Minnesota's bench scored 51 points in the win over the Knicks, with Bones Hyland and Ayo Dosunmu posting the two best plus-minus marks on the floor. The Timberwolves host the Pistons next, and the week's coverage has turned from who starts to who should stay on the floor.
The Bench Case
Dunking With Wolves argued through Ethan Kinney that Minnesota can't afford to keep Hyland out of the rotation, and Kenny Kluska made the parallel case that Zyon Pullin should be playing over the team's two-way bodies. The box score backs both: Hyland's plus-14 in 14 minutes was the best mark on the floor against New York, and Pullin went 3-for-4 from the field for a plus-8 in 12 minutes off the bench. Eamon Cassels, also at Dunking With Wolves, wrote that preseason has only made Terrence Shannon Jr.'s role murkier — he didn't appear in New York's box score at all, which is its own answer.
Kuminga's Untested Fit
Eamon Cassels, at Dunking With Wolves, argued the Timberwolves must be ready to bring Jonathan Kuminga off the bench if fit concerns with the starting group turn out to be real. The case is untested so far — Kuminga is out for rest, with an estimated return when Detroit visits, and he did not appear in the box score against New York. Last season he put up 12.2 points and 5.6 rebounds in 36 games for Minnesota in a smaller role than a full-time starting job would ask of him, which is the sample size any fit argument has to work from until he's back on the floor.
Giddiness, By the Numbers
Chris Finch's description of the Wolves trading 'moodiness for giddiness' since adding LaMelo Ball ran at both RealGM and The Athletic, and The Athletic followed with the claim that Ball is unlocking Jaden McDaniels. The box score from the Knicks win supports McDaniels' half of it — 22 points on 8-for-12 shooting, 4-for-5 from three — but Ball's own night complicates a clean cause-and-effect: 7 assists came with 5 turnovers and the least favorable plus-minus of any Timberwolf in the box score, at minus-4. Dunking With Wolves' Ethan Kinney tied Finch's comments to why Minnesota needed to move on from last season's mood, while colleague Eamon Cassels separately flagged that Ball's ability to hold up to playoff physicality is still an open question — a caution two preseason wins haven't answered.
Why are Timberwolves writers pushing for more Bones Hyland minutes?
Hyland posted a team-best plus-14 in just 14 minutes off the bench against the Knicks, and outlets have argued Minnesota can't afford to leave that impact on the bench.
Is Jonathan Kuminga playing against the Pistons?
He's out for rest with an estimated return when Detroit visits, so his fit with the starting group remains untested.
