The high point for Minnesota in Tuesday’s loss in Oklahoma City was a Mike Conley flurry in which the veteran guard drilled three consecutive triples to put the Timberwolves up 12 midway through the third. The wheels fell off immediately after, but that is a major part of what Minnesota believes to be the recipe for the current starting lineup. The Wolves’ starting lineup has delivered a number of slow offensive starts this season.
That lineup has struggled to establish a consistent rhythm or tone, leaving the Timberwolves to often have to rely on their bench trio of Donte DiVincenzo, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Naz Reid to inject juice into the contest. Many have wondered if Minnesota’s starting combination of Conley, Jaden McDaniels, Julius Randle, Rudy Gobert and Anthony Edwards provides enough spacing or scoring punch to be a sustainable unit. McDaniels is shooting just 30 percent from 3-point range this season.
Randle is shooting just 33 percent from distance after a hot first five games from deep. Gobert is always a tricky offensive player who possesses gravity with his screens and rim pressure, but doesn’t exactly generate much space in which Edwards and Randle can operate. So shooting threats are in short supply.
Conley is one. After a slow start to the season, he’s shooting 40 percent from deep over his last 18 contests on an average of five 3-point attempts. He also effectively operates within actions involving Gobert and makes the best decisions with the.
