It's safe to say that Minnesota Timberwolves fans are still reeling from Friday's trade. How could they not? Karl-Anthony Towns has been a franchise cornerstone for nearly a decade. While they could ease the pain by imagining what Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo would bring, seeing their beloved stretch five in the Big Apple will still be a melancholic adjustment.
This article though, will be focusing on that suggested coping mechanism. As good as Towns is, his replacements bring plenty to the table as well.
The entry of Julius Randle will arguably make him Towns' replacement in the first five. Of course, there are questions on whether or not Randle will immediately get the starting nod. For one, he's coming off a shoulder surgery back in April. Secondly, there's his play style.
Randle is capable of shooting the three-ball, but his 31.1% average last year is far from KAT's (41.6% from deep). Moreover, while Randle did average more points per game than Towns last season (Randle – 24.0 PPG, Towns – 21.8 PPG), the former tends to create his shot more and has a knack for putting the ball on the floor. Spacing and a clash of styles with Anthony Edwards could be a concern here, as Towns had no problem playing off the ball whenever Edwards had the rock in his hands.
This situation may bring about theories such as the Timberwolves going small with Naz Reid as the floor spacer to complement Randle's inside play, or starting Reid together with Gobert while Randle comes off the bench. Nevertheless, the most realistic situation at present is Julius Randle starting alongside Gobert since he's too talented of a scorer to be a sixth man. Chris Finch just has to find the right formula so that the Timberwolves' new forward seamlessly fits in the first five.
Now comes a very interesting topic of discussion: Donte DiVincenzo's role.
Donte DiVincenzo's entry is a threat to Nickeil Alexander-Walker's minutes
Looking at the way Chris Finch distributed minutes last year, the first five and Naz Reid got most of the minutes. Outside of the six, only Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Kyle Anderson got no less than 20 minutes per game during the regular season. Anderson's playing time even went down to 15.4 MPG in the playoffs, as Finch opted to stick with Reid and Alexander-Walker as the main rotational pieces off the bench.
So how does Donte DiVincenzo fit into all of this? It's hard to see the former Villanova star in the first five. Jaden McDaniels is too elite of a defender to be replaced by DiVincenzo. DiVincenzo can create with the ball, but he's far from a pure point guard like Mike Conley or rookie Rob Dillingham, who makes a strong case as the Timberwolves' new backup PG.
This means DiVincenzo will be a rotational wing off the bench. And assuming that Chris Finch hands out playing time similarly to how he did last season, DiVincenzo could take away Alexander-Walker's minutes. Both are two-way players who shoot the three-ball well. However, DiVincenzo — who put up 15.5 points per game for the New York Knicks last season — is the more proven out of the two and will probably earn the SG spot in the second unit.
Can't Alexander-Walker just be moved to the backup three spot? That's the ideal situation, considering how he's a more optimal choice over Joe Ingles or Terrence Shannon Jr. However, last year, Finch barely used any of Jaden McDaniels' backups. Other wingmen like Troy Brown Jr. and TJ Warren each played no more than 12 minutes per game.
It's impossible for Alexander-Walker to get Kyle Anderson's role either because even if Slow Mo — who left the team via a trade — was versatile enough to play outside from time to time, a large part of his minutes came as a big man.
To end on a positive note, Finch will likely tweak the way he distributes minutes to give Alexander-Walker consistent playing time. It would be unwise to leave out the 3-and-D specialist in the dark. But in terms of getting his usual 23 minutes per game? The answer to that concern will only be revealed once the season begins.
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