If the 2025-26 Timberwolves had a thesis statement heading into the season, it was this: Seven returning core players from last year’s Western Conference finals team would provide continuity and identity. Three young players would fill out the rotation, adding a sense of energy and dynamic play.
The cracks in that plan were evident as soon as the first game of the season, which fittingly came in a victory.
The Wolves’ record (15-9) continues to look better than their optics, and the most recent example came Monday in a narrow loss to the Suns that ended a five-game winning streak.
I talked about that at the start of Tuesday’s Daily Delivery podcast.
Let’s get more specific at the start of today’s 10 things to know:
- Their three young rotation pieces — Jaylen Clark (12), Terrence Shannon Jr. (4) and Rob Dillingham (0) — combined to play 16 minutes and scored three points. Clark is a defensive stopper who is carving out a niche, but he is offensively limited and fouls too much. Shannon and Dillingham are battling for the title of Most Disappointing 2024 Timberwolves First Round Draft Pick.
- Lightly used guard Bones Hyland played the same number of minutes as those three by himself and scored 14 points, showing the Wolves what they have been missing in Dillingham’s mostly bland minutes this season. “I thought it was time to try something different,” coach Chris Finch said of playing Hyland over Dillingham. “He’s been patient. He’s been playing really well in practice, doing everything we ask him to do. We need a spark there.” Anthony Edwards had a greater measure of hyperbole talking about Hyland: “Sometimes you can just see, some people are just meant to be a star. I may not know the criteria to being a star. But if I think I do, I think he’s one of them.”
- Rudy Gobert was ejected in the third quarter for a flagrant foul. Even though he was in the midst of an effective game, I mostly shrugged. The Wolves have gotten used to playing without Gobert by choice in many key stretches this season, not a great thing considering he is their second highest-paid player.
- The Wolves lost by three points, unable to rally past a shorthanded Suns team. They continue to look “bored,” as Finch has described them, by the attention it requires to play 48 minutes a night for 82 games a year. They have enough talented veterans to beat bad teams by playing at 75% capacity until the final quarter, but it isn’t good enough against better and more cohesive teams.
- Until the Wolves become more engaged, get more from their young players and/or look like a team that’s destined for something more than a first-round playoff exit, rumblings like this one about Kyrie Irving will persist.
- Also on Tuesday’s podcast, Andrew Krammer joined me to break down the film of Sunday’s 31-0 victory. J.J. McCarthy ran a very Michigan-esque offense. Can it be replicated against better opponents?
- The Wild go as their goaltending goes. It was good Monday, and that’s why they salvaged a 4-1 win at the end of a bad road trip.
- Stop me if you’ve heard this before: The Twins are going to tell us the identity of their new limited partners soon. In more certain news, the MLB Draft lottery is today. The Twins have the second-best chance at landing the No. 1 pick.
- The Vikings’ QB situation has been bleak at times this season. But not as bleak as possibly coaxing 44-year-old Philip Rivers out of retirement, which the Colts are reportedly considering. Rivers hasn’t played since 2020.
- Just a fantastic play by the Chargers defense to seal a terrific Monday Night Football win, 22-19 in overtime over the Eagles.
