On July 10, Minnesota handed a roster built on defense to a new point guard, sending Naz Reid to Charlotte for LaMelo Ball and moving Julius Randle to Brooklyn. Ball's first regular-season night, a 131-106 win in Miami, gave both sides of the argument something to hold onto.
The case against
Gobert's rim protection and McDaniels' length on the wing carried this franchise to conference finals in 2024 and 2025. Last season the defense slipped to 8th, with a 112.5 defensive rating, and the summer sent Reid out the door. The backcourt depth is thinner too: Donte DiVincenzo, who played all 82 games last season, is out with a right Achilles problem and isn't expected back before April 2. Miami also found cracks. Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 35 on 13-of-19 shooting and got to the line 14 times, and a 9-0 Heat run in the third quarter cut a 17-point lead to eight. The cost raises the stakes. Payroll is $215.3 million, over the $209.0 million first apron, and the 2027 and 2028 firsts are tied up in swaps. If the fit fails, there is little room to fix it.
The case for
Ball did his work without crowding anyone. He shot 7 of 17 with five threes, committed one turnover and finished plus-18. Edwards was free to score 45 on 16-of-29 shooting with 10 rebounds, and Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic noted the Wolves shooting 68 percent at one stage against a defense he expected to be good. The defensive identity never left the floor. Gobert went without a field goal and still finished plus-29 with 15 rebounds. McDaniels added three steals on top of 8-of-11 shooting, and Kuminga had four. The starting five totaled 11 steals, and Miami never led by more than four. The group Finch closed with, Ball, Edwards, Dosunmu, McDaniels and Gobert, is a defense-first lineup with a playmaker at the point.
Where it lands
Yes, Ball fits, as long as his offense sits on top of the defense and doesn't replace it. The starters scored 100 points in Miami, and none of that ran through Gobert's touches. He still decided the game with his rebounding and his presence. That is the right balance. One blowout is not a season, and an 8th-ranked defense shows the margin is no longer what it was in the conference-finals years. Orlando is next on Friday, a 45-37 team last season with Paolo Banchero at 22.2 points a night and Desmond Bane at 20.1. If Ball's minutes look the same against a bigger front line, the summer's bet starts to look like a plan.
What did the Timberwolves give up to get LaMelo Ball?
Minnesota sent Naz Reid and Mouhamadou Gueye to Charlotte for Ball and Josh Green on July 10, 2026, and moved Julius Randle to Brooklyn in a four-team deal.
How did LaMelo Ball play in his first Timberwolves regular-season game?
He scored 21 with six assists, five threes, two steals and one turnover in a 131-106 win at Miami. He was plus-18 in 29 minutes.
