Minnesota Timberwolves: Using Ricky Rubio, Kris Dunn Together Makes Sense

After the drafting of Kris Dunn, many believed that Minnesota Timberwolves would ship Ricky Rubio out. For at least this season, why not use them together?

Optimism surrounds the Minnesota Timberwolves heading into the 2016-17 regular season.

A quick glance at the 42.0 over/under win total suggests Vegas is high on them and rightfully so.

Karl Anthony-Towns is on the verge of becoming a top-10 player, Andrew Wiggins and Zach LaVine are almost afterthoughts at this point, and the addition of Tom Thibodeau should result in Minnesota’s rise in the Western Conference. 

That being said, there are a few wrinkles that could halt that ascension. One being the lack of shooting.

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After finishing last season as one of the worst shooting teams in the league, Minnesota went into the offseason with one true need: floor spacing around their core. It wasn’t that Minnesota couldn’t knock them down, but rather, the Wolves declined to take them.

Minnesota finished 29th in the league in attempts and percentage of three-point attempts — only Milwaukee was worse.

The result? Two centers signed and the underrated Brandon Rush was brought in for the shooting help.

Rush is a personal favorite of mine — though he never recovered from his injury years ago — and will provide some shooting as a 40 percent marksman from beyond the arc. The main point, however, is that Minnesota is relying on development and improvement from within.

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LaVine was a knockdown shooter last year and Towns has the ability to be a floor spacer. Relying on improvement from within is never a bad thing, but it’s always tricky.

The second is, well, was the point guard question.

The Timberwolves, bestowed with a top five pick, came in with expectations to add the best talent available. After talks with Chicago broke down, the Wolves selected Providence point guard Kris Dunn.

It was an interesting pick at the time, one that brought speculation as to whether Ricky Rubio’s future would include another season with the Timberwolves or with another team.

Minnesota officials quickly squashed it, meaning the discussion should turn from how the Wolves should use both together.

With Rubio and LaVine expected to hold down the starting backcourt positions, Dunn will start his career on the bench. That said, he’s a perfect fit to play alongside both players. With Rubio and Dunn on the floor together, you have two talented defenders with good size and length.

You worry about Rubio’s shooting, but Dunn — a career 35.4 percent three-point shooter in college — should be able to offset that slightly.

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That defensive upgrade is an underrated need for Minnesota. Despite Minnesota’s shooting woes, the Wolves finished 12th in the league in offense, but also 28th in the league in defensive efficiency.

The defense feels like part of the progression with Thibodeau at the helm and the pieces on the roster growing up together.

Adding another tenacious defender like Dunn in the backcourt to bother and pester ball-handlers and other wing players on opposing teams.

Putting Dunn alongside LaVine and you have Dunn in his natural position of a floor general. Dunn is a natural creator and playmaker, averaging more than 7.5 assists per 40 minutes over his last three seasons in school.

Dunn moves over his defensive talent to shuffling against point guards, while LaVine — not a point guard — does a bit of everything, from defending the perimeter to top notch shooting from beyond the arc.

It leads to one of the lineups I want to see Minnesota deploy: Rubio, Dunn, LaVine, Wiggins, and Towns. The idea that it puts three very athletic defenders on the perimeter with Towns waiting in the wings to clean any and every mess at the rim.

Offensively, the balance of having two ideal creators, three good shooters and Wiggins’ ability to slash and garner shots at the rim and free throws.

The Minnesota Timberwolves are entering the 2016-17 season with lofty expectations and they have the talent to in contention for a playoff berth — the first since Kevin Garnett departed Minnesota for Boston.

Next: Minnesota Timberwolves: 2016-17 Season Outlook

At first glance, the Kris Dunn selection suggested that Ricky Rubio was out the door. However, when looking at Minnesota’s needs, Dunn looks to be an ideal fit for a team that’s looking to take a massive leap forward in the Western Conference.