On Tuesday, the Timberwolves fanbase and the team as a whole received great news. Anthony Edwards, who has missed the last four games with a right hamstring strain, has been upgraded to questionable for Wednesday’s contest against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
If Edwards does return, or returns soon after, there’s a good chance someone will need to exit the rotation. The two most likely candidates are Bones Hyland and Terrence Shannon Jr.
Bones Hyland
Now, this could be Rob Dillingham, who received a DNP-CD in the season’s opener. Since returning from a one-game absence with a fractured nose, he seems to have usurped Hyland in the team’s pecking order, though.
Finch may have given a hint that Hyland will not be in the rotation once Edwards returns on Monday. In Minnesota’s win over the Nets, Hyland didn’t see any action in the first half. He did get to play in the third quarter though when the game was still tight.
While he’s appeared in all seven games, Monday was a continuation of Hyland receiving less playing time. After averaging 14.8 minutes in the first four contests, that has decreased to 7.7 in the last three. The team has also been outscored with him on the court in each of their last six games.
Terrence Shannon Jr.
It looked like the momentum Shannon Jr. built in the Western Conference finals continued into the regular season after he had 10 points, five rebounds, and five assists in the opener. Much like Hyland, though, Minnesota has been outscored in six straight games when Shannon Jr. has been playing.
Shannon Jr.’s main call to playing time is providing offense off the bench. Instead, he has only totaled 27 points through seven contests, and 19 of those came in two games. The 25-year-old has two scoreless outings, and 3 other games with no more than three points.
When Edwards does return, Mike Conley will likely return to the bench. Since I believe Dillingham will still be receiving playing time, it makes less sense to play three lead guards off the bench.
While Hyland can be more of a combo guard, he doesn’t have the size that Shannon Jr. possesses. For now, I think Shannon Jr. remains in the rotation but could be on thin ice. More struggles, and Finch could turn back to Hyland, or even see what Johnny Juzang can do with meaningful minutes.
There's even a chance that neither receives regular minutes. A healthy Timberwolves roster will have Mike Conley, Jaylen Clark, Naz Reid, and Rob Dillingham in line for minutes off the bench. Finch has gone with a nine-man rotation before, and mostly went with just eight during last season's playoffs before playing Shannon Jr.