What led to Timberwolves changing the starting lineup?

The goal was to get Mike Conley into a rhythm, and the early returns were positive Monday night.

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Mike Conley dribbles while defended by Detroit Pistons forward Tim Hardaway Jr. in the second half at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Jan. 4, 2025. / Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

At their shootaround Monday morning, Timberwolves coach Chris Finch had a question for veteran point guard Mike Conley. Finch asked Conley if it was OK to take him out of the starting lineup for Monday's game against the Clippers.

"I gave him hell, man," Conley quipped after the Timberwolves beat the Clippers 108-106 Monday night at Target Center in Minneapolis. "I said I completely understand. I'll do whatever it takes for our team to find some rhythm or myself to find some rhythm, so it was a real quick, real quick conversation."

Donte DiVincenzo, who also found out Monday morning, started in Conley's place. And Conley did find some rhythm off the bench, finishing with 11 points, four rebounds, three assists and a team-best plus-minus of plus-11 in the victory, while DiVincenzo tallied 15 points, eight rebounds and an assist in his third start of the season for the Timberwolves.

It was a surprise to see DiVincenzo penciled into the starting lineup considering Finch's comments after Saturday's loss to the Detroit Pistons when he indicated he had no intention of changing the starting five. What ended up changing?

"I just read all the papers ... and what everybody was telling me and I said, you know what, s***, I should change the starting lineup," Finch quipped postgame. "It was all about trying to get (Conley) into a group of guys that could accentuate his talents better. He plays the bulk of his minutes with that unit. The usage has shifted in that unit, so it was really a way to try to help him get going."

The early returns were positive. With Conley coming off the bench, Finch was able to more often utilize a familiar lineup — the starting group when Karl-Anthony Towns was injured last season, which features Conley, Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, Naz Reid and Rudy Gobert. That was the unit that settled things down for the Wolves after they fell into an early 19-point deficit. It closed the second quarter on a 23-11 run, reducing the deficit to seven points at halftime.

Conley was more aggressive with that familiar five, and he knocked down a pair of 3s during the second-quarter run.

"I think (coming off the bench) does allow that group to play a little bit more because we got a lot of guys that deserve to play," Conley said. "It's hard to get guys in the right lineups and mix and match, so maybe this is the way we can get to that lineup a little bit more, give ourselves a little bit more freedom with that."

The new-look starting five got off to a slow start, scoring just seven points in the first six-plus minutes of the game. But that group, which hasn't played together much this season, found their rhythm in the third quarter to the tune of a 23-13 start, including a 17-0 run, to the half. DiVincenzo knocked down a pair of 3s and hit a floater in the paint during the run.

"One, it's gonna take time, but two, we've had different, you know, that particular full five-man lineup hasn't played that much, but a lot of those four-man lineups have, so it's just figuring out that last one person. It's gonna take time," DiVincenzo said. "... You take out the second-guessing, you take out all the slow decisions and you just play faster to start the game, to start the second half, and that's what kind of opened things up for us in the third quarter."

That was part of the goal of the lineup change. Finch noted DiVincenzo's ability to push the pace and create depth in transition, which was something the Wolves had been lacking. Plus DiVincenzo has a built-in chemistry with Julius Randle.

The approach for DiVincenzo doesn't change stepping into the starting lineup. He doesn't need to play like a traditional point guard — Edwards and Randle are both ball dominant and have the ability to share playmaking responsibilities. That allows DiVincenzo to do what he does best — push the pace, run the actions and knock down shots when they come.

DiVincenzo also noted he's not sure if it's a permanent change to the starting lineup. But whether he's starting or not, the way they played at the end of the second quarter and start of the third is the brand of basketball the Wolves want to see.

Making the change possible is having a selfless player like Conley who was willing to take a step back. He appreciated the gesture from Finch asking him if he was willing to make the sacrifice; the 37-year-old point guard couldn't remember the last time he came off the bench. But Conley was understanding and more than willing to do whatever helps the Wolves.

"Everything's an opportunity for me," Conley said. "It's not a demotion in a sense. It's like, hey, we got (DiVincenzo), Nickeil (Alexander-Walker), all these guys deserve to start. For me it's like now I get to be free and have the ball and do some things, so I don't mind it."