After four games against teams ahead of them in the Western Conference standings, the Wolves will face a remarkably easy schedule. By Jim Souhan. Capable of beating the beat team in the league — which happened last week — and of losing to lousy teams, which has happened far too frequently. That their injuries have created opportunities that have strengthened the roster and, indeed, the entire organization. This much is certain: Wolves coach Chris Finch is facing one of the most challenging stretches of his career.
Also, those who thought that Finch was foolish to keep Randle in the starting lineup should admit that Finch was able to create an offense in which Randle felt comfortable and became much more efficient before his groin injury sidelined him. With Randle out, Reid has looked like a much more natural fit with the starting five. His three-point shooting and quick decision-making have cleared space for Anthony Edwards.
Also, these kinds of problems are often solved by other injuries. By the time Randle ramps up, there may be another opening. Dillingham has been alternately spectacular and mistake-prone. Shannon and Clark have generally been spectacular. Soon, Finch will be choosing between three distinct flavors of point guards — the savvy Mike Conley, the three-and-D veteran Donte DiVincenzo, and the flashy rookie. My recommendation: Start DiVincenzo when he returns, use Conley as an efficiency injection to settle down a team that still turns the ball over way too much, and use Dillingham to increase pace and create offense for the second unit.
Similarly, Finch will want to keep Shannon and Clark involved and sharp, without stealing minutes from his established veterans. Jaden McDaniels has improved his offensive efficiency and rebounding, becoming more like the dynamic two-way player they hoped they would get when they signed him to a long-term contract. When and if this roster is healthy, Finch needs to find a way for McDaniels to be an offensive threat. When McDaniels is assertive and efficient on the offensive end, the Wolves become much harder to defend.
They have two challenges in coaching Edwards down this stretch run: Helping him recognize the right times to take three-pointers, and getting him to hustle back on defense when he wants to stop to argue for a foul call. His recent run of point games was the result of him driving aggressively and drawing fouls.
