Rotation thread 2024/2025

[wolves_89]

Three games into the preseason and I'm starting to believe that Minott is going to be ahead of Ingles in the rotation as the team's 9th man. He was the first forward off the bench last night and has outplayed Ingles (and everyone else in the running for 9th man in the rotation) by a wide margin.

[Colbinii]

Three games into the preseason and I'm starting to believe that Minott is going to be ahead of Ingles in the rotation as the team's 9th man. He was the first forward off the bench last night and has outplayed Ingles (and everyone else in the running for 9th man in the rotation) by a wide margin.

Yup--after a disappointing sophomore year and many fans beginning to write him off (myself included), I don't even recognize Minott on the court. His shot looks fluid and natural, his patience defensively allows him to utilize his tremendous length and athleticism to be disruptive without fouling and he plays within the flow.

I'm excited. He reminds me of Tayshaun Prince defensively.

[LSWF]

My thoughts on distribution of minutes to start the season.

Ant: No brainer, the best player on the team gets the most playing time. He should be playing 34 to 38 minutes per game.

Rudy: Defense wins. As aggravating as his offensive limitations are, we are at probably a play in team without Rudy's rim protection. I think he should be on the floor 32 to 36 minutes.

Randle: This is a difficult one for me to call, having not seen him play as much. He is an all star power forward with a concerning injury history. 30 to 34 minutes seems like a good guess.

McD: Again, defense wins. If he can stay out of foul trouble, I'd pencil him in for 28 to 32 minutes. Hope he can get that 3pt% above 35.

DDV: This dude is a baller! He has such a motor, quick decisions, and a dead eye shooter. have to give him 26 to 30.

Naz: NAZ REID 24 to 28

Mike: We need to keep him fresh for the playoffs, no b2b's and limit minutes to 20 to 24 when he plays.

Minot: This maybe a bit controversial but he needs to play. If you heard what Finch had to say about his work over the summer and have watched him over these three preseason games it just seems obvious he has earned minutes. 18 to 20 might be fitting.

Shifty: TC says he is playing. You have got to love the assist to TO ratio and the up tempo potential. He might not play every night but I think on those nights 12 to14 minutes seems good for his development.

NAW: DDV and Minot are going to take his minutes. Barring injuries, I think he plays 0 to 12 mins. I hope we find a team with an inexpensive extra backup rim protector that needs an inexpensive point of attack defender.

Luka: I love Luka, but this team is stacked. 0 to 10 minutes.

[Colbinii]

My thoughts on distribution of minutes to start the season.

Ant: No brainer, the best player on the team gets the most playing time. He should be playing 34 to 38 minutes per game.

Rudy: Defense wins. As aggravating as his offensive limitations are, we are at probably a play in team without Rudy's rim protection. I think he should be on the floor 32 to 36 minutes.

Randle: This is a difficult one for me to call, having not seen him play as much. He is an all star power forward with a concerning injury history. 30 to 34 minutes seems like a good guess.

McD: Again, defense wins. If he can stay out of foul trouble, I'd pencil him in for 28 to 32 minutes. Hope he can get that 3pt% above 35.

DDV: This dude is a baller! He has such a motor, quick decisions, and a dead eye shooter. have to give him 26 to 30.

Naz: NAZ REID 24 to 28

Mike: We need to keep him fresh for the playoffs, no b2b's and limit minutes to 20 to 24 when he plays.

Minot: This maybe a bit controversial but he needs to play. If you heard what Finch had to say about his work over the summer and have watched him over these three preseason games it just seems obvious he has earned minutes. 18 to 20 might be fitting.

Shifty: TC says he is playing. You have got to love the assist to TO ratio and the up tempo potential. He might not play every night but I think on those nights 12 to14 minutes seems good for his development.

NAW: DDV and Minot are going to take his minutes. Barring injuries, I think he plays 0 to 12 mins. I hope we find a team with an inexpensive extra backup rim protector that needs an inexpensive point of attack defender.

Luka: I love Luka, but this team is stacked. 0 to 10 minutes.

I'm going to push back on some of this. Why? Because we are super deep. There is no reason for ANT to be playing 38 MPG when we have 10-11 guys who deserve some semblance of minutes.

I'm going to list ranges as well, with larger ranges being more variance for what I want/expect to happen.

ANT: 32-34 [Limited B2B] - Clear-cut best player, highest usage, ect
Rudy: 29-31 [Limited B2B] - DPOY entering his late-prime after a busy summer. Keep him well-rested and that back fluid
Randle: 30-34 [Limited B2B] - History of injuries but also history of 70+ game seasons. Big offensive load
DDV: 28-33 - See Jaden as a plug-and-play
Jaden: 28-33 - See DDV as a plug-and-play
Naz: 26-30 - 3rd Big
Mike: 24-28 [No B2B] - Point God Maestro but aging out
NAW: 14-24 - Unfortunately isn't primed to take the back-up PG role. Sort of a poor-man's Jaden, which doesn't leave much room given the teams needs
Dilly: 0-18 - Big range as I think he may start with minutes in Iowa but could also simply be our best back-up ball-handler AND that may be required if Randle misses time. Ultimately, Conley/ANT/Randle/DDV/NAW should be enough to shoulder playmaking.
Minott: 12-20 - Really fills a need as a larger 3/4 with incredible defensive potential. We need an athletic 3/4, and he along with the next guys
TSJ: 8-16 - Exciting as a rim attacker and defender. He is ready to play now, but can he make the corner-3 consistently?

Again, the big question marks are how the roster shakes out 8-11. We can't know how this will shake-out until we see which players fill-in the voids of our Top 7 the best. Is it on-ball defense of NAW and his experience? Is it the size of Minott? Playmaking of Dilly? Rim-pressure and maturity of TSJ while making the corner 3?

*Limited B2B: Rotate B2B with one of our "Big 3" sitting out each one, likely depended on what smaller, nagging injuries they have. For Example, B2B #1: Conley + ANT sit, B2B #2: Conley + Rudy sit, B2B #3: Conley + Randle sit. Keep's Randle/ANT/Gobert well rested.

[LSWF]

I'm going to push back on some of this. Why? Because we are super deep. There is no reason for ANT to be playing 38 MPG when we have 10-11 guys who deserve some semblance of minutes.

I'm going to list ranges as well, with larger ranges being more variance for what I want/expect to happen.

ANT: 32-34 [Limited B2B] - Clear-cut best player, highest usage, ect
Rudy: 29-31 [Limited B2B] - DPOY entering his late-prime after a busy summer. Keep him well-rested and that back fluid
Randle: 30-34 [Limited B2B] - History of injuries but also history of 70+ game seasons. Big offensive load
DDV: 28-33 - See Jaden as a plug-and-play
Jaden: 28-33 - See DDV as a plug-and-play
Naz: 26-30 - 3rd Big
Mike: 24-28 [No B2B] - Point God Maestro but aging out
NAW: 14-24 - Unfortunately isn't primed to take the back-up PG role. Sort of a poor-man's Jaden, which doesn't leave much room given the teams needs
Dilly: 0-18 - Big range as I think he may start with minutes in Iowa but could also simply be our best back-up ball-handler AND that may be required if Randle misses time. Ultimately, Conley/ANT/Randle/DDV/NAW should be enough to shoulder playmaking.
Minott: 12-20 - Really fills a need as a larger 3/4 with incredible defensive potential. We need an athletic 3/4, and he along with the next guys
TSJ: 8-16 - Exciting as a rim attacker and defender. He is ready to play now, but can he make the corner-3 consistently?

Again, the big question marks are how the roster shakes out 8-11. We can't know how this will shake-out until we see which players fill-in the voids of our Top 7 the best. Is it on-ball defense of NAW and his experience? Is it the size of Minott? Playmaking of Dilly? Rim-pressure and maturity of TSJ while making the corner 3?

*Limited B2B: Rotate B2B with one of our "Big 3" sitting out each one, likely depended on what smaller, nagging injuries they have. For Example, B2B #1: Conley + ANT sit, B2B #2: Conley + Rudy sit, B2B #3: Conley + Randle sit. Keep's Randle/ANT/Gobert well rested.

Good Post Colbinii. I think against the top teams we should run our best players a little longer. Ant playing 38 mins against an OKC or Boston seems reasonable. Against the bottom feeders we may not need him for even 30. TSJ while being a promising prospect will probably be getting DNP's to start the season. I don't see how we play two rooks early on given our aspirations.

[younggunsmn]

My preseason rotation in order of likelihood to see minutes, with role and minutes noted.

1 Conley - Starter. 24-30 minutes per game. Will miss 15-20 games for rest via DNP-OLD
2 Ant - Starter 35-38 minutes per game.
3 McDaniels - Starter - Foul trouble will limit him to 30-32 MPG
4 Randle - Starter - 32-36 MPG
5 Gobert - Starter - 30-34 MPG. Will also miss 6-8 games for rest

6 Divencenzo - Primary Backup PG and SG. 28-34 MPG when mike plays and 34-38 when he sits.
7 Reid - Primary Backup PF and C. 24-28 MPG
8 NAW - 2nd guard/wing off the bench and primary McDaniels backup as a POA defender. 12-18 MPG depending on McDaniels foul trouble.
9 Ingles - 3rd guard/wing off the bench. Primarily competing with NAW for minutes and will also see spot time as a smallball 4.
10. Dillingham - 3rd string PG. Will get 0-6 minutes when everyone is healthy and 12-20 when Conley sits, although if he is not playing well he may lose some of those to NAW.
11. Minott - 3rd string PF. Will see regular minutes only due to foul trouble for our bigs. Will get backup PF minutes if Gobert or Randle sit.
12. Garza - 3rd string C. Will see regular minutes only due to foul trouble. Will get backup C minutes if Gobert or Randle sit.
13. Shannon - 4th guard/wing off the bench. Garbage time only to start. Will have to play his way past NAW and Ingles to get into the rotation. Will probably spend time in the G-League.
14. Bates-Diop - 4th string stretch 4, competing with Minott there, and competing with Shannon and Ingles for very limited minutes at the 3. Garbage time only.
15. Miller - Emergency option only at the 4 and 5. Lots of G-League time.
Dozier - Waived. If we trade someone away to open a roster spot, a chance he sticks around at least long enough to earn his 1 million guarantee.

2-ways
Nix - Emergencies only. May dress in games Conley sits out.
Clark - will spend whole season in the g-league
Edwards - will spend whole season in the g-league and hope to hold his roster spot

Guys on exhibit-10s who might end up on our G-League Team
Skylar Mays - Candidate to get elevated to the regular roster if an injury to a guard happens, but we would have to cut or trade someone to open up a roster spot.
Omoruyi

[minimus]

Some developing dynamics here:

1) situation at PF. Before preseason I used to think that it is our weakest position behind Randle. However, Minott looks great as third string PF and McDaniels looks bigger and stronger. Plus, I dont see Ingles at SF, he looks slow and old So it is really Randle/McDaniels/Minott/Ingles at PF.

2) situation at SF. as I said before Ingles is not a SF, however Minott can play some SF minutes. Which leaves us with McDaniels, Minott and rookie TJ. TJ looks a bit lost, he is not hitting threes, hesitant to take open corner threes. IMO Edwards with addition of DDV, Edwards should play some minutes at SF

3) DDV looks good as comboguard SG/PG, should get as much minutes as he can handle, Conley should be defacto a backup PG this season in terms of minutes

4) Reid looks promising as five-out backup C, he needs to work on his DHO game, but his passing and decision making is intriguing. In this role we need wings who can execute X-out rotation, so Minott development is crucial

At this point I would waive Dozier and keep KBD, because having KBD might be useful if we play aggressive high-wall pick-n-roll coverage again. We might need a lot of energy from backup PF/SF position.

[shrink]

I'm going to list ranges as well, with larger ranges being more variance for what I want/expect to happen.

ANT: 32-34 [Limited B2B] - Clear-cut best player, highest usage, ect
Rudy: 29-31 [Limited B2B] - DPOY entering his late-prime after a busy summer. Keep him well-rested and that back fluid
Randle: 30-34 [Limited B2B] - History of injuries but also history of 70+ game seasons. Big offensive load
DDV: 28-33 - See Jaden as a plug-and-play
Jaden: 28-33 - See DDV as a plug-and-play
Naz: 26-30 - 3rd Big
Mike: 24-28 [No B2B] - Point God Maestro but aging out
NAW: 14-24 - Unfortunately isn't primed to take the back-up PG role. Sort of a poor-man's Jaden, which doesn't leave much room given the teams needs
Dilly: 0-18 - Big range as I think he may start with minutes in Iowa but could also simply be our best back-up ball-handler AND that may be required if Randle misses time. Ultimately, Conley/ANT/Randle/DDV/NAW should be enough to shoulder playmaking.
Minott: 12-20 - Really fills a need as a larger 3/4 with incredible defensive potential. We need an athletic 3/4, and he along with the next guys
TSJ: 8-16 - Exciting as a rim attacker and defender. He is ready to play now, but can he make the corner-3 consistently

Adding up the averages for each player comes to a number that’s 26 more minutes of playing time than in an NBA game.

I’m not saying any of those players don’t deserve those minutes, but somebody needs to get less than they deserve if those are season averages.

[Colbinii]

I'm going to list ranges as well, with larger ranges being more variance for what I want/expect to happen.

ANT: 32-34 [Limited B2B] - Clear-cut best player, highest usage, ect
Rudy: 29-31 [Limited B2B] - DPOY entering his late-prime after a busy summer. Keep him well-rested and that back fluid
Randle: 30-34 [Limited B2B] - History of injuries but also history of 70+ game seasons. Big offensive load
DDV: 28-33 - See Jaden as a plug-and-play
Jaden: 28-33 - See DDV as a plug-and-play
Naz: 26-30 - 3rd Big
Mike: 24-28 [No B2B] - Point God Maestro but aging out
NAW: 14-24 - Unfortunately isn't primed to take the back-up PG role. Sort of a poor-man's Jaden, which doesn't leave much room given the teams needs
Dilly: 0-18 - Big range as I think he may start with minutes in Iowa but could also simply be our best back-up ball-handler AND that may be required if Randle misses time. Ultimately, Conley/ANT/Randle/DDV/NAW should be enough to shoulder playmaking.
Minott: 12-20 - Really fills a need as a larger 3/4 with incredible defensive potential. We need an athletic 3/4, and he along with the next guys
TSJ: 8-16 - Exciting as a rim attacker and defender. He is ready to play now, but can he make the corner-3 consistently

Adding up the averages for each player comes to a number that’s 26 more minutes of playing time than in an NBA game.

I’m not saying any of those players don’t deserve those minutes, but somebody needs to get less than they deserve if those are season averages.

You are going to be more accurate by doing it this [my] way instead of doing "240 minutes split between the players".

It is the same with estimating team wins in a season. When you estimate how many wins each team will win, you NEVER say "Let me make sure all 30 teams add up to 2460 wins!". There are variables you can't account for like injuries or trades.

It is also why I did ranges rather than exact numbers. It is much more likely TSJ will get 8 minutes than 16 minutes, so using "12" for his "average" makes little sense, though I wouldn't be shocked to see TSJ get anywhere from 8-16, even though it is likely on the lower side.

[frankenwolf]

I'm going to list ranges as well, with larger ranges being more variance for what I want/expect to happen.

ANT: 32-34 [Limited B2B] - Clear-cut best player, highest usage, ect
Rudy: 29-31 [Limited B2B] - DPOY entering his late-prime after a busy summer. Keep him well-rested and that back fluid
Randle: 30-34 [Limited B2B] - History of injuries but also history of 70+ game seasons. Big offensive load
DDV: 28-33 - See Jaden as a plug-and-play
Jaden: 28-33 - See DDV as a plug-and-play
Naz: 26-30 - 3rd Big
Mike: 24-28 [No B2B] - Point God Maestro but aging out
NAW: 14-24 - Unfortunately isn't primed to take the back-up PG role. Sort of a poor-man's Jaden, which doesn't leave much room given the teams needs
Dilly: 0-18 - Big range as I think he may start with minutes in Iowa but could also simply be our best back-up ball-handler AND that may be required if Randle misses time. Ultimately, Conley/ANT/Randle/DDV/NAW should be enough to shoulder playmaking.
Minott: 12-20 - Really fills a need as a larger 3/4 with incredible defensive potential. We need an athletic 3/4, and he along with the next guys
TSJ: 8-16 - Exciting as a rim attacker and defender. He is ready to play now, but can he make the corner-3 consistently

Adding up the averages for each player comes to a number that’s 26 more minutes of playing time than in an NBA game.

I’m not saying any of those players don’t deserve those minutes, but somebody needs to get less than they deserve if those are season averages.

You are going to be more accurate by doing it this [my] way instead of doing "240 minutes split between the players".

It is the same with estimating team wins in a season. When you estimate how many wins each team will win, you NEVER say "Let me make sure all 30 teams add up to 2460 wins!". There are variables you can't account for like injuries or trades.

It is also why I did ranges rather than exact numbers. It is much more likely TSJ will get 8 minutes than 16 minutes, so using "12" for his "average" makes little sense, though I wouldn't be shocked to see TSJ get anywhere from 8-16, even though it is likely on the lower side.

Also, the games that Bite bite, Rudy and Ingles will miss due to rest. I think the possibility is there that Ant may get some rest time later in the season, depending on our standing. So Mike may average 30 mpg, but only play 65 games.

[shrink]

Adding up the averages for each player comes to a number that’s 26 more minutes of playing time than in an NBA game.

I’m not saying any of those players don’t deserve those minutes, but somebody needs to get less than they deserve if those are season averages.

You are going to be more accurate by doing it this [my] way instead of doing "240 minutes split between the players".

It is the same with estimating team wins in a season. When you estimate how many wins each team will win, you NEVER say "Let me make sure all 30 teams add up to 2460 wins!". There are variables you can't account for like injuries or trades.

It is also why I did ranges rather than exact numbers. It is much more likely TSJ will get 8 minutes than 16 minutes, so using "12" for his "average" makes little sense, though I wouldn't be shocked to see TSJ get anywhere from 8-16, even though it is likely on the lower side.

Also, the games that Bite bite, Rudy and Ingles will miss due to rest. I think the possibility is there that Ant may get some rest time later in the season, depending on our standing. So Mike may average 30 mpg, but only play 65 games.

I agree. That’s why I added “if those are season averages.” Even so, if the contention is “this is what a Player X will average when Player X actually plays in a game, the only minutes you get back each game are ones that a player completely sits. But even that makes the problem more complicated with ranges, when you’d have to say, “Mike Conley, 0-32 minutes.”

I’m concerned with us not having enough guard minutes to give to the players we became attached to after the draft. Here:

ANT: 32-34 [Limited B2B]
DDV: 28-33
Mike: 24-28 [No B2B]
NAW: 14-24
Dilly: 0-18
TSJ: 8-16
——————-
106-153 minutes, out of 96 each game.

Yes, Mike may miss individual games, but that’s not going to create enough minutes, especially if we really want to give Josh Minott 12-20 minutes, some of them coming at SF. I also question if we’ll see Finch regularly use 6 deep at guard, in a 10-man rotation, on a team with a shot at its first NBA Championship.. Maybe Dillingham gets a lot of DNP-CD’s, and only gets into games that Mike sits, but he’s an actual PG.

[Klomp]

I'm going to list ranges as well, with larger ranges being more variance for what I want/expect to happen.

ANT: 32-34 [Limited B2B] - Clear-cut best player, highest usage, ect
Rudy: 29-31 [Limited B2B] - DPOY entering his late-prime after a busy summer. Keep him well-rested and that back fluid
Randle: 30-34 [Limited B2B] - History of injuries but also history of 70+ game seasons. Big offensive load
DDV: 28-33 - See Jaden as a plug-and-play
Jaden: 28-33 - See DDV as a plug-and-play
Naz: 26-30 - 3rd Big
Mike: 24-28 [No B2B] - Point God Maestro but aging out
NAW: 14-24 - Unfortunately isn't primed to take the back-up PG role. Sort of a poor-man's Jaden, which doesn't leave much room given the teams needs
Dilly: 0-18 - Big range as I think he may start with minutes in Iowa but could also simply be our best back-up ball-handler AND that may be required if Randle misses time. Ultimately, Conley/ANT/Randle/DDV/NAW should be enough to shoulder playmaking.
Minott: 12-20 - Really fills a need as a larger 3/4 with incredible defensive potential. We need an athletic 3/4, and he along with the next guys
TSJ: 8-16 - Exciting as a rim attacker and defender. He is ready to play now, but can he make the corner-3 consistently

Adding up the averages for each player comes to a number that’s 26 more minutes of playing time than in an NBA game.

I’m not saying any of those players don’t deserve those minutes, but somebody needs to get less than they deserve if those are season averages.

You are going to be more accurate by doing it this [my] way instead of doing "240 minutes split between the players".

It is the same with estimating team wins in a season. When you estimate how many wins each team will win, you NEVER say "Let me make sure all 30 teams add up to 2460 wins!". There are variables you can't account for like injuries or trades.

It is also why I did ranges rather than exact numbers. It is much more likely TSJ will get 8 minutes than 16 minutes, so using "12" for his "average" makes little sense, though I wouldn't be shocked to see TSJ get anywhere from 8-16, even though it is likely on the lower side.

Also important to note that some games go into overtime. Last year's total minutes played averages out to 241.5 per game.

[Klomp]

Guys on exhibit-10s who might end up on our G-League Team
Skylar Mays - Candidate to get elevated to the regular roster if an injury to a guard happens, but we would have to cut or trade someone to open up a roster spot.

Guess you can probably take him off the board

Read on Twitter

[FrenchMinnyFan]

Load management will be very important this year. West is packed and last year, we play Dallas with ANT, Mike far from being 100% ( small injuries) and Rudy having his first kids. We need ANT and Mike 100% at PO time and this year, roster is deep. We can rest some players quite easily without hurting the team. Go Wolves !

[minimus]

Last season we had NAW, Monte Morris, TBJ/TJ Warren as 8-9-10 players in rotation.
This season we will have: NAW, Minott, Rob, TJ Shannon/Ingles/Garza as 8-9-10 players in rotation

I'd say we are good.

[Tukkerwolf]

Last season we had NAW, Monte Morris, TBJ/TJ Warren as 8-9-10 players in rotation.
This season we will have: NAW, Minott, Rob, TJ Shannon/Ingles/Garza as 8-9-10 players in rotation

I'd say we are good.

You're forgetting the best FA we ever had in Kyle Anderson...

[minimus]

Last season we had NAW, Monte Morris, TBJ/TJ Warren as 8-9-10 players in rotation.
This season we will have: NAW, Minott, Rob, TJ Shannon/Ingles/Garza as 8-9-10 players in rotation

I'd say we are good.

You're forgetting the best FA we ever had in Kyle Anderson...

He was clearly our 7th best guy in rotation behind Reid

[shrink]

Last season we had NAW, Monte Morris, TBJ/TJ Warren as 8-9-10 players in rotation.
This season we will have: NAW, Minott, Rob, TJ Shannon/Ingles/Garza as 8-9-10 players in rotation

I'd say we are good.

Every team is optimistic about their depth at the beginning of a season. Last year, we felt deep because we had Shake Milton.

However, I agree with your general point. I am more concerned with our depth for the playoffs, and I’d say our 6th-8th players are playoff-tested and better than anyone else in the NBA.

[Devilzsidewalk]

Ant 35/Randle 34/Gobert 32/Jaden 29/Conley 28/Naz 28/DDV 28/Naw 18/Dillingham 8

Rudy and Ant will play heavy minutes because they're Finch's support system. There's nobody else on the team that does what they do. Jaden probably would play more if he could get the fouls under control and show consistent production on offense, but until proven, i have him under 30. DDV is a wildcard. If his improvement from last year carries over, he'll force his way into Finch's pantheon of trust. Naz' minutes will go up a little, but not a ton with Randle here. I'm banking on Finch being a big Randle fan. He loves physical play and competent ball-handling, and Randle brings both. Especially if his 3 ball comes back a little, I could see him playing heavy minutes. NAW's minutes will drop, but not a ton unless Dillingham looks much better than expected. I think Finch still believes a lot in what NAW brings defensively. Dillingham I have no idea, but it'll be low to start. I don't think they give him much until he proves himself. I'm guessing they throw him some token development minutes, and he'll also collect more than a few DNPs.

I'd love to get Minott in there, but where? I guess they could start Randle off slowly since he's coming off the injury, So maybe you can get 8-10 minutes in there if you drop him down into the mid 20s to start things off. But I'd bet that even if Finch would like to do that, once he gets into a live-fire situation with a tight game, that rotation is going to close off quickly.

[wolves_89]

I'm guessing tonight's game was the trial run for the regular season (with tomorrow being a game primarily for bench players). My takeaways are that that Minott seems like the 9th rotation guy and Dillingham may be out of the rotation to start the season.