The way Chris Finch described the Minnesota Timberwolves after their flaccid 115-96 loss to the LA Clippers made it sound like the Monstars had sapped Minnesota’s best players of their skill.
“We don’t have a great spirit about us right now,” Finch lamented. “We gotta pick it up and try to finish these last two games strong before the break. That’s apparent.”
Who stole their spirit, though?
Kawhi Leonard, the cyborg? John Collins, the player Minnesota passed on in 2017 to take (checks notes) Justin Patton? Old friend Kris Dunn, who’s not a doctor but tried to remove Naz Reid’s tonsils?
Julius Randle + Kris Dunn extracurriculars pic.twitter.com/QRFyX5hzCB
— Timberwolves Clips (@WolvesClips) February 8, 2026
The Timberwolves had some spirit in that game. They played defense for most of the game, and Julius Randle tried to fight Dunn, the player Minnesota selected fifth overall in 2016 instead of Jamal Murray.
However, Wolves played uninspired offense, trying to shoot their way back into the game. They had 14 turnovers and 8 assists at halftime, and shot 24% from three. Their one-pass, clank offense caused Norman Dale to turn over in his grave.
Then, 24 hours later, they whalloped the Atlanta Hawks 138-116 in Nickeil Alexander-Walker’s return to the Target Center.
“Sometimes, it feels like you’re really far away from where you want to be, but you’re actually not,” Finch said after the win, adding that he and the coaching staff took a positive approach to Minnesota’s funk. “You just got to remind yourself.”
Those two games are a microcosm of Minnesota’s season. The Wolves have beaten the Oklahoma City Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs, the two best teams in the West. They’ve also lost to the Sacramento Kings, New Orleans Pelicans, and Utah Jazz. Teams so lousy that a European league would relegate them. James Naismith would take away their peach basket.
Watching the Timberwolves is like riding a roller coaster on a humid August afternoon. It’s fun on the way up, and nauseating on the way down. They’re like a Mastercraft without a rudder. Expensive, lots of horsepower, and bound to crash.
Before beating Atlanta on Monday, the Wolves defeated the Golden State Warriors, Dallas Mavericks, Oklahoma City, and the Memphis Grizzlies. For those keeping track at home, the NBA’s most recent dynasty, the last two teams that beat them in the Western Conference, and the team that first eliminated Chris Finch’s Wolves in the playoffs.
However, 48 hours after beating the Grizzlies 131-114 in Memphis, they lost to the Grizzlies in Memphis. Two days later, they won in Toronto for the first time since 2004, which is two years before Joan Beringer was born.
That’s all before losing to the Clippers, who are more dilapidated than the Buick sitting at the bottom of White Bear Lake. Twenty-four hours later, the Timberwolves beat the Hawks, who defeated the Wolves 126-102 in Atlanta before Minnesota’s four-game win streak to kick off the new year.
If that’s confusing, it’s because the Timberwolves make no sense. Zach Lowe calls the Wolves contenders on the same podcast that Bill Simmons says the Clippers’ front office should have sold the roster’s spare parts at the deadline. The Wolves promptly lose to the Clippers.
Still, there’s an explanation for Minnesota’s mysterious season. Mike Conley’s production has dropped off this season. He’s 38, and Father Time has caught up to him. He organized the Wolves’ offense and kept them calm in trying moments.
Conley still offers leadership to Minnesota’s young roster, which is why they’re in the process of laundering him to duck the luxury tax. However, he can’t bring the ball up or reorient things on the court.
Minnesota traded for Ayo Dosunmu at the deadline, and he’s a perfect fit for the roster. However, he’s not a traditional point guard, and his value lies in his bench scoring. That means Anthony Edwards and Donte DiVincenzo will bring the ball up, while Julius Randle will act as a point forward in the halfcourt.
It also means Chris Finch must help organize Minnesota’s offense when it’s in a rut. Mike Conley is no longer available to sort things out when the offense grows stagnant. Therefore, Finch must offer as much direction as he can from the sidelines, given that Edwards, DiVincenzo, and Randle are not traditional point guards.
The Timberwolves must pull off a delicate balancing act. They must move the ball and play stout defense to tap into their championship-caliber horsepower. They also must occasionally slow down and steer the ship when they fall off course. Otherwise, this season will crash and burn spectacularly, as it has in the past two years.