Joe Ingles can replace Kyle Anderson's facilitator role with Wolves

Ingles has the chops to handle a facilitator role while supplying more offense.

Apr 30, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Orlando Magic guard Joe Ingles (7) reacts after a basket during the second half against the Cleveland Cavaliers in game five of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports / Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

The Timberwolves signed free-agent Joe Ingles to a one-year deal earlier this month after trading veteran forward Kyle Anderson to the Warriors. Both players have showcased very similar skills in their professional careers, which makes Ingles the ideal Anderson replacement for the 2024-25 Wolves.

Player	Joe Ingles	Kyle Anderson
Height	6'9"	6'9"
Age	36	30
PPG (23-24)	4.4	6.4
RPG (23-24)	2.1	3.5
APG (23-24)	3.0	4.2
Shooting Splits (23-24)	43.6/43.5/82.4	46/22.9/70.8
MPG (23-24)	17.2	22.6

For as many similarities as Ingles and Anderson have, they certainly have their differences, with the biggest being behind the 3-point line. SlowMo was essentially a non-factor from 3 this season, attempting only 0.6 per game, compared to Ingles at 2.4 attempts per game.

Ingles will without a doubt be an upgrade on the offensive end of the floor, but he isn't the same defensive player Anderson is. Anderson, who can guard almost every position on the floor, posted a 108.9 defensive rating in 2023-24. Ingles, on a good Magic defense, had a 112.9 defensive rating.

When it comes to facilitating the offense, there are a lot of similarities between their games. Both players are not natural point guards but they have the potential to run a second-unit offense when needed. Ingles averaged 3.0 assists per game last season in Orlando, while Anderson gave the Wolves 4.2 assists per game off the bench.

I think Finch is going to lean into playing Joe Ingles as heavily as Ingles’ 37 year old body will let him.

Finch talks all the time about needing to find more offensive flow through the structure of the offense. And what that really means is finding the ability to do different… pic.twitter.com/csBSY7a92D

— Dane Moore (@DaneMooreNBA) July 7, 2024

With Mike Conley Jr. and rookie Rob Dillingham as the only point guards currently on the Timberwolves' roster, there is a need for an extra facilitator off the bench. Between losing Anderson, Monte Morris (Suns) and Jordan McLaughlin (Kings) this offseason, the Timberwolves will need to replace 8.5 assists per game from the 2023-24 regular season. Dillingham will help, but it's a tough task for a 19-year-old rookie to have a big workload on day one.

Fellow free-agent signing P.J. Dozier and young players like Josh Minott, Terrence Shannon Jr. and Jaylen Clark can look to add some guard/forward versatility, but all of them are unknowns against legit NBA competition.

With 3-point shooting being a major difference, Ingles will not be a one-for-one replacement after losing Anderson, but he has the potential to provide a similar, unique versatility off the bench for Minnesota in 2024-25.