The Minnesota Timberwolves have been riding the basketball roller coaster since Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels put the clamps on the Phoenix Suns in a first-round sweep last April. In the second round, they beat the Denver Nuggets in a dramatic seven-game series before Luka Doncic performed unspeakable acts to beat the Timberwolves in the Western Conference Finals.
Minnesota has undulated between potential contenders and a complete disaster across the first 56 games of the 2024-25 regular season. The Timberwolves have won at least three games in a row six times this season, but they’ve also lost at least three in a row four times.
However, things began to stabilize heading out of the week-long All-Star break. The Wolves are 31-25 and 9-4 since Jan. 22. The offense is showing signs of life for the first time in more than two years, and the Timberwolves hold the seventh seed in the Western Conference and sit one game out of a guaranteed playoff spot and 3.5 games out of home-court advantage in the first round.
As the “second half” of the season commences, the Wolves have received news that reinforcements are on the horizon. Like Gandalf taking his sweet time to turn the tide during The Battle of Helm’s Deep, Donte DiVincenzo and Julius Randle could be riding into battle ahead of the playoff push.
On Thursday, the Timberwolves announced that DiVincenzo has been cleared for non-contact basketball activities, and Randle has been cleared for full contact, 5-on-5 basketball activities. A left big toe injury has sidelined DiVincenzo since Jan. 15. Randle strained his groin in the second quarter of a win against the Utah Jazz on Jan. 30.
It’s welcomed news for Chris Finch. With the two veterans acquired in the Karl-Anthony Towns trade on the sidelines, he has had to expand his rotation. Rob Dillingham, Jaylen Clark, and Terrence Shannon Jr. have performed admirably since Finch inserted them into the regular rotation after DiVincenzo and Randle went down. All three rookies look like they belong in the NBA and will factor into Minnesota’s plans for years. The future is suddenly a lot brighter. Still, DiVincenzo and Randle’s return should ignite Minnesota’s hopes for another deep playoff run this season.
After a rough start to his Timberwolves tenure, DiVincenzo finally showed why Minnesota’s front office had to ensure the Knicks included DiVincenzo in the KAT trade. In the 15 games before his injury, DiVincenzo averaged 15.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game. He was shooting 43.7 percent from three on 7.9 attempts. The Wolves were 7-8 during that span, but DiVincenzo became Minnesota’s toughest and hardest-working player.
On the other hand, Randle was mired in his worst season since he left the Los Angeles Lakers seven years ago. Randle’s fit with Edwards, Rudy Gobert, Naz Reid, and the rest of Minnesota’s core has been questionable all season. However, there were signs of improvement throughout the season. Still, in the 15 games before his groin injury, Randle averaged 17.5 points, 8.1 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 2.7 turnovers per game while shooting an abysmal 23.4 percent from three.
The Timberwolves must navigate a gauntlet when they return to play on Friday. They start on the road against the reeling Houston Rockets, who might have Fred VanVleet back in the fold and are suddenly at risk of falling toward the Play-In fracas.
After that, Minnesota will play a home-and-home back-to-back against the conference-leading Oklahoma City Thunder before heading to Los Angeles to play LeBron, Luka, and the Lakers before things lighten up heading into March.
It would be great to welcome DiVincenzo and Randle back as soon as possible. Still, Finch and the coaching staff should be patient when reintroducing the former Knicks and disrupting the rotation again. The Wolves are 10-6 since DiVincenzo went down and 5-4 without Randle. However, Minnesota is 3.1 points per possession better without DiVincenzo and 1.4 points better when Randle is off the court throughout the season.
That doesn’t mean the Timberwolves are better off without DiVincenzo and Randle and should ride into the playoffs with a bench full of rookies and Joe Ingles. However, it may pay off to take things slow and figure out the best way to reinsert two starting caliber players into a lineup playing its best basketball of the season without them.
Perhaps Reid could keep his starting job, and Finch could experiment with Randle coming off the bench when he returns. Reid is averaging 19.6 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 3.5 assists in his last eight games in the starting lineup. Does Finch mess with that to reinsert his big off-season acquisition? Or will Finch show some real lineup creativity for the first time all season?
DiVincenzo is likely out for at least another week or more; he’s not yet cleared for full contact. However, Randle could potentially return sometime this weekend or early next week. Whenever they return, it will be a huge boost for the Wolves at a crucial point in the season.