Numerous times over the last few years, Chris Finch has expressed his desire for the Minnesota Timberwolves to play at a faster pace. Last season, the Wolves ranked 26th league-wide in fastbreak points and 27th in fastbreak frequency.
Sometimes, when a coach has a vision for the team, it isn’t feasible for them to execute — they may not have the necessary players or the overall skill set. However, the Wolves have all the tools to be a fast team, which has to be maddening for Finch.
“We are always stressing pace,” Finch said before the first round of the playoffs last season. “We are one of the slower teams in the league, and that has never sat quite well.”
Playing faster leads to an easier offense because it catches the defense in vulnerable situations compared to when they are fully set up in the halfcourt. With Minnesota’s roster as constructed — featuring two All-Star-level players who frequently face multiple defenders — the Wolves can utilize all the easier offensive progressions they can get. Therefore, they can’t reasonably rank in the bottom percentile again in pace metrics.
The team is aware of this, and they are focusing on a faster approach in the lead-up to the season.
The Wolves officially opened their training camp last Tuesday, although most players were already in Minneapolis ahead of Monday’s media day. It has been quite an off-season at Mayo Clinic Square. Unlike last year, when Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo had to get on the same page as their teammates at the start of training camp, the Wolves already have continuity.
They know who they are, and who they want to be — champions. After their first practice on Tuesday, the Wolves broke on one final word.
“1, 2, 3, Champs!”
They’ve come tantalizingly close to that dream for two straight seasons, getting bounced in five Western Conference Finals games both times. Tim Connelly views making the Conference Finals consistently as a puncher’s chance to win it all. While the Wolves were one of the final four teams standing in each of the last two years, they didn’t put up much of a fight on either occasion.
Minnesota went on a 17-4 run to close the regular season last year as things fell into place with Randle and DiVincenzo. The Wolves then knocked the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors off in five games. But then they met the Thunder, who ranked ninth in fastbreak frequency, were clearly the best team in the league, and are threatening to return to the Finals again.
Finch and the Wolves aren’t gameplanning exclusively to be better prepared against the Thunder. There’s a high likelihood that the two teams will meet again in the playoffs before the Wolves reach their ultimate goal. However, all off-season, the Timberwolves have prioritized internal goals. With no new reinforcements on the way, the Wolves must develop internally.
The coaching staff’s primary message to players on the first day of training camp was focused on the importance of playing faster, which begins with adjusting the game plan and mindset.
“What happened a lot last year is Rudy would rebound, and he would turn and be looking at Mike, Ant, and Julius,” Micah Nori explained to the media last week. “The thing we want to emphasize is if Rudy rebounds, everybody runs except for Mike.”
Part of why the Wolves struggled to get on the same page early on last season was that it took a while for everyone to figure out their roles. Randle didn’t know when to score or pass. He didn’t know how much he should defer to Edwards. And Conley flat-out didn’t fit nicely next to those two because he wasn’t touching the ball as much as he typically does.
Conley knows that his days of being a 14-point-per-game guy in the league are behind him. At 37, he doesn’t even want to score anymore. Instead, Conley wants to assume the role that Carson Wentz has with the Minnesota Vikings — play smart, not flashy, and get everyone else involved.
“Just being able to kind of be the quarterback,” said Conley. “I like to throw it ahead. I like to push the tempo and get guys involved. I think with that being one of our principles early, all the guys [will say], ‘Oh, that makes sense, let’s do it.’ We’re going to try that out and see how it goes.”
The elder statesman is entering his 19th campaign this year. Conley is one of four active players from the 2007 NBA draft. However, he still plays a crucial role in Minnesota’s efforts to play faster. He won’t push the pace like Terrance Shannon Jr. Instead, Conley can flip the ball ahead to his teammates, which Nori believes will generate more looks for Edwards and Randle.
“If we play like that, Julius and Ant are not going to lose shots,” said Nori. “In my opinion, they are probably going to end up getting more because you are going to find Julius rim run against a mismatch, especially with teams playing smaller … And, now, you have Ant attacking a transition defense rather than all four of [them] sitting, and marching, band-style up the floor where we don’t get good looks and easy buckets.”
The concept seems simple when Nori explains it in that way, but the Wolves need Edwards and Randle to buy into it. They must have full confidence that Conley is always looking to set them up — just like Wentz is looking to do on a third-and-long with Justin Jefferson or Jordan Addison.
“I tell [Ant and Julius] every time, ‘If I get the ball, I promise ya’ll I’m not trying to go shoot this thing,’” Conley said at media day. “I promise you, if you run, I’m going to throw it up to you because I want to play quarterback. All-time quarterback. That’s what I want to do.”
Edwards and Randle must realize that playing through Conley more is beneficial for them. If either of them wants to bring the ball up in transition instead of Conley, Nori said that they should crash the glass and get the rebound themselves. If Edwards and Randle don’t, they should sprint back without the ball and trust that Conley will hit them in advantageous situations.
The Wolves have all the tools to be a fast-paced team. Conley is the quarterback. Edwards and Randle can benefit from that. Jaden McDaniels is sneakily good in transition. And then off the bench, Naz Reid, Donte DiVincenzo, Rob Dillingham, and Shannon can all play fast.
When Finch’s bench mob is in the game, the faster pace will likely come naturally. But when Edwards, Randle, Conley, and Co. are on the court, they will all have to adopt this new game plan adjustment. When those three shared the floor last season, the Wolves had a 96.2-rated pace. For reference, the Orlando Magic had the slowest pace in the NBA last season at 96.5.
Playing faster is no longer something that Finch would simply like to see the team do more of. This year, the Timberwolves must make speed a defining factor in their offensive approach. They want to be champs in June, and playing faster is a key step in that journey.