Souhan: Timberwolves’ choice at point guard should be obvious

The debate over the Timberwolves’ point guard position has been compelling in part because it’s so familiar: Choose youth or experience?

Should the Wolves rely on Mike Conley because of his veteran wisdom, or Rob Dillingham because of his precocious talent?

I have a better question:

Why are we asking this question?

Maybe the correct answer is too obvious. Maybe we’re not recognizing the correct answer because he’s in disguise. The guy is actually wearing a mask.

The future Wolves starting point guard is the current starting point guard, Donte DiVincenzo, who has been wearing a shield to protect his damaged nose.

If Conley were in his prime, he would be the starter. But he’s not. He might have had his ideal game in the Wolves’ loss at New York on Wednesday night — eight points and six assists in 18 minutes, while making both of his field-goal attempts (both three-pointers) and his two free-throw attempts.

Dillingham continued to solidify his profile as a second-year player. He is passing the ball well, but his shooting and shot selection remain iffy. For every spectacular drive he finishes, twice he has his shot blocked by armpits and ribcages. He doesn’t seem to have any feel for the sheer size he has to navigate when probing NBA defenses.

Conley can mitigate his defensive flaws with savvy. Dillingham can’t, not yet.

This is why DiVincenzo is such an obvious choice to remain the starter.

In training camp, Wolves coach Chris Finch prioritized defense. DiVincenzo is an excellent defender who brings size and intensity to the court.

The Wolves’ best defensive lineup: DiVincenzo, Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, Julius Randle and Rudy Gobert.

The Wolves have six starting-quality players. Reid has excelled off the bench his entire career. DiVincenzo just two years ago was winning playoff games for the Knicks in Madison Square Garden as a starter. Finch should play those six as many minutes as they can handle, then use his intriguing variety of bench players depending on situations and how they’re performing.

Finch’s loudest critics often push him to play his younger players more. So far this year, Dillingham and Terrence Shannon Jr. have displayed the inconsistency that probably kept the coach from fully trusting them.

Remember: We see the young players when they’re on the court in an NBA game, often in a situation Finch has chosen for them. Finch sees them at practice virtually every day. He might have a better idea than the public about who can handle more playing time.

The Wolves lost 137-114 to the Knicks in part because Anthony Edwards is so intent on playing as much as possible that he hurried back from a hamstring injury. He was a game-worst minus-25. He looked rusty and slow, which should be expected.

Edwards’ return means the Wolves, among their current starting five, have three players who can create for teammates — Edwards, Randle and DiVincenzo.

Combine DiVincenzo’s shooting with the increasingly efficient play of Randle, who has been excellent as a scorer and passer, and this starting five has a chance to be excellent.

The Wolves are off to a mediocre start. I believe they’ll surge when Edwards is fully healthy. In fact, my current biggest concern about the Wolves isn’t Dillingham or Conley — it’s Gobert.

His points, blocks, rebounds and free-throw percentage are all worse than they have been for about a decade, back when he was establishing himself as a starter with Utah.

Maybe the Wolves aren’t getting him the ball enough on offense, which Finch says tends to make him more active on defense and the boards.

Wednesday night, Gobert, 33, couldn’t prevent the Knicks from grabbing an astounding 21 offensive rebounds, or shooting 54% from the floor.