The Wolves Are Still Searching For That Magic Bullet

Chris Finch remained steadfast with his starting five after the Minnesota Timberwolves’ 119-105 loss Saturday against the Detroit Pistons. Anthony Edwards erupted for a career-high 53 points on 51.6% from the floor, but the rest of his teammates shot 18 of 49 (36.7%) and only scored 52 points. Aside from Edwards, the starting lineup was a minus-42 while recording 31 points.

Still, Finch didn’t think he needed to switch up the starting lineup.

“We think about these things all the time,” said Finch. “If I felt that the magic bullet was changing the starting lineup, I would have done that already.”

Finch has always been a level-headed coach. He has a .553 career winning percentage in Minnesota and led the Wolves to the playoffs in all three of his full seasons with the team. He was the anchor of a team that reached the Western Conference Finals last year. Therefore, Finch has rarely had to make significant changes.

Being patient has served Finch well, especially in Rudy Gobert’s first season with the Wolves. However, his comments after Minnesota’s loss in Detroit aggravated fans. They have watched the starting lineup of Mike Conley, Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, Julius Randle, and Gobert consistently come out of games with zero juice. How is the coach not seeing the same thing?

“I don’t think I am being particularly stubborn,” explained Finch. “There is a chain reaction to everything that you do. There are other combinations and things that go on the floor that are just as important if not more so important than the starting lineup.”

Finch set a smokescreen. As it turns out, the loss to the Pistons was enough for him to start tinkering with the starters and hopefully fire the magic bullet.

However, he is still looking for the right ammunition.

“I just read all the papers,” Finch told the media in jest following Monday’s 108-106 win over the Los Angeles Clippers. “Everybody was telling me, so I said, ‘You know what? S–, I should change the starting lineup.’”

After the Wolves fell back to .500 in Detroit, Finch started Donte DiVincenzo Monday night instead of Conley. Finch likely wasn’t swayed by what the media thought he should do. He didn’t pick up a newspaper, read a local column, and have an epiphany. Instead, he probably sat down with his coaches to make a calculated decision.

We know that Finch sat down with Conley, who had only come off the bench 36 times in his career, Monday morning to ask permission to move him out of the starting lineup.

“It was respectful. It was super cool that [Finch] even did that,” Conley said postgame. “I know he knows I was going to be okay with it, I feel like, but for him to even sit me down and ask says a lot about the respect he has for me and all of our players.”

If starting DiVincenzo was indeed a magic bullet, it would have pierced the Wolves with a spark of new-found energy immediately. However, the Clippers outscored Minnesota’s new starting lineup 13-7 in the six minutes they were on the floor in the first quarter.

Nothing changed. The Wolves remained sluggish off the jump, falling behind by as many as 15 points in the first quarter. Minnesota shot 6 of 20 from the floor and 1 of 7 from deep and turned in a 66.7 offensive rating in the frame. It also committed six turnovers, which resulted in 10 points for the Clippers and allowed LA to record eight second-chance points.

The Wolves were down 27-16 at the end of the first quarter before eventually falling by 19 points with 7:29 left in the second quarter. The team had zero life, and neither did the crowd. However, everything changed at warp speed after Conley subbed into the game.

“It was all about trying to get Mike into a group of guys who could accentuate his talents better,” Finch explained regarding his decision to mix up the starting lineup. “The bulk of his minutes have shifted in that unit. It was really a way to try and get him going.”

Minnesota seemed dead to rights midway through the second quarter. There was still a half left to play, but we have seen this movie before. The Wolves come out with no energy at home and coast to an uninspiring loss. Most recently, that happened in their 113-103 loss against the Golden State Warriors on December 21.

However, Conley helped break the hush on Monday that had fallen over the Target Center crowd.

The Wolves closed the final six minutes of the first half on a 21-9 run as they inched within seven at halftime. Conley had eight of Minnesota’s points in that span. Finch’s plan was working — Conley acted as the natural point guard off the bench and controlled the Wolves’ offense.

“I think that is what the idea was behind it,” Conley said postgame regarding being moved to the bench. “Like, ‘Hey, let’s see what it looks like coming in with a different unit, where you can be more ball dominant.’ Not necessarily shooting more, but just feel more injected into the game and play my role the best I can.”

Furthermore, Minnesota’s coaching staff deployed Edwards, McDaniels, Naz Reid, and Gobert around Conley for their unexpected comeback push. In 7:29 second-quarter minutes together, that group outscored LA 23-11, shot 9 of 16 from the floor, 5 of 10 from deep, and turned in a 176.9 ORTG.

Many Wolves fans have lobbied for Finch to start games with this lineup. They have also voted to demote Randle to the bench and replace him with Reid, who gives the Wolves a much better floor spacer next to Edwards and promotes healthier ball movement.

When Randle and DiVincenzo returned to start the second half, Minnesota’s new starting lineup opened the first 2:47 minutes by outscoring the Clippers 11-4 and feeding off the momentum the Conley-led group found.

The Wolves came storming back in the third quarter, turning a 19-point hole in the first half into a 10-point lead with 6:40 left in the third. LA pulled back within one point at the quarter’s end following Nicolas Batum’s buzzer-beating corner three before both teams jockeyed for position in the fourth. However, the Wolves rode a 37-point performance from Edwards to a narrow two-point win, putting the team back above .500.

Edwards and his pair of clutch threes are what you probably saw on social media Monday night. However, Minnesota’s win was a full-team effort sparked by a shot fired from Finch.

• DiVincenzo finished with 15 points and nine rebounds (his most since March 10, 2024).
• Reid hung 18 points and seven rebounds on the scoreboard in 31 minutes.
• Gobert pulled in 18 rebounds (10 defensive, eight offensive).
• McDaniels shot 3 of 3 from deep, tacking on 11 points.
• Conley registered 11 points, four rebounds, and three assists in 26 minutes.

Finch’s decision to bring Conley off the bench and surround him with players who bring out the best in him proved to be fruitful Monday night.

However, the Wolves have the sixth-worst first-quarter net rating (-6.7) since December 13. They must still find a solution to their slow starts. Maybe giving DiVincenzo – who has always been an instigator of energy – more time with the starters could improve Minnesota’s first-quarter output. Perhaps the solution is to plug Reid in with the starters, which could entail the Wolves trading Randle before the deadline. The slow starts may be an Achilles heel for the Wolves all season, regardless of their starting lineup.

Nevertheless, Finch showed a willingness to make changes. He will probably continue to search for the magic bullet to cure the slow starts, even if one doesn’t exist.