In a game gone small, Timberwolves interim coach Sam Mitchell is playing the contrarian.
While playing two point guards in the same lineup becomes more common in the NBA, Mitchell has turned to reigning Rookie of the Year Andrew Wiggins — all 6-8 of him — to start at shooting guard and be Ricky Rubio's backcourt partner after an experiment to nurture Zach LaVine at that spot lasted but three preseason games.
While coaches such as Phoenix's Jeff Hornacek and Dallas' Rick Carlisle have taken to playing two point guards in recent years, Mitchell likes Wiggins' move from small forward to shooting guard precisely because of his size and the benefits Mitchell believes it presents on both ends of the court.
"You know the NBA," Mitchell said. "You've got to [create] some matchup problems when you go out there. I like Andrew at the 2 [shooting guard]. I think it gives him an advantage because of his size."
Mitchell started the preseason schedule starting LaVine there because he believed the athleticism and shooting ability of the second-year combo guard from UCLA made him the team's future at the position. But LaVine has struggled to make a shot in six preseason games, and his presence in the starting lineup with Wiggins at small forward and rookie center Karl-Anthony Towns convinced Mitchell that lineup was too small — or not physically developed enough yet — to survive against fully grown men in the NBA.
"We were giving up size at three positions every night," Mitchell said. "I just didn't feel comfortable with that."
So he has changed course after publicly pronouncing LaVine his team's starting shooting guard of the future. Instead, he has moved Wiggins from forward to guard and started 35-year-old veteran Tayshaun Prince at small forward the past three games.
"I had some great ideas in my mind before we started training camp, and we're doing some things differently than what I had initially thought," Mitchell said. "At the end of the day, it's how it looks on the floor. You have all these great ideas, and you think things are going to work in your head and on paper. But when you actually start seeing guys play and see different combinations play, then you have to make adjustments. That's what the preseason is for, just learning. We're learning about our players every practice and every game."
Who's at small forward?
Many NBA coaches have increasingly experimented with — or decided upon — playing two small guards together in a downsized league where yesteryear's shooting guards are today's power forwards and where ballhandling and playmaking skills are prized.
Mitchell said he believes Wiggins, after a summer spent working on it, handles the ball well enough to play beside Rubio and says Wiggins' size will allow him to overpower smaller opponents at shooting guard as well as see and pass over double teams that are coming with more frequency.
"He has been good with the ball," Mitchell said. "We're trying to get him to do even more: Handling the ball, pick-and-rolls, backing his guy down and forcing the double team. We'll keep looking at it and see how it goes."
Wiggins says the switch from frontcourt to backcourt isn't as big a change as it might sound, even if he has struggled shooting — 35 percent from the field — from both positions in the preseason.
"I don't really see much difference right now except I have a smaller defender on me," Wiggins said. "Most 2s won't be my height."
Wiggins' move to shooting guard leaves Mitchell certain about four starting positions and contemplating the 3, or small-forward spot, where he could start Prince, Shabazz Muhammad or newcomer Damjan Rudez. He favors keeping Muhammad coming off the bench with fellow scorer Kevin Martin on the second unit.
"It's just going to be a feel how those three guys are playing," Mitchell said. "Other than that, I feel pretty confident about the other positions."
Prince has started the past three preseason games because Mitchell considers him, like Kevin Garnett at power forward, a calming, steadying influence who's an accomplished defender, an NBA champion and a grown man.
Flip Saunders played Wiggins and Muhammad together at times last season because Muhammad's presence forced opponents to put their more physical perimeter player on him rather than Wiggins. Mitchell likes have Wiggins and Prince together because it allows Prince to defend the opponent's more physical offensive player.
"He helps Andrew and Karl by having just another guy on the floor who knows how to play," Mitchell said.
Like Garnett, Prince can't play the minutes he once did. But he's willing to do as much as he can.
"Whatever they feel is best to start the season off, I'm with it," Prince said. "Whoever Wigs wants to guard, he can decide. I'll take the 2 or the 3. I'll be looking more for the defensive role and taking open shots and he'll be more offensive-minded and running sets for him. I want to make this as comfortable as possible for him. I'll do the work, take care of the dirty things and see how it goes from there."
Note
As expected, the Wolves exercised 2016-17 contract options on five young players Wednesday. Wiggins will make $6 million that season, Muhammad $3 million, Gorgui Dieng $2.2 million, LaVine $2.2 million and Adreian Payne $2 million.
