In Tim We Trust? The Wolves’ Point Guard Conundrum
The life of a Timberwolves fan in late August: refreshing Twitter every 20 minutes hoping Tim Connelly signs someone you’ve heard of. As the dog days pass with only Malik Beasley rumors that come and go, we find ourselves left to wonder whether Tim Connelly is actually going to leave the Wolves bare bones at point guard?
The NAW Problem
Let’s rewind. The Wolves’ backup point guard situation shifted to code orange the moment Nickeil Alexander-Walker packed his bags for Atlanta. Totally understandable move given the cap. But still, he was a steady ball handler who could defend and let Finch breathe when Mike Conley sat. Now he’s gone.
What’s left? Well, “patchwork” is being kind. Conley, who at this point has one foot in the Hall of Fame and one foot in a cryo chamber, still ran the show capably last year. But whenever he sat, it turned into a Frankenstein’s lab of experiments. Sometimes it worked. Sometimes it was like watching one of those Disney+ Marvel shows — you squint, you see the budget, you know it’s not bad, but you also know it’s not the real thing.
And yet the Wolves still survived, avoided the play-in, and made a second straight Western Conference Finals. That’s the good news. The bad news: we’re one rolled ankle away from Rob Dillingham and Donte DiVincenzo as full-time point guards.” Yikes.
The Dilly Dilemma
Dillingham is fascinating. Connelly and the Wolves spent real future draft capital to move up and grab him at No. 8 last year, basically telling everyone, “this is Conley’s heir.” And you can see it: the speed, the flair. But then you remember: point guards usually don’t really “get it” until Year 3 or 4. Asking Dillingham to shoulder the second-unit offense on a team with Finals aspirations is like giving your 16-year-old the keys to your Tesla and telling him, “Just merge onto 35W at rush hour, you’ll be fine.”
Finch knows this. He had Dilly on a short leash all year — flashes here and there, but never enough rope to hang himself. Summer League was the same story: some highlights, some turnovers, some moments where you go, “This kid could run the league someday.” But “someday” isn’t November.
Bones or Bust?
So now here we are. The Wolves are bringing back Bones Hyland. While I love the idea of “Microwave Bones” coming in, dropping 14 points in 9 minutes, and running around like he’s at Rucker Park, the reality is that this isn’t NBA 2K. He couldn’t stick in Denver. He barely cracked the Clippers’ rotation. And even in Minnesota last year, Finch basically gave him the “just stand in the corner, please” treatment. Betting your contender’s rotation on Bones is like betting your retirement fund on Dogecoin. Fun? Sure. Smart? No.
Members of the usual vet-minimum carousel are still out there. Maybe Connelly is slow-playing the market. Maybe he’s waiting until September when these guys realize “$3 million from Minnesota beats staying in shape at Lifetime Fitness.” That makes sense. But it’s also a gamble.
The Nightmare Scenario
Here’s the real fear: Mike Conley pulls something and misses 25 games. Suddenly you’re asking DiVincenzo and Dillingham to run 48 minutes of offense against Shai, Luka, Steph, Ja, Jamal Murray, Fox… should I keep going?
That’s the nightmare. We’re not talking about hiding spot minutes anymore. We’re talking about “season goes off the rails in February because we tried to fake a point guard rotation.” That’s how you waste a title window.
The Belichick Parallel
And yet… Tim Connelly’s track record says we should chill.
As a lifelong Patriots fan (and Wolves masochist), I lived through two decades of Belichick moves that made no sense in the moment. Trading Lawyer Milloy days before the season. Letting Wes Welker walk. Drafting guys like Tavon Wilson. The Boston media would go berserk, Pats fans would panic… and then six months later, Belichick was holding another Lombardi. “In Bill We Trust” wasn’t just a bumper sticker, it was a survival mechanism.
Connelly isn’t Belichick, but let’s be honest: since he showed up, the Wolves went from “league’s funniest punchline” to “two straight Western Conference Finals.” He traded for Gobert (everyone mocked it, then he won DPOY). He got real value for KAT. He’s built a legit contender.
So yeah, maybe we need to take a breath.
The Bigger Picture
Could we find ourselves in May lamenting the lack of a reliable backup point guard? Absolutely. Could we also be watching Rob Dillingham turn into 2025’s version of Tyrese Maxey? Totally possible. That’s the beauty and the terror of this spot.
But here’s what I know: the Wolves have a real shot. Anthony Edwards and his 3% body fat is about to make another leap. Jaden and Rudy anchor a nasty defense. The West is stacked, but the Wolves are right there in the mix. And if Connelly has earned anything, it’s the benefit of the doubt.
So, in Tim we trust. Nervously. Skeptically. Refreshing Twitter every 20 minutes. But trust nonetheless.
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