Minnesota Timberwolves projected starting lineup after Mike Conley trade
By Ian Levy
The Timberwolves landed Mike Conley in a three-way trade, adding defense and veteran experience. What does Timberwolves projected starting lineup look like now?
Trading for Rudy Gobert hasn’t transformed the Timberwolves into contenders the way they were hoping but things are looking up. Minnesota is 14-7 since the beginning of January and now a big trade has addressed one of their biggest shortcomings.
The Timberwolves worked their way into the three-team Russell Westbrook trade, sending D’Angelo Russell to the Lakers and landing Mike Conley from the Jazz. Conley is a steady veteran point guard who provides defense at the point of attack and has become an excellent spot-up shooter. He could be just what the Timberwolves need to drive a deep playoff run.
Timberwolves projected starting lineup
- Guard — Mike Conley
- Guard — Anthony Edwards
- Forward — Jaden McDaniels
- Forward — Kyle Anderson
- Center — Rudy Gobert
- Bench — Austin Rivers, Jaylen Nowell, Naz Reid, Taurean Prince, Jordan McLaughlin
The big question mark here is obviously Karl-Anthony Towns who has been out for weeks with a calf strain and still has no timeline to return. Assuming he’s back and healthy before the end of the regular season, he would slide into one of the forward spots, sending Anderson or McDaniels to the bench and adding one of the most potent scoring threats in the league.
Conley is making just 36.2 percent of his 3s this year but hit over 40 percent in both of the last two seasons. He’s declined a bit as a defender from his athletic peak but he’s still a big upgrade over D’Angelo Russell in that regard. His willingness to work as a complementary threat should help Edwards and Towns and his chemistry with Gobert, who he played with for two seasons in Utah, could be a big help as well.
Next. Every NBA team's all-time starting lineup. dark
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