told him over the phone, while pitching their offer, something along the lines of: they have a hole at power forward, no obvious way to patch it, and will be looking for ways internally to do so.

Therein lies the chance Lyles has to earn a starting gig.

In my eyes, the most important aspect for whoever emerges as Chris Finch’s fifth starter is their willingness and capability to play a complementary, primarily off-ball role that can focus on doing the fine-tuning work to tie an already talented starting lineup together.

LaMelo Ball, Anthony Edwards, and Jaden McDaniels will be the top three fixtures of Minnesota’s offensive system this season. That’s why I believe Terrence Shannon Jr. should continue coming off the bench, so he can play in an on-ball role. That is also why I am skeptical of Jonathan Kuminga’s fit with the Wolves, and why I am leaning toward a player like Josh Green to be the fifth starter because of his 3-and-D abilities.

Theoretically, Lyles could work with the starters as well. The question is whether he is physically able to play starter-level minutes for a full season at his age, after playing just 25 games with Spain last year.

Trey Lyles Timberwolves NBA — Apr 11, 2025; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings forward Trey Lyles (left) dunks against Los Angeles Clippers guard Kris Dunn (right) during the second quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

But assuming he is, Lyles possesses the defensive and rebounding ability that could keep McDaniels guarding perimeter players at small forward, the position Finch has stated he would like McDaniels to stay. Offensively, Lyles’ ability to space from the corners and be a pick-and-pop threat—assuming he can carry over a similarly productive jump shot from Spain—would pair very nicely with Ball and Edwards.

But right now, there are far too many assumptions in that plan for me to say that Lyles should be in the starting lineup.

I'm not buying it

I would be surprised if Lyles is the opening-night power forward, but Finch has made unexpected changes to the starting lineup before (replacing Mike Conley with Donte DiVincenzo the night before last season’s opener), and Tim Connelly hinted at the Wolves filling their power forward hole with a “left fieldish” option.

Perhaps Lyles, the 30-year-old coming back from overseas, becomes that option at some point. Maybe he impresses Finch during training camp and in the preseason and earns a starting role. Maybe that role will be situational, with Finch maximizing Lyles’ minutes against teams with big front courts and downsizing his role against smaller, fast-paced teams.

Regardless, the Wolves' apparent mention of Lyles getting the opportunity to earn the starting job suggests he may have a bigger role this season than simply a depth addition who sits outside of the rotation most nights. And even though he wasn't even in the NBA last year, there still seems to be enough left in the tank for Lyles to play a meaningful role for the Timberwolves in 2026-27.

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

Add us as a preferred source on Google