Why a Deeper Rotation Is Imperative for Timberwolves to Begin the Season

Jaylen Clark believes he will have a great season with the Timberwolves this year. He inked a three-year, $10 million contract this summer to remain with the team that drafted him 53rd overall out of UCLA in 2023, which indicates he likes the spot he is in moving forward with the Wolves.

“That’s why I came back,” Clark told Dan Barreiro on KFAN this week. “If I didn’t, I would have went somewhere else. I like what Tim [Connelly] was telling me, what [Chris] Finch was talking about, so it’s going to be a great year.”

Minnesota will boast a guard-heavy roster this year featuring players such as LaMelo Ball, Anthony Edwards, Terrence Shannon Jr., and Bones Hyland. Insulated within that depth, there is a world where Clark is a fringe rotational player under Finch this season, playing only in situations where the Wolves need his game-wreaking point-of-attack defense.

However, Clark sees the Wolves as having a strong first 10 players and mentioned the possibility that Finch could open the season with a 9- or 10-man rotation. After a summer of change that has brought in two new starters, it will be important for Finch to deploy a 10-man rotation to begin the year.

What is Minnesota’s depth chart looking like?

Tim Connelly’s off-season moves have come in waves of palpable change. The summer began with two questions: who is going to be Minnesota’s starting point guar moving forward, and will Julius Randle be on the roster to start the 2026-27 season? The Wolves answered both questions by trading him, along with Naz Reid, for LaMelo Ball.

Acquiring Ball put an All-Star-level floor general next to Edwards, but it created a hole at power forward. Three months after trading for Ball, Connelly signed 23-year-old forward Jonathan Kuminga to a two-year, $12.4 million contract—effectively answering Minnesota’s question at PF with the best available unrestricted free agent on the market.

In turn, Connelly and his staff have assembled a relatively deep and versatile depth chart for Finch to utilize this season.

PG	SG	SF	PF	C
LaMelo Ball	Anthony Edwards	Jaden McDaniels	Jonathan Kuminga	Rudy Gobert
Bones Hyland	Ayo Dosunmu	Terrence Shannon Jr.	Trey Lyles	Joan Beringer
Zyon Pullin^	Jaylen Clark	Cody Williams	Enrique Freeman^	Rocco Zikarsky^
	Isaiah Evans
	Donte DiVincenzo*

^ notes 2-way player
* notes injured player

Finch has enough depth, in my eyes, to play 10 players consistently, even before sharpshooter Donte DiVincenzo returns later in the year. In past seasons, that hasn’t been the case. Finch typically prefers a shorter rotation and limited lineup combinations because they allow more chemistry and connectivity between players. However, there have been seasons in which Finch has run a short rotation out of necessity.

Whether that was because of Rob Dillingham’s struggles, Josh Minott’s lack of defense, or Joe Ingles’ underwhelming performance during his first season in Minnesota, Finch hasn’t always had the tools necessary to find productive output deep in his bench and expand his rotation.

Yet, that isn’t true this season, and Finch needs to realize that.

“Our first ten is very strong,” Clark said on KFAN. “If you look at the teams that are winning, like OKC, San Antonio, they are not afraid to go nine or ten deep. I know early in the year, Finch definitely does that. Towards the later half, he tightens up closer to eight.”

Why a 10-man rotation is important

The Wolves, who have made two trips to the Western Conference Finals in the last three years, know as well as anyone the level of conditioning that is required to compete for a championship. The 82-game regular season that every player prepares for in the summer evolves into a near 100-game gauntlet as teams advance deep into the postseason.

Players need to be properly conditioned for that marathon. They also need to be healthy. And that is why Finch must go deep into his bench this year.

LaMelo Ball NBA Timberwolves — For the first time in his career, LaMelo Ball is playing for a team with championship expectations, and it will be important for his head coach, Chris Finch, to manage his minutes accordingly. Mandatory Credit: Brian Westerholt-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Minnesota’s two newest pieces are both going to shoulder larger or more important roles than they have in the past. Ball is stepping onto a team trying to win a championship, and he has never been to the playoffs.

Kuminga, meanwhile, has played in 40 playoff games, 16 of which came during his rookie year in 2022 during the Golden State Warriors’ most recent NBA championship run. However, Kuminga’s role with the Timberwolves will arguably be much more important than it ever was in San Francisco, where he ended up in and out of Steve Kerr’s rotation.

Kuminga averages 22.1 minutes per game in his NBA career, considerably lower than starters typically play. Knee injuries and an inconsistent role last season led to Kuminga only playing in 36 games.

On the other hand, Ball played in 72 games, the second time in his career he has played over 51 in a single season. Ball averaged 28 minutes per game last year. Through five seasons before that, he averaged 31.9 minutes.

Finch will have to manage and closely monitor both Ball and Kuminga’s minutes this season. It is plausible that they will play more minutes with the Timberwolves than in the past—and it will likely be important that they do—but it will also be essential for Finch to find ways to keep both of them healthy and fresh for the playoffs. Obviously, freak injuries are out of Finch’s control. But expanding his rotation can help ensure both are ready for a long postseason run.

Earlier this week, I mocked a potential rotation for the Wolves that features X different lineup combinations and 10 players. Here is the collection of bench players I have Finch utilizing consistently:

Dosunmu — primary backup scorer.
Beringer — Gobert’s replacement at center.
Shannon Jr. — backup point guard.
Clark — supplemental point-of-attack defender.
Lyles — McDaniels/Kuminga replacement.

That group of players in the right lineup combinations provides necessary relief to Ball and Kuminga. You could make the case for Bones Hyland to be in the rotation over Lyles, but the veteran forward would help ease the load off Kuminga with his floor spacing, rebounding, and sneaky athleticism. Clark, though he stands at 6’3”, could also slot in at power forward in certain lineups thanks to his strong, physical defense.

Regardless of who slots in, it is important that Finch opens this season with a deep rotation. Clark knows doing so can be helpful with the Wolves gunning for a Finals appearance over the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs. But they will be doing so with two players who will fulfill either larger or more important roles than they are used to.

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