As the Minnesota Timberwolves enter the final quarter of the regular season, a litany of questions remains.
Minnesota’s inconsistent play is at the forefront. However, as the team looks to change its bad habits and each game carries more weight, Chris Finch has some important decisions to make about the back end of the rotation.
Finch has toggled around with his end-of-rotation options throughout the entire regular season. However, with the roster fully healthy and a new trade acquisition in the mix, there aren’t enough minutes to play all their fringe contributors.
Luckily, Finch has a fair share of different archetypes to work with. All of Minnesota’s end-of-rotation players impact the game to varying degrees. However, with the playoffs on the horizon and games mattering more, Finch will likely tighten his rotation.
As former Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone, who won a championship in 2023, once said, “specialists don’t play in the playoffs.”
A tighter rotation will mean that Ayo Dosunmu, Terrence Shannon Jr., Jaylen Clark, and Bones Hyland will be competing for playing time down the stretch.
The Timberwolves brought back old friend Kyle Anderson on Thursday evening. Mike Conley is also returning after his brief time with the Chicago Bulls and Charlotte Hornets, after the Wolves traded him at the trade deadline. However, they’re older players who will have limited roles, while Dosunmu, Shannon, Clark, and Hyland are more likely to become a core part of the rotation.
Tim Connelly traded Rob Dillingham and Leonard Miller to the Chicago Bulls to land Ayo Dosunmu, who will offer much-needed guard. The other three have existed in and out of the rotation for most of the season.
Which of these players is most impactful within a playoff setting?
Ayo Dosunmu is the Timberwolves’ biggest wild card
Dosunmu has only played in one postseason series in his four NBA seasons, and he made a limited impact. In 2022, Dosunmu averaged 4 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 2.2 assists with a 37.8% true-shooting percentage in Chicago’s five-game Round 1 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.
For as efficient as Dosunmu has been throughout his career, he makes a peculiar offensive imprint. While Dosunmu is shooting 45% from three this season, he has been volatile throughout his career and doesn’t shoot threes with enough volume to be a fully reliable playoff shooter.
Dosunmu is attempting 4.2 threes per game in 26.5 minutes this season, and has a three-point attempt rate of .393. Throughout his career, 38.2% of Dosunmu’s shot attempts have been three-pointers. Dosunmu had more of an impact on-ball for the Bulls. However, he may not find the same freedoms in Minnesota.
If Dosunmu’s jumper is inconsistent enough, it may cost him playing time in a playoff series. While Dosunmu has showcased his transition scoring prowess and is more than capable of attacking closeouts, the bulk of his offensive role comes away from the ball. Dosunmu will have to shoot threes effectively to get playoff minutes, but much of his success depends on how opponents game-plan and guard him.
The rest of the regular season will be vital for Dosunmu to become further acclimated to Minnesota’s roster. Still, we may not know his impact until the playoffs roll around.
Terrence Shannon JR. is seeking redemption
After brief flashes of offensive transition chaos and high-energy impact last season and into the playoffs against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Shannon has a lot of room to still grow.
Shannon, 25, is at a unique crossroads. He’s one of Minnesota’s more inexperienced players, but he’s still older than Jaden McDaniels, Anthony Edwards, Jaylen Clark, and Bones Hyland.
The Timberwolves will offer Shannon some grace, given he’s dealt with a range of lower-body injuries that have forced him to miss extended time in his first two NBA seasons. However, he’s entering a make-or-break scenario as he tries to establish himself in the rotation.
Shannon has a fairly simple role for Minnesota. Offensively, the Timberwolves rely on him to knock down catch-and-shoot corner threes and try to make an impact through his burst and athleticism. Defensively, Shannon has struggled, but he has upside because of his offensive tools.
Even in a defined role, Shannon has not shown enough consistency to earn Finch’s trust. Shannon’s lack of off-hand, ball security, consistent three-point jumper, and defensive imprint has kept him from making a significant impact.
He has been able to garner opportunities since he returned from his recent foot injury, but Shannon must round out his game as soon as possible to earn playoff minutes.
Bones Hyland is buying into winning
It was now or never for Bones Hyland. He was either going to need to buy into a more team-friendly role or was likely off to play in Europe.
Hyland’s attention to detail has stood out all season. He has been more attentive on defense by using his massive wingspan. He also offers a consistent offensive role by toggling on and off the ball as a shooter. Few players on Minnesota’s roster possess Hyland’s catch-and-shoot prowess, parlayed with his pull-up scoring out of ball screens.
While it may be Hyland’s minutes to lose, he still needs to show the coaching staff that he can offer consistency to be relevant in playoff minutes. Hyland has 181 career playoff minutes, but he’s a different player than he was in Denver and Los Angeles.
Is Jaylen Clark more than a situational specialist?
Among Minnesota’s fringe rotational players, Jaylen Clark is battling the “specialist” label the most.
Clark’s impact is puzzling. While the Timberwolves are 1.8 points per 100 possessions better in Clark’s minutes, he doesn’t have a standout trait. Clark is pesky, but he’s still limited to a point-of-attack defender.
Meanwhile, Clark has struggled offensively. His jumper is not reliable, and he doesn’t offer much off the dribble. While Clark can positively impact the game with his defense, it is hard to project him garnering playoff minutes, given his offensive shortcomings.
Who will earn playoff minutes?
Ultimately, the most malleable players who can impact the game through multiple facets are going to earn playoff minutes.
Ayo Dosunmu and Bones Hyland should be Minnesota’s favorites to secure rotational minutes in the playoffs, and they don’t need to do anything throughout the rest of the regular season in order stand out more than they already do.
However, there is still some volatility, creating uncertainty about how they will perform in high-leverage playoff minutes.