Five minutes into his stint off the bench against the San Antonio Spurs last Saturday, Naz Reid left the game with a shoulder injury. The Minnesota Timberwolves felt the former Sixth Man of the Year’s absence because they were without a key rotational piece to bolster their bench.
Fortunately, Reid recovered quickly. He returned a game later in Minnesota’s 127-122 loss to the Utah Jazz on Tuesday. Reid finished the game with 13 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists.
But Reid’s absence in San Antonio highlighted Minnesota’s need for reinforcements on its bench. All season long, the Wolves have struggled to get consistent output from that unit, which consists of Mike Conley, Jaylen Clark, and Bones Hyland. Joan Beringer, a 19-year-old rookie, joined the bench rotation earlier this month.
Conley’s best years are behind him. And in the last two games, he has scored zero total points. Still, Wolves coach Chris Finch remains reliant on the 38-year-old point guard.
Conley isn’t the same scorer, facilitator, and defender he once was during his early tenure in Minnesota. It’s hard to find a valid reason to play him, but the Timberwolves lack depth at point guard. Conley still offers the Wolves the level of connectivity he’s always brought to lineups that feature him, getting the best of his teammates when he’s out there with them.
Clark is a hustle player for the Wolves who often draws the assignment of the opposing team’s best scorer. And although he’s not a primary scoring option, Clark struggles offensively – especially from 3-point range.
Before the season, Clark set the expectations for him to see consistent minutes on this team.
“I think if I shoot 40% from (3-point range) and guard the best player every night, I’ll be out there quite a lot,” Clark said.
While he’s one of Minnesota’s better defenders, Clark is shooting 30% from beyond the arc this season. But he showed his value against the Jazz by playing with relentless effort as he crashed the glass for putbacks and took the challenge of slowing down Utah’s scorers.
Hyland has been a great find for Wolves president Tim Connelly. Finch trusts him to be himself, which has helped him find his footing again in the NBA. He recently picked up the slack for Anthony Edwards, who missed Minnesota’s 139-106 win in Milwaukee last week, by scoring a season-high 23 points with 5 assists to go along with that.
But when Hyland isn’t scoring and creating good offense, Finch can’t give him extended minutes. On Tuesday, he logged just four minutes and didn’t attempt a shot. He’s been averaging 15 minutes per game this month.
Meanwhile, Beringer has shown promise since Finch added him to the rotation. He’s been a reliable finisher inside and is always looking to alter shot attempts around the rim on the other end.
But again, Beringer is a rookie, and the Wolves won’t do anything to rush his development. However, it may not be long before Finch will have to increase the Frenchman’s workload and make him a key part of his bench unit.
Ultimately, the Wolves need more bench scoring outside of Reid. And when Reid is struggling to make shots, as he did in his 33% shooting performance against Utah, Minnesota doesn’t have another scoring option to cover for him.
It may be time to look into low-risk, high-reward trade options with February’s trade deadline soon approaching.
Just this week, the Wolves are reportedly interested in three Chicago Bulls guards – Coby White, Ayo Dosunmu, and Tre Jones. Dosunmu and Jones are the lower-risk options, whereas White would cost Minnesota additional assets.
Whoever the player is, the Wolves lack in many areas on the bench. Scoring, shot creation, defense. Above all, they lack consistency.
Connelly has to be targeting a player who can produce off the bench, perhaps on an expiring deal. It would be something along the lines of the Monte Morris acquisition in 2024.
Minnesota remained behind San Antonio last week as the No. 4 seed with the same number of wins, 27, as the Spurs. Now, they are the seventh seed in the Western Conference – a play-in position. That’s how fast things can change in this loaded top seven.
Nobody in the West can become complacent, and the Wolves may have shown some of that on Tuesday. Losses like their one in Utah can factor into seeding late in the season.
The Wolves are now on a three-game losing streak after playing some of their best basketball to start 2026. It may be time to bring new energy into the locker room.
Among the top seven teams in the West, the Wolves have arguably the worst depth. That could prove to be a problem in the playoffs, especially because conference finals appearances aren’t enough anymore.
When competing against the best, everyone has to be at the level the situation requires. So, do the Wolves have the depth of an NBA Finals team? As of now, that remains in doubt.