Timberwolves report card: The starters aren't going to like their grades

Head coach Chris Finch seems exasperated with his team. Guard Anthony Edwards called the group "soft" after another ugly, lopsided defeat to the Knicks on Monday dropped the Wolves to 5-6.

It's fair to say it's too early to get into a full-blown panic as the Wolves look to incorporate Rudy Gobert into their lineup (albeit not in the last two games as he has sat out under COVID protocols), but it's equally fair to say things look ugly right now.

The lack of energy and cohesion is startling, particularly when contrasted with how the Wolves finished last season.

Progress starts with accountability, which I talked about on Tuesday's Daily Delivery podcast.

As Finch searches for lineup combinations that will put forth the required effort to sustain success, let's help him out by breaking down success and failure on an individual level.

Here are grades for the 10 Wolves players who have played the most minutes so far this season, plus Finch and GM Tim Connelly:

STARTERS

Karl-Anthony Towns: B-minus. He had arguably the biggest adjustment to make after the Gobert trade, and he's handled it reasonably well. Towns' passing has been adept and he's figuring out his role on both ends. Still, this is Year 8. Towns is far from being a passenger on this ride. He needs to be a better leader on the court to keep negative momentum from snowballing.

Jaden McDaniels: C-minus. He seems like the perfect fit for this lineup as a long, rangy small forward. But McDaniels has been foul-prone (again) and invisible some nights. A move back to the bench might be smart.

D'Angelo Russell: D-minus. It's easy to pick on D-Lo, but it's warranted. He plays at a ponderous pace and has the worst net rating (minus-6.3) of any Wolves regular. Might Finch consider different energy in the starting lineup?

Rudy Gobert: C-plus. He's been about as advertised, though far from spectacular. The players around him need to adapt more than he does.

RESERVES

Taurean Prince: B-plus. A steadying force and strong leader off the bench, with some hot shooting from deep to start the year. This would be the other logical candidate to move into the starting lineup in place of McDaniels.

Kyle Anderson: B. A nice offseason pickup, Anderson fits well into the second unit and can be a spot starter (as he is now with Gobert out). He plays the opposite of fast (hence the nickname Slow Mo), but with bench players that can get a little too sped up he's a nice complement.

Jaylen Nowell: B. A bargain and a useful bench scorer, but his efficiency needs to improve. If Nowell isn't making floaters (he's just 9 of 29 on shots between three and 10 feet this season), he can be a liability.

Naz Reid: B-plus. He's been buried on the depth chart at times with the additions of Gobert and Anderson, but Reid has the team's second-best net rating and should get regular minutes.

COACH/GM