Constructing the Timberwolves rotation

[Klomp]

He's supposed to have all the tools to be an all NBA defender.

But there will never be his primary role.

There's nothing that says you must play a 1, 2 3, 4 and 5 at the same time. There could be two 2s or two 3s.

[ClarkeW]

PG: Rubio / McLaughlin

SG: D’Lo / Beasley

SF: Edwards / Okogie or Culver

PF: ??? / Hernangomez

C: KAT / Reid

If we can use Culver (or Okogie) as a trade chip to fill that question mark at PF I think this team will really be set up for nice season.

[Merc_Porto]

PG: Rubio / McLaughlin

SG: D’Lo / Beasley

SF: Edwards / Okogie or Culver

PF: ??? / Hernangomez

C: KAT / Reid

If we can use Culver (or Okogie) as a trade chip to fill that question mark at PF I think this team will really be set up for nice season.

Is how i see as well...
Not sure about McLaughlin in the rotation.

More like...

Rubio - (Dlo)
Dlo - Beasley
Edwards - Layman
? - Juancho
Kat - Reid

Culver and Okogie traded???

[Baseline81]

With no summer league and a shortened camp/preseason, I'm not sure how anyone can lock Edwards in as a starter.

[ClarkeW]

PG: Rubio / McLaughlin

SG: D’Lo / Beasley

SF: Edwards / Okogie or Culver

PF: ??? / Hernangomez

C: KAT / Reid

If we can use Culver (or Okogie) as a trade chip to fill that question mark at PF I think this team will really be set up for nice season.

Is how i see as well...
Not sure about McLaughlin in the rotation.

More like...

Rubio - (Dlo)
Dlo - Beasley
Edwards - Layman
? - Juancho
Kat - Reid

Culver and Okogie traded???

Admittedly JMac is the 10th man in that rotation and there probably just aren’t enough minutes for him. I’d like to keep one of Okogie or Culver to take those bench SF minutes instead of Layman too, but depending on the PF we bring back I would certainly be okay with this.

[ClarkeW]

With no summer league and a shortened camp/preseason, I'm not sure how anyone can lock Edwards in as a starter.

I wouldn’t say he’s locked in. Layman could fill that spot temporarily if he’s on the team. Okogie or Culver could fill that spot at the start of the season. So could Beasley. But eventually, that’s where Edwards is going to fit best with this roster.

[Jedzz]

He's supposed to have all the tools to be an all NBA defender.

But there will never be his primary role.

There's nothing that says you must play a 1, 2 3, 4 and 5 at the same time. There could be two 2s or two 3s.

five 1s
five 2s

Trade Towns for Lillard and McCollum.

[southern wolf]

I think Okogie will start at SF to start the season as he seems to be a Saunders favourite because of his d, but hopefully by the all star break Edwards will be banging down the door to start. I can't see how Culver gets any decent minutes unless there's an injury.

[minimus]

А few of thoughts.

1) currently everything screams to me that starting PF spot is Vanderbilts, he is the most logical solution, because he is really a plug-n-play option here because of his rebounding, defense and passing skills. Even without 3pt shot, because with Beasley returning we simply have a lot firepower, so we can afford a non shooting player in rotation. One advantage of having supreme offense is opportunity to play limited in offense defensive minded players such as Vando, Okogie

2) it looks like first time in many years we have a decent bench with both PG/SG position filled with quality players

3) we have a lot of faith in Reid as backup big. A lot. We did not draft a single bigman, even if there were many available such as Oturu, Tillman

4) we still can improve roster by trading Evans, Spellman, singing Hernangomez, McLaughlin, Martin or using MLE/BAE. I still hope we can make solid moves with limited resources

KAT/Reid/Spellman
Vanderblit/Layman/McDaniels
Edwards/Culver/Evans
Okogie/Beasley/Nowell
DLo/Rubio + Hagans (2way)

+ Hernangomez, McLaughlin, Martin, MLE/BAE

[Nick K]

I bet a rotation we see this season is....

Ricky Rubio / D'Angelo Russell / Malik Beasley / Anthony Edwards / Karl-Anthony Towns

Just a feeling I have. Obviously not a starting or main line-up, but I expect to see this tried, at some point.

Beasley will not be here... with a #1 naive rookie coming and gun-toting Beasley won’t be here. Edwards will never play the 4 unless all other F’s and C’s are injured or fouled out.

It is very possible that Malik Beasley plays out his Qualifying Offer with Minnesota.

Beasley would be the ideal 6 th man off the bench scorer. Rubio will be out there too with Culver, Layman and a big. I'm not a Reid fan but we should have the best bench we have ever had.

BTW, I can see us using that small ball lineup above late in some games. I might be wrong but I don't see us starting that 5.

[Nick K]

Why did you not list Edwards as a candidate for the #3?

I'll bold it for you to see if you can figure out why

He's supposed to have all the tools to be an all NBA defender.

Edwards can easily swing 2/3.

[Nick K]

А few of thoughts.

1) currently everything screams to me that starting PF spot is Vanderbilts, he is the most logical solution, because he is really a plug-n-play option here because of his rebounding, defense and passing skills. Even without 3pt shot, because with Beasley returning we simply have a lot firepower, so we can afford a non shooting player in rotation. One advantage of having supreme offense is opportunity to play limited in offense defensive minded players such as Vando, Okogie

2) it looks like first time in many years we have a decent bench with both PG/SG position filled with quality players

3) we have a lot of faith in Reid as backup big. A lot. We did not draft a single bigman, even if there were many available such as Oturu, Tillman

4) we still can improve roster by trading Evans, Spellman, singing Hernangomez, McLaughlin, Martin or using MLE/BAE. I still hope we can make solid moves with limited resources

KAT/Reid/Spellman
Vanderblit/Layman/McDaniels
Edwards/Culver/Evans
Okogie/Beasley/Nowell
DLo/Rubio + Hagans (2way)

+ Hernangomez, McLaughlin, Martin, MLE/BAE

I'm seeing this the same way. I'm really high on Vanderbilt to start with Towns, D''lo, Edwards, and maybe Layman. I love all the different ways you can go at SF.

I like Ricky coming off the bench with Beasley and Culver, Okogie? and Reid?.

[Klomp]

1) currently everything screams to me that starting PF spot is Vanderbilts, he is the most logical solution, because he is really a plug-n-play option here because of his rebounding, defense and passing skills. Even without 3pt shot, because with Beasley returning we simply have a lot firepower, so we can afford a non shooting player in rotation. One advantage of having supreme offense is opportunity to play limited in offense defensive minded players such as Vando, Okogie

As long as he's re-signed, everything screams Hernangomez to me. Didn't do anything to lose his starting spot.

[Wolves21]

Russell/Rubio
Edwards/Beasley
Okogie/Culver
Hernangomez/Vanderbilts
Towns/Reid

Think that's your depth chart and 10 man rotation,again ideally we would trade for and upgrade at PF which would move Gomez into the back up PF role which I think would suit him better to go along with a bench mob of Rubio,Beasley & Reid while also freeing up time for Layman to get minutes as the back up SF since to upgrade the PF spot where going to have to move Culver or Okogie in a trade.

Still like the idea of trying to nab Tucker via trade for Culver or Okogie.

[KGdaBom]

1) currently everything screams to me that starting PF spot is Vanderbilts, he is the most logical solution, because he is really a plug-n-play option here because of his rebounding, defense and passing skills. Even without 3pt shot, because with Beasley returning we simply have a lot firepower, so we can afford a non shooting player in rotation. One advantage of having supreme offense is opportunity to play limited in offense defensive minded players such as Vando, Okogie

As long as he's re-signed, everything screams Hernangomez to me. Didn't do anything to lose his starting spot.

I have zero, none, nada, zilch, zip problems with Juancho being our starting PF.

[Jedzz]

I'll bold it for you to see if you can figure out why

He's supposed to have all the tools to be an all NBA defender.

Edwards can easily swing 2/3.

Just keep in mind he will be a rookie with no offseason to prepare with his team, no preseason work with the players directly in game situations. Just a couple weeks if that in practice before the season will hit go time. I assume after typical drafts the teams start slipping these rookies paper and video homework over the summer to start learning how things work here and what they are trying to do. Then they usually have summer leagues and probably working with individual coaches on things the team already wants them to address over the summer.

It's hard enough for a rookie to do what you need him to even if fully/normally prepared. This covid caused schedule start issue and also not having any home games is probably the best excuse and wise reasoning for not starting a rookie, even a #1. Doesn't mean you don't play him. But this team has players that can start instead for a while.

[Klomp]

If I had to put money on it today, I'd say the opening night starting lineup will be Russell / Beasley / Okogie / Hernangomez / Towns. Second unit of Rubio / Edwards / Culver / Layman / Reid.

I think I could see some rotations of Russell (or Rubio) / Beasley / Okogie / Edwards / Towns as well.

[Jedzz]

I think Okogie will start at SF to start the season as he seems to be a Saunders favourite because of his d, but hopefully by the all star break Edwards will be banging down the door to start. I can't see how Culver gets any decent minutes unless there's an injury.

Probably no allstar break this year is there? Haven't looked for details but I thought it was going to be all different this season. I'm also interested in seeing who gets the minutes. Wonder if it will be a competition for minutes thing or what at this point.

[Jedzz]

Left field thought.

We all see the glut of guards, two starting level PGs. Only Rosas/Ryan really know what their plans are to make this work.

Was watching the Edwards/McDaniels welcome presser and then they sort of slipped Rubio talk into it with a question. Rosas steps in to answer and says he's happy to finally be able to talk about that/him and what his playmaking is going to mean to everyone. Now, he did talk about how having Dlo and Rubio will mean 48 minute coverage of the highest level playmaking for all the guards.

But I've got a left field question. What are the chances they have some kind of crazy trade in mind that would include sending both Towns and Dlo out of town for some heavy hitter? Or even just a plethora of these guards and one PG. I mean it looks like they have enough guards to lose a couple, they could lose one PG and still survive. They would be weak on bigs, but uh, I know one heavy hitter who last played without any bigs and he's asking out right now. The Wolves front office guys have connections to teams like Houston, Brooklyn maybe Denver and now Philly. I don't know if any players from Brooklyn that fit this thought but maybe Philly and Houston sure do. Whether big names coming in or going out or both. Any of this remotely possible yet this period?

[Klomp]

Left field thought.

We all see the glut of guards, two starting level PGs. Only Rosas/Ryan really know what their plans are to make this work.

Was watching the Edwards/McDaniels welcome presser and then they sort of slipped Rubio talk into it with a question. Rosas steps in to answer and says he's happy to finally be able to talk about that/him and what his playmaking is going to mean to everyone. Now, he did talk about how having Dlo and Rubio will mean 48 minute coverage of the highest level playmaking for all the guards.

But I've got a left field question. What are the chances they have some kind of crazy trade in mind that would include sending both Towns and Dlo out of town for some heavy hitter? Or even just a plethora of these guards and one PG. I mean it looks like they have enough guards to lose a couple, they could lose one PG and still survive. They would be weak on bigs, but uh, I know one heavy hitter who last played without any bigs and he's asking out right now. The Wolves front office guys have connections to teams like Houston, Brooklyn maybe Denver and now Philly. I don't know if any players from Brooklyn that fit this thought but maybe Philly and Houston sure do. Whether big names coming in or going out or both. Any of this remotely possible yet this period?

I see very little chance of this. Like basically no chance. But I will say, that question and answer is what inspired my McLaughlin idea earlier.