Donte DiVincenzo was inserted into the starting lineup, and Mike Conley has taken more of a reserve role. While that is a straightforward swap, it still doesn’t address many of the issues Chris Finch’s rotation experiences.

Truthfully, the whole situation is a byproduct of the relative flop that Rob Dillingham has been thus far. Things may be getting late early there, and point guard help might become necessary for the Wolves to advance in the playoffs this year.

Ja Morant was just the beginning for the Minnesota Timberwolves

Earlier this month it was revealed that the Minnesota Timberwolves have been poking around regarding a trade for Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant. That fit is one worth exploring, but insider Mike Scotto sees the position as a whole worth watching for Minnesota.

While Edwards and McDaniels are viewed as young pillars for the Timberwolves, Minnesota’s due diligence on Morant signaled the team’s desire to upgrade at point guard and will continue to be on the agenda leading up to the trade deadline, league sources said. 

While starting guard Donte DiVincenzo has played well, averaging 13.8 points on 38.8 percent shooting from downtown, and Mike Conley is a capable backup point guard, power forward Julius Randle leads the team in assists (5.8). 

Combo guard Rob Dillingham, the former No. 8 pick of the 2024 draft, has yet to consistently carve out a significant role off the bench under coach Chris Finch, which has also been a noteworthy development.  

Mike Scotto – Hoops Hype

Donte DiVincenzo is in the starting role he had always craved with the New York Knicks. His 31.2 minutes per game are a career-high, and he’s averaging 13.8 points per game on 41.6% from the field. Nothing DiVincenzo has done is a negative.

The problem is the depth behind him. Conley is 38 years old and his 20.5 minutes per game are a career-low. He’s averaging just 6.0 points per game, and shooting just 39.7% from the field. His 43.1% three point rate has been nice, but he’s just not in a place to consistently contribute anymore.

Mike Conley called a team dinner in OKC last night for the Wolves to get together after two tough finishes in Sacramento and Phoenix.

“It was not optional,” Julius Randle joked.

They talked about getting on the same page and getting back to the way they were playing earlier.

— Jon Krawczynski (@JonKrawczynski) November 26, 2025

Then there’s Rob Dillingham. The 20-year-old does very little offensively, and his 37.5% shooting from the field is putrid. He’s also averaging almost as many assists (2.0) as he is turnovers (1.2) per game.

Dillingham isn’t a guy you can trust in a playoff rotation right now, and pushing DiVincenzo should be the goal. Morant would do that, but so too would many other potentially available players. The more Minnesota can get a creator at the point guard position, the better off Anthony Edwards can be away from the ball.

Currently at 10-7, coming off two bad losses and looking at an NBA Cup game against the 17-1 Thunder on Wednesday, Minnesota needs to turn the page.

As a result, president of basketball operations Tim Connelly extended key pieces from last year’s team, including Naz Reid and Julius Randle.

Unfortunately, 3 and D specialist, Nickeil Alexander-Walker — one of the first guys off their bench last season — walked in free agency, leaving the Timberwolves with even more questions in the backcourt, where most of their issues stemmed from one year ago.

Their biggest problems come at point guard, where they have found it difficult to acquire a playmaking facilitator who is worthy of taking over for an aging Mike Conley. The Wolves drafted Rob Dillingham No. 8 overall in the 2024 draft, to do just that, but he has yet to develop into a trustworthy ball-handler at the NBA level.

Out of the gate this season, it was Donte DiVincenzo who head coach Chris Finch wrote in at point guard, while superstar Anthony Edwards initiated the offense and took main ball-handler duties. But a groundbreaking report that dropped Wednesday tells us Connelly is far from satisfied at that position.

MN Timberwolves eyeing Ja Morant

Very rarely do top-tier point guard talents become available in the NBA. But the disfunction right now in Memphis has provided exactly that with superstar Ja Morant, whose unhappiness as a member of the Grizzlies has taken over headlines across the sports world in recent days.

According to The Athletic’s Sam Amick, there are a few teams monitoring the situation in Tennessee. At the top of that short list with confirmed interest in Ja Morant… is the Minnesota Timberwolves.

As for where [the Morant situation] is all headed, it’s worth remembering that Morant is still just 26 years old. At his best, he’s a player who was in the running for “face of the league” honors not too long ago. His baggage has been well chronicled, but there is still no shortage of teams that will continue monitoring his situation.

The Minnesota Timberwolves, per a team source, are one. Ditto for the Sacramento Kings. The Grizzlies’ next opponent, the Houston Rockets, need a point guard after losing Fred Van Vleet to a torn ACL in the preseason but, per a team source, are unlikely to pursue him. That’s just a small sample size of what might be out there, and not out there, if the Morant sweepstakes ever actually begin.

Sam Amick – The Athletic

Last season Morant averaged 23.2 points in 50 games. Through his first seven this season the Grizzlies guard is averaging 20.4 points per game while shooting just 39.3% from the field.

Between his late nights spent at strip clubs and numerous gun violations he’s been cited for by the league, any talk of bringing on Ja Morant will undoubtedly start with his off-court baggage, which originally created the fracture in what now seems like an irreparable relationship with the Grizzlies.

Timberwolves would be taking a huge leap of faith with Morant

So the Timberwolves must decide whether or not Morant’s character issues can be tamed, with a change in scenery. At the end of the day, turning a cold shoulder on such talent is tough to do. At the same time, Chris Finch does not want the Wolves locker room availabilities to become what they have in Memphis.

Ja Morant says he lost his joy 😳

(🎥 @Matt_Infield) pic.twitter.com/JR2sfnhVop

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) November 4, 2025

Memphis may be open to moving Ja, but that doesn’t mean he will come cheap. Minnesota would have to be willing to part with Randle or Gobert, along with additional pieces that would include some combination of Naz Reid, Jaden McDaniels, Terrence Shannon Jr., and Rob Dillingham.

Will Connelly decide the freight is worth paying? We won’t have much of an idea until the Ja Morant bidding war actually begins. This wouldn’t be the Minnesota Timberwolves’ first swing for a superstar, alongside Anthony Edwards.

Related: Timberwolves Star Getting Healthier

Even before they failed to land Durant last offseason, the Wolves have had a knack for blockbuster deals under Tim Connelly, including the acquisition of Rudy Gobert three years ago, along with the preseason deal last offseason that sent Karl-Anthony Towns to New York, in exchange for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo.

Minnesota’s line of thinking in acquiring Morant would be under the premise that his presence opens up the floor for Edwards, and allows him to work more off the ball. Any move would send shockwaves through the league.

But then, the two teams played things out on a basketball court in Memphis on Saturday afternoon and most of the sane people watching realized that those super smart NBA minds had no idea what they were talking about. The Wolves won handily, 130-117. In fact, it was difficult to leave game one without seriously questioning the lack of top-end talent surrounding Ja Morant. Now, the Timberwolves have the Grizzlies are on the ropes entering game two, which is scheduled to tip Tuesday night at 7:30 CT.

Memphis Needs More Than Ja Morant

Sure, Morant is an amazing player, one of the most exciting in the league. But what comes after him? He has confidence and he can talk all the shit. But this dude better be the next Michael Jordan if he’s going to lead this Grizzlies team over the Wolves by himself.

Ja Morant posted the iconic clip from The Last Dance after the Grizzlies dropped game 1 to the T-Wolves.

THIS LEAGUE!!! pic.twitter.com/zJyRIIL0Gc

— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) April 18, 2022

took losses cuz i wanted to see other mfs win

— Ja Morant (@JaMorant) April 18, 2022

Jaren Jackson Jr, Dillon Brooks and Desmond Bane are very good role players, but that’s all they are. Even in a season that saw Morant sit out 25 games due to injury, those three guys averaged only 16.3, 18.4 and 18.2 PPG, respectively. Both KAT (24.6) and Ant (21.3) averaged over 21 points per game this season. DLo often becomes an afterthought in the scoring column and he went for 18.1 per game.

The 2021-22 Memphis Grizzlies won 56 regular season games this year because they brought effort every night, played stellar defense and did the little things right. They led the NBA in many hustle categories including steals, blocks and rebound rate.

They’re team depth is incredible too. The Grizzlies were able to run ten players deep all season, which helped them immensely when Morant was sidelined. But what wins games in the regular season, doesn’t always translate to victories in the postseason.

Postseason Hits Different

Now that Memphis is healthy, their depth matters less. Nobody’s rocking a 10-man rotation in the playoffs because coaches want their best players on the floor as much as possible. Matchups become much more about talent at the top of the roster. And that’s where the Minnesota Timberwolves appear to have an advantage. An advantage that could prove to be the difference in this opening-round series.

Anthony Edwards has now dominated two HUGE games in a row. He’s been able to do that, in part, because LA and Memphis both keyed on stopping Karl-Anthony Towns. But now that Ant has proven himself a superstar on the biggest of stages, will the Grizzlies turn their focus to slowing his dominance from the wing? If so, that should allow more room for Karl to work.

Youngest player with 35+ in a playoff game:

1. Derrick Rose
2. Tyler Herro
3. Anthony Edwards

Ant did this in his first career playoff game. pic.twitter.com/VpcB01tgEo

— StatMuse (@statmuse) April 16, 2022

Playoff basketball is about exploiting the weakest link on the floor. Minnesota has found Memphis weakest link and that’s Steven Adams. His inability to guard ball screens is a death nail. They’re hunting Adams. Anthony Edwards is the prodigal son of Michael Jordan/Kobe Bryant. pic.twitter.com/WiJECGGIgz

— Rashad Phillips (@RP3natural) April 18, 2022

And therein lies the conundrum Memphis is facing. Two games in a row, the Minnesota Timberwolves have proven that slowing KAT may not lead to a victory for their opponent. The Wolves have Ant to lead the charge and even D’Angelo Russell showed vs the Clippers that he can takeover a contest when called upon. Hell, even Malik Beasley put up 23 in game one vs the Grizzlies.

Defined Roles Matter

The Timberwolves’ role players either (a) play really good defense and/or (b) shoot the lights out from three. KAT, Ant and DLo are the main attractions. Everyone else’ purpose is based off of those two principles. So roles are clearly defined. Does Memphis have that going for them?

If the Wolves slow Ja Morant, who’s job is it to produce offensively? Dillon Brooks was good enough to be that guy in college but has yet to prove himself as anything more than a highly functional team irritant in the NBA. Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr are behind him.

And if Memphis doesn’t have that second offensive star, can role players shoot well enough to make up for that lack of scoring? Well, regular season stats say “maybe”. The Grizz were 2nd in field goals per game, but 23rd in 3-pointers. The Wolves, on the other hand, were 1st in both categories.

It’s dangerous to get too far ahead of yourself after just one game of a seven-game series. But the game plan to beating Memphis is clear. Slow Ja Morant. The same can’t be said about the Minnesota Timberwolves and any one player.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

The Athletic interviewed “expert” coaches and executives, all of whom agreed that the Wolves didn’t have the individual defensive horses to slow Ja Morant (more on that shortly). Shaq and Charles (TNT) still think KAT belongs in the post and shoots too many threes. Takes like these are horribly inaccurate and anybody who even casually pays attention knows that.

Did ESPN Forget They Had Wolves Games This Postseason?

Before the series tipped off, every “expert” at ESPN (all 21 of them) picked the Grizzlies to dispose of the Timberwolves. Only two of those “experts” thought it would take all seven games. Seven “experts” predicted the series would be over in five games.

ESPN basketball "experts" pic.twitter.com/vOqwpJfDlg

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) April 17, 2022

Richard Jefferson was one of the ESPN “experts” listed above, who predicted this series would be over in just five games. That helps explain why his commentary for ESPN on Saturday didn’t contain any notes on the Wolves. At times, I wasn’t sure he had any idea they were even playing. No matter how the game was going, he couldn’t stop talking about the Grizzlies.

For now, many fans in Minnesota can turn to the Bally Sports North broadcast. But that isn’t an option for everyone and won’t be for the local crowd either, should the Wolves advance to round two.

It’s one thing for these “experts” to get things wrong. The sports world is impossible to predict. What shouldn’t be acceptable is using the term “experts” to describe analysts who have absolutely zero expertise on their subject matter.

These national “experts” haven’t watched a Minnesota Timberwolves game all season and that fact has revealed itself through the two games that were broadcast nationally last week. What’s also become obvious is that these people have zero interest in doing any homework to catch up on what they missed either. “Flyover country” is a real thing. Why worry about being right when nobody really cares?

“Experts” outside media no better

The disrespect goes beyond national media talking heads, though. The Athletic interviewed anonymous NBA scouts, coaches and executives last week about the upcoming Grizzlies vs Timberwolves series. While they said some nice things about the Wolves, all agreed on one thing. Minnesota doesn’t have anyone who can match up with Ja Morant on defense.

Scout: “Dillon Brooks can guard Anthony Edwards. … Who on the Wolves will guard Morant? Generally, there isn’t a good matchup at all. But Edwards? It’s probably not Russell. So I think Memphis has a huge advantage at point guard. … (Steven) Adams or (Jaren) Jackson Jr. — they match up physically against Towns.”

Coach: “The Wolves’ matchups are going to be tough with Morant. I think they’re going to have put size on him, which I think they’ll do. I think they’ll put Edwards on him to start but I don’t know that you put D’Angelo Russell there on Morant.”

Executive: “Once Memphis gets a chance to dig in, I’m not sure Minnesota has a defensive response for Morant, and in the playoffs, one individual player has the ability to lift his team above the opponent.

The Athletic

Ja Morant vs Wolves Defense

The Timberwolves have more options to throw at Ja than most teams in the league. Jaden McDaniels and Jarred Vanderbilt offer lengthy options who have proven effective covering ball handlers all season. Then, there’s Anthony Edwards and Patrick Beverley, who offer tenacity and like to close games on the opponent’s best guard.

Whatever NBA scout they interviewed should be fired immediately. Not only is he off like the rest of these “experts” on Morant vs the Timberwolves defense, but Karl-Anthony Towns has been a nightmare matchup for Steven Adams for two or three seasons. Yes, KAT once struggled with Adams’ size and intimidation factor but that dissipated a long time ago.

And this isn’t just me playing “Monday Morning QB”. I talked on Minnesota Sports Fan Daily last week about how stupid these hot national takes were. But will these NBA “experts” learn from their mistakes and study up on the Minnesota Timberwolves for game two? Don’t count on it.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan