Souhan: Timberwolves just might have a problem at point guard

The cool thing about the new Target Center theater lighting is that it provides just enough illumination for you to see that the Timberwolves have a point guard quandary.

For the first time in Minnesota, Tim Connelly, the Wolves’ basketball magician, got the rabbit stuck in his hat.

Connelly traded for Kentucky’s Rob Dillingham during the 2024 draft, a move no one outside of Connelly’s inner circle could have imagined. Dillingham would be Mike Conley’s successor and a speedy playmaker to complement a large, sometimes ponderous lineup.

On Sunday night, the Timberwolves played their home opener against Indiana. Donte DiVincenzo, who is not a point guard, started at point guard. Conley came off the bench. Dillingham missed the game because of a nasal fracture he suffered on Friday against the Lakers in Los Angeles, after not playing in Wednesday’s season opener at Portland.

Dillingham and this season are both extremely young, but this would be an important swing and miss for Connelly if Dillingham can’t play a meaningful role on a team with championship aspirations.

Connelly did not need to trade assets during the 2024 draft. He did so only because of a strong belief that Dillingham would make a difference.

Connelly’s unpopular deal for Rudy Gobert helped the Wolves reach the Western Conference finals the past two years. The public was wrong about that deal. It was a major victory for Connelly and the Wolves.

At the very least, it was a reasonable deal. In a way, Dillingham’s struggles have highlighted the value of that trade because the Wolves received two starting-caliber players for one.

I recently compared Dillingham to Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy. Both are young passers acquired by Minnesota teams that traded up in the draft to get them, and neither has done much yet.

But the Vikings went into McCarthy’s second year committed to him as a starter. In the Wolves’ season opener, Dillingham didn’t get off the bench and ceded minutes to veteran journeyman Bones Hyland.

When he was running the Nuggets, Connelly chose Hyland with the 26th pick in the 2021 draft. Hyland is playing for his third team.

DiVincenzo is a valuable player, but not a natural point guard.

On Sunday night, Conley wound up starting alongside DiVincenzo in the second half, with Anthony Edwards out because of a hamstring strain, and Conley quickly worked a slick pick-and-roll with Gobert.

The Wolves would win 114-110, pulling away in the third quarter with Hyland and DiVincenzo on the court together.

Hyland also had a bad turnover that led to an Indiana fast break, which cut the lead to 101-97 in the fourth.

At the next whistle, Wolves coach Chris Finch put Conley in for Hyland to again play alongside DiVincenzo.

With the Wolves leading 108-105, Conley dished to Gobert for a bucket and a five-point lead. Conley wound up closing out the game at point guard and making two free throws with 9.3 seconds remaining.

Asked about Dillingham before the game, Finch said Dillingham “took a pretty good crack” on his nose.

“Right now, everybody’s still an option to play,” Finch said. “We’re not married to anybody, anything, at any time right now.”