Minnesota Timberwolves starting lineup: Locks, fringe, potential break-ins

Timberwolves: Possible break-ins

While Minnesota will likely upgrade the starting rotation by adding a few of the players that they’ve acquired over the offseason, they may instead decide to stick with the lineup they ended last season with, at least to begin the season. If they do that, there are three players who would end up with starting roles: Malik Beasley, Josh Okogie, and Juan Hernangomez.

Among the three, Beasley is actually the least likely to get a starting position. Despite his offseason issues, which have been well documented up to this point, Minnesota signed Beasley to a four-year, $60 million deal, which is a major paycheck for somebody coming off the bench.

Still, Beasley’s immediate increase in performance once he was moved to Minnesota is hard to ignore, and if he continues to improve, it will be hard to argue for keeping him on the bench for too long.

When it comes to Hernangomez, it’s a bit harder argument to make that he should join the starting rotation. While he has improved much in the same way Beasley has, Hernangomez hasn’t shown himself to be much more of an asset than a stretch-four/five type of player who could get you 10+ points per game. And unfortunately, Minnesota already has a better version of that in Karl-Anthony Towns. Not only that, but Davis provides a better fit to Towns’ game than Hernangomez.

As for Okogie, it’s really a coin’s flip between who will start: him or Edwards. Okogie has a great defensive game, which will pair well with the offensive firepower Minnesota is bringing with Russell and Towns in the lineup. However, Edwards is arguably a better fit for a fast Minnesota system.

Certainly, they both have some issues shooting from deep, which Minnesota would like to rectify in at least one of them, but at this point in time the Timberwolves must take what’s offered, and it could likely be a matter of how coach Saunders is feeling at the time that determines who gets the starting spot.