Final preseason game reveals possible Timberwolves lineup combinations

The Wolves appear to have a very clear second unit behind the starters.

The starting five of the Minnesota Timberwolves is set in stone. How head coach Chris Finch uses the bench is yet to be fully understood, though the way he deployed different rotations in Friday's preseason finale against the Brooklyn Nets may serve as an indicator for how he'll operate in the regular season. 

The starting five: 

1. D'Angelo Russell
2. Anthony Edwards
3. Jaden McDaniels
4. Karl-Anthony Towns
5. Rudy Gobert

Gobert and Russell played the first eight minutes of the game and then were replaced by Jaylen Nowell and Kyle Anderson. That left these five on the floor for the majority of the final four minutes of the first quarter: 

1. Jaylen Nowell
2. Anthony Edwards
3. Kyle Anderson
4. Jaden McDaniels
5. Karl-Anthony Towns

That lineup keeps two scoring guards on the floor and moves Towns to center. It's a smaller lineup, but still very versatile on the defensive end with Anderson and McDaniels able to guard multiple positions. 

Taurean Prince checked in for McDaniels late in the first quarter, while Bryn Forbes and Naz Reid checked in with about a minute left in the opening quarter, giving all five starters a seat on the bench. 

These five players – the clear-cut second unit – stayed on the floor together until there was just over eight minutes left in the second quarter. 

1. Jaylen Nowell
2. Bryn Forbes
3. Kyle Anderson
4. Taurean Prince
5. Naz Reid

Finch staggered the starters back into the game starting with Gobert replacing Reid with 8:20 left in the second quarter. Russell checked in for Nowell with 7:50 left in the second, followed by Towns and Edwards with about seven to go and McDaniels for Prince at the 5:40 mark. 

The starters stayed on the floor together until McDaniels picked up a third foul late in the second quarter, at which point Finch called on Prince to take his place. So this could be a fairly common lineup on nights that McDaniels is in foul trouble: 

1. D'Angelo Russell
2. Anthony Edwards
3. Taurean Prince
4. Karl-Anthony Towns
5. Rudy Gobert

This appears to be the positional depth chart: 

• PG: D'Angelo Russell, Jaylen Nowell
• SG: Anthony Edwards, Bryn Forbes
• SF: Jaden McDaniels, Taurean Prince
• PF: Karl-Anthony Towns, Kyle Anderson
• C: Rudy Gobert, Naz Reid

Austin Rivers played seven minutes off the bench, so he's clearly going to make the team. That leaves four roster spots up for grabs between Jordan McLaughlin, Eric Paschall, Luka Garza, Nathan Knight, Wendell Moore Jr., Josh Minott, P.J. Dozier, C.J. Elleby and A.J. Dawson. 

Bally Sports North analyst Jim Petersen mentioned Friday night that Finch wanted to play Towns and Gobert together a lot against the Nets, but that he will probably stagger their time on the floor quite a bit during the regular season. When that happens we'll get an even better look at what the rotations look like. 

The Timberwolves open the regular season Wednesday at home against the Oklahoma City Thunder. 

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