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MN Timberwolves Choose Familiarity with Ant Out
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- MN Timberwolves Choose Familiarity with Ant Out
Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images
Bad things have been piling up for Minnesota sports teams in the past handful of days. It looked as though the Minnesota Timberwolves may avoid that fate, and even got positive news in that the Los Angeles Lakers would be shorthanded at Target Center this week.
Unfortunately it took all of three minutes for Anthony Edwards to depart against the Indiana Pacers on Sunday night and the tide turned. Now out multiple weeks with a hamstring injury, Chris Finch must shuffle his rotation.
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Mike Conley rejoins Timberwolves starting lineup
Just before the season starter Chris Finch announced that Donte DiVicenzo was going to take the place of Mike Conley as his starting point guard. Now with Edwards set to miss multiple weeks, the veteran guard will take the court from the tip once again.
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"It's comfortable for us. It's easy and it feels like the right thing to do right now." — Finch in Conley starting. Said he thinks he can take some of the playmaking burden off of Randle.
— Jon Krawczynski (@JonKrawczynski) October 27, 2025
At 38 years old, Mike Conley is no spring chicken. The former 4th overall pick is now in his 19th season . Last year with the Timberwolves, the veteran played in 71 games. He started 64 of those contests and averaged 8.2 points per game.
Not unsurprisingly Conley's production has started to tail off. He shot just 40% from the field and only 41% from deep. Two years ago, his first full season with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Conley connected on 44.2% of his three-point attempts.
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It's likely that starting minutes will over-extend the aging veteran. After all, that's why Finch decided to make a change in the starting lineup out of the gate. However, in what is hopefully a short stint with Edwards out, Conley's experience is easy to lean on.
Timberwolves suddenly thin at guard
With Edwards out, and Rob Dillingham already dealing with a broken nose, Conley joins the starting lineup with options dwindling. Terrence Shannon Jr. is capable of playing the point guard role, but isn't an ideal fit there. When Edwards left the game on Sunday, Bones Hyland immediately stepped in.
Conley has played all three games for Minnesota thus far, but is averaging a career-low 15.3 minutes per game. He scored six points against Indiana , but had none against Los Angeles and just three in the season opener.
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Finch will need his veteran to facilitate from the point guard position, as well as provide some scoring. It will give DiVicenzo a bit more time to play off the ball, and Julius Randle can focus on being a volume scorer as well.
The Timberwolves, in their trees uniforms for the second-straight night, face Denver as 6.5 point underdogs on Monday night. They welcome Los Angeles to Target Center on Wednesday to close out the month.
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