Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch came into last season touting the team’s continued growth together. After a flurry of roster changes this summer, Finch is looking forward to merging what continuity remains with a new approach that will hopefully pay off for everyone, according to Finch’s recent interview with Britt R0bson of the Minn Post.

“Ayo [Dosunmu] has not been through a training camp with us. Donte [DiVincenzo] is gone for now. Naz [Reid] is gone. And obviously we’ve had two massive additions in the starting lineup with LaMelo [Ball]and Jonathan [Kuminga],” Finch said, adding that former lead assistant coach Micah Nori is also gone. “But the tentpoles (Anthony Edwards, Rudy Gobert and Jaden McDaniels) are still here. And we like that. But I think it will be good to take those guys back to the beginning, too. And they’ve got to be part of the journey and impart more knowledge, understanding and expectation.”

Finch noted that defending larger power forwards will be a key place that the team will have to adjust its defensive approach, and added that he was considering taking some of the principles from when the team had Karl-Anthony Towns paired with Gobert.

“The cool thing is that [the changes allow] us to be creative. But it is a balance, because right out of the gate you don’t want to be super-creative, because then you don’t have any foundation,” he said. “That’s the biggest trap.”

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One player who will have a considerable role in how the team shapes up is LaMelo Ball. Finch spoke to Robson extensively about Ball on both ends of the floor, how he changes things for the team, and how the team can help him shore up some of his weaknesses. The number one focus, he said, was bringing Ball into the culture. “Just getting LaMelo to understand how we do things and the urgency with which that needs to happen,” he said, before adding that it will be crucial for the star point guard to develop a defensive pick-and-roll chemistry with Gobert. “LaMelo has never played with a rim protector like that. But so he has to learn to play with a rim protector like that, too.” On the offensive end, he wants Ball to focus more on his approach. ” If you want to be a good shooter, the first thing you should do is get rid of the bad shots. He does take some — and he can make them. But I think he has relied heavily on it,” he said. “The second piece is the finishing aspect. I think he goes into the paint a lot of the time as a passer, with a passing mentality — because he is so elite at it … So we really want him to focus on having a finishing plan, and embracing the contact that comes with finishing down there (at the rim) a little bit more.”
 As for the team’s superstar guard, Finch wants to see more from Edwards on the defensive end now that the team has added a scoring punch around him. “His on-ball handling duties (on offense) will be reduced, which was probably the most taxing thing for him last year,” Finch said. “I also feel that for him to have an MVP season, he has to have more of a defensive component.” He acknowledged that some of the fault with Edwards not being as impactful on that end as he could be come down to the scheme the team was running. “When we’ve had our more aggressive defenses, especially when they were rotation-based, earlier in his career, he was (consistently) good. There may have been a lag time in recognition because he was learning, but he was good. As we’ve gotten away from more rotations, some of the worse habits may have creeped in.” Finch also sees Edwards guarding bigger players, naming Zion Williamson and Pascal Siakam as two forwards Finch felt that Edwards had success guarding.
Jaden McDaniels took a major step forward as a scorer in the Wolves’ 2025 playoff run. Finch wants to ensure that he keeps trending in the right direction. “We need another step (forward) from Jaden,” he said. “We expect some more opportunities to land in Jaden’s lap. And now he has proven that he is a play-call guy.” He emphasized that he wants to see more from McDaniels as a playmaker, especially in the two-man game with Gobert. “I think he is a really good passer — he’s one of our best interior passers. And he also has the ability with his size … to find Rudy. When Rudy first got here they really had a connection. And I think it dried up for a variety of reasons, but more because Jaden was in a mindset to score, because the opportunities were (up and down).” Finally, he discussed the possibility of using the talented wing defender as a small-ball center in situations where Gobert and second-year big Joan Beringer need reinforcements. Doing so would allow the team to insert another good perimeter defender, though Finch noted he hasn’t made a decision and shouted out Trey Lyles as another good option as a versatile small-ball five. “We did find a lot of zone success with Jaden in the middle in the five; we really like that,” he said. “Opportunities are there because Jaden can be so elite at the rim.“