NBA Season Preview: Five Wolves Lineups We Want to See

Training camp is here, and the Minnesota Timberwolves have reported. The starting lineup looks to be locked up with Anthony Edwards, LaMelo Ball, Rudy Gobert, Jaden McDaniels, and Jonathan Kuminga.

Level of play, injuries, and selective rest will shift that lineup as the season goes on, but those starters are more vital than ever. In past seasons, Coach Chris Finch has been near dogmatic about sticking with his rotation and playing sparingly with players on the far end of it. With 14 players rostered and 3 players signed to two-way contracts, there are over 6,000 potential combinations for Finch and the coaching staff to play with.

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(Side note: how many players on two-way contracts would be considered two-way players, as in productive on both sides of the ball?)

With that in mind, I wanted to play with some lineups that, while unlikely, we could potentially see.

The Jaden Show

The Vision: I want to see Jaden run the show. In this lineup, McDaniels is the primary dude in half-court sets with some additional ball-handling from Ayo as needed. I see him getting the action going, driving off a Rudy pick to the hoop for a pull-up middy or finding Rudy with a lob or a bounce pass. If the defense collapses, the ball springs out to Evans, Ayo, or Lyles on the wings for an open three.

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Some Data: McDaniels USG% has risen each of the past three seasons from 15.7% in 2024, to 16.4% in 2025 and finishing last season with 18.5%. His points per game have increased roughly 40% in that time, and his assists per game have nearly doubled from 1.4 to 2.7 per contest.

In his “They’re All Bad Defenders” two-game stretch against the Denver Nuggets, we got a glimpse of what he can do with a small uptick in touches.

• ​Game 4: 19.1% 12 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists

• Game 4: 26.1% 13 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist

• ​Game 5: 26.3% 32 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists

Reality of the Situation: So long as Jaden shares his court time with either Ant or LaMelo, the ball will not be in his hands as much. For this lineup, or any lineup where Jaden is the straw that stirs the drink, an injury or foul trouble will be the triggering event. The only other reason I could see Finch turn to on-ball Jaden is if he looks across the court at the opponent and sees nothing but bad defenders.

Track Meet

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The Vision:

But really though, that lineup is full of speedy dudes looking to get to the rim. There isn’t much size. Defensive rebounds would be hard-won, but if any semblance of a fast break sparks… Boom goes the dynamite.

Some Data: In their pre-draft workouts:

• Bones Hyland ran a 3.15 3/4 Court Sprint (baseline-to-opposite-free-throw-line sprint) and was the fastest guard at the 2021 combine in the lane agility drill.

• Edwards ran a 2.75-second 3/4 Court Sprint. Per Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic, “The team didn’t believe the stopwatch and made him do it twice more; he followed it up with times of 2.75 and 2.80 seconds.”

• TJ Shannon ran a 3.06 seconds 3/4 Court Sprint. (Top time in the 2023 combine class)

• Ayo Dosunmu ran a 3.23 seconds 3/4 Court Sprint.

• Jaden McDaniels did not post a 3/4 Court Sprint in any public workouts (someone on this unit needs to defend the point of attack)

Reality of the Situation: The only way this lineup sees the floor is if the Wolves bring back a Dunks After Dark showcase during pre-season.

The Vision: The freedom of movement rules were made to allow for the Steph Currys of the world (there are very few of these) to run literal circles in the half-court. Desperate defenders chased after him or asked, while breathing out mist like in some horror film, “Where’s Steph?” Curry would then appear, the ball suddenly in his hands and out in the same instant, splashing through the net.

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This era has largely seen players ground-bound, hunting for shots on the perimeter. In this lineup, LaMelo Ball would look to the heavens to find a squadron of Wolves ready for pinpoint passes to cascade down on defenders unable to prevent the sudden liftoff.

Some Data: I have none. I just have NBA.com’s Advanced Stats/LaMelo Ball/Assists and then scrolling the feed for alley oops.

Let me tell you, every single one of them had my imagination running wild. I just superimposed the faces of Shannon, McDaniels, Kuminga, or Beringer over Brandon Miller, Moussa Diabate, and LaMelo’s other former teammates.

I dreamt of them snatching the ball from the air in one motion and yamming it through the cylinder the next as the Target Center collective leapt to their feet in euphoric wonder.

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Reality of the Situation: Maybe this lineup can get some burn. All five players figure to be in Finch’s top eight. A lineup like this could get burn in the second half for a few minutes of a Wolves blowout victory. Just after the opponent has sent in the garbage-time lineup but before Finch matches with his own.

Ant Highway

• Bones Hyland (Donte if/when he returns)

The Vision: Ant with a familiar pick-and-roll partner and shooters. Make the simple read: if doubled, get to the rack or kick out for a catch-and-shoot three if not. This is Finch letting Ant play heliocentric Luka Dončić or James Harden ball.

I don’t want the Wolves to go to a look like this often. It is not fun to watch, but I do concede that on many a night in the regular season, this is a winning formula.

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Some Data: There is no easily available (free) tracking data on the frequency with which a player sees a double team. All we have is the eye test and our memory of Ant crossing half-court and suddenly having double vision. With reliable release valves like Bones/Donte, Ayo, and Lyles, and a center who waits for the body to hit on the pick before rolling, Ant’s life gets a lot easier.

Reality of the Situation: If LaMelo has any extended period of injury, then this lineup, or one very much like it, will see some run. Edwards is one of the most lethal scorers in the league, and his combination of burst and outside shooting creates difficulties for the best defenders. Forcing the opponent to weigh the risk of leaving a shooter open to help on Ant is just the analysis paralysis he needs to make them pay.

Blow Out Brigade

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The Vision: Hopefully this lineup gets a lot of fourth-quarter burn after the Wolves have built a sizable lead. There is enough manic energy here to power the greater Twin Cities metro. Every player has at least one thing they do well in theory. Every player knows they have to prove something to stick in the league.

Some Data: You want data on this? I’m as much a Wolves sicko as the next but even that is beyond the mid-January, has not gone outside except to shovel in the bleak morning or bitter night, pale.

Let’s just hope that if the Wolves use this lineup, it is with victory cigars and not a recipe game (though I’ve got plenty of these that could be celebratory in nature)

Reality of the Situation: If the Wolves really show up this season and put away the teams they view as lesser, a lineup like this could see some burn.

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So Canis: What lineups, strange or otherwise, do you want to see this season?