Timberwolves' Preseason Has Exposed a Serious Depth Issue

It's no secret that the Minnesota Timberwolves' roster is nowhere near perfectly balanced. But just how big of an issue might the lack of frontcourt depth be as the season wears on?

Not only are eight of the Wolves' 12 best players best cast as guards or wings, but the deep bench has a strong perimeter focus, too. There is no "break glass in case of emergency" option in the frontcourt that head coach Chris Finch can trust on a proverbial rainy (snowy?) day in January.

So, what's the plan?

The rotation is guard/wing heavy

With less than a week to go until the Wolves' regular-season schedule gets underway, Finch's preferred rotation is starting to come into focus. After the locked-in starting unit, the top three bench options are Ayo Dosunmu, Terrence Shannon Jr., and Joan Beringer.

Trey Lyles will almost certainly be the go-to for traditional frontcourt minutes, providing superior size and rebounding to starter Jonathan Kuminga but a lack of defensive flexibility and significantly less scoring punch. He's best cast as a power forward alongside Beringer or Rudy Gobert, and the bet here is that he plays heavy minutes alongside the former to help cover for Beringer's shortcomings on the defensive glass.

While Lyles can play the small ball five, his rebounding will not hold up in the same way as it does with him at the four, and he is not a traditional rim protector.

Beyond Lyles, the backup options at the four are exclusively small ball options: Jaden McDaniels, Shannon, and the newly-acquired Cody Williams, who is 6-foot-8 with a 7-foot-1 wingspan but mostly played on the perimeter in Utah over the last two seasons.

A lack of a last line of defense

In year's past, not only has Finch had more high-end frontcourt depth (Julius Randle, Naz Reid, Karl-Anthony Towns), but he's also had more deep bench support.

When Rudy Gobert went out with various nicks and bruises in the 2024-25 and 2025-26 seasons, the Wolves could turn to Luka Garza. While Garza was not a world-beater by any means, he was a capable rebounder and decent floor-stretcher and passer; last season he appeared in 69 games and filled a rotation role for a 56-win Celtics team.

Last year, Finch could bring in Kyle Anderson during the second half of the season when Gobert missed a game due to suspension or rest, or if the young Beringer was in foul trouble while filling in for Gobert. Even Joe Ingles gave the Wolves a deep bench option to slot in at the four.

This year, there is nothing beyond Lyles and Beringer. Second-year big man Rocco Zikarsky just turned 20 years old and is on a two-way contract, but he's shown limited growth thus far between Las Vegas Summer League and the first few preseason contests and is probably best served spending much of the year with the Iowa Wolves of the G League.

The Wolves still have their 15th roster spot open, but the only player in camp who would potentially fit the bill of a fifth big is Drew Timme, who has also underwhelmed in game action thus far. At the moment, it's far more likely the Wolves will opt to leave that final roster spot vacant to allow for maximum flexibility heading into the season.

How will the Wolves manage "emergency" big man minutes?

Inevitably, Gobert will miss 10 or so games this season and Beringer's issues with foul trouble are well-documented. Where will Finch turn if one or both of his French big men are unavailable?

Again, Lyles can function just fine as a small-ball five. Lineups with Lyles and McDaniels in the frontcourt will be able to play five-out on offense, offering a play style that units with Gobert or Beringer at center cannot, although they'll be giving up ground on the glass.

Beyond that, it's ultra-small lineups with McDaniels, Kuminga, or Shannon at the five, or it's turning to the inexperienced Zikarasky.

Ultimately, it's a question that hopefully will only need to be answered a small handful of times during the season. But it's a valid concern, and it'll be intriguing to see how Finch and the coaching staff handle the ups and downs of player availability throughout the season.