The Minnesota Timberwolves have made two consecutive trips to the Western Conference Finals, and in both cases the same weakness was exposed — backcourt scoring and shot creation. In both playoff runs, the Wolves had plenty of scoring and offensive power in the frontcourt, but couldn't give Anthony Edwards enough help in the backcourt.
Last season, as they were overwhelmed by the Thunder in a 4-1 loss, Donte DiVincenzo and Nickeil Alexander-Walker put up decent scoring numbers on strong efficiency, but everything flowed from Edwards, who was tasked with breaking down a wave of long, aggressive OKC defenders. Mike Conley is still a solid veteran but he's just not as dynamic as he was in his youth and Minnesota couldn't throw enough different looks at the Thunder to break through.
Rob Dillingham is the answer for the Timberwolves
The Timberwolves recognized that shortcoming going into last season and traded up in the 2024 NBA Draft to land Rob Dillingham at No. 8. The diminutive but dynamic Kentucky guard showed flashes but couldn't carve out a role in the veteran rotation and ultimately played just 516 minutes across 49 games.
With Alexander-Walker now on the Hawks and Conley another year older, there should be more room for Dillingham in the rotation this season. And in his first Summer League game this season, he showed he's ready for more offensive responsibility. In a 98-91 win over the Pelicans, Dillingham put up 15 points, 6 assists, 3 rebounds and 2 steals, hitting 3-of-6 from beyond the arc.
SHIFTY 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/M134lS4U7e
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) July 10, 2025
And he wasn't the only one who showed off. Fellow second-year guard Terrence Shannon Jr. dropped 20 points with 9 assists, 6 rebounds and 2 steals.
THERE IT IS!!!! pic.twitter.com/CAe5NQmmDG
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) July 10, 2025
Both Dillingham and Shannon Jr. are lacking experience and both come with defensive questions. But the Timberwolves have the advantage of using two of the best frontcourt defenders in the league — Rudy Gobert and Jaden McDaniels — to help cover for them. And both young guards can offer a big injection of athleticism, scoring and creation that can help take the load off Edwards in the halfcourt. Shannon is also 6-foot-6 with enough size to credibly make bench lineups with him, Dillingham and DiVincenzo together viable.
The Timberwolves are locked into their core for the foreseeable future and, as good as Edwards is, asking him to power a run to the NBA Finals by taking another leap may not be realistic. A better, deeper, more versatile supporting cast could be the key to avoiding another 4-1 loss in the Western Conference Finals, and leaning on these two young guards may be the answer.