Wolves need to try more of these 5-man lineup combinations

The starting five has been OK, but mixing things up more frequently might yield big benefits.

Nov 17, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic (20) and Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert (27) battle for a jump-ball during the first quarter at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Nick Wosika-Imagn Images / Nick Wosika-Imagn Images

The Timberwolves' starting five — Mike Conley, Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, Julius Randle and Rudy Gobert — has played more minutes together (177) this season than all but two other five-man lineup combinations in the NBA.

Only New York's starting five — Jalen Brunson, Mikel Bridges, Josh hart, OG Anunoby and Karl-Anthony Towns — and Houston's starting five — Fred VanVleet, Dillon Brooks, Jalen Green, Alperun Sengun and Jabari Smith Jr. — have spent more minutes together on the court this season.

But while Houston's starters have a net rating of 11.6, meaning they outscore opponents by an average of 11.6 points per 100 possessions, the Timberwolves' starting five has a net rating of 3.7. That's in the positive range, but isn't as good as last season's starting five when Conley, Edwards, McDaniels, Towns and Gobert had a 7.9 net rating.

Minnesota isn't the only team in the Western Conference struggling to identity high-end lineup combos. In fact, only four Western Conference teams that have dribbled out consistent starting fives — Denver (14.9), Houston (11.6), Lakers (4.7), Sacramento (4.2) — have better net ratings than the Wolves.

For example, the Mavericks' starting five of Kyrie Irving, Luka Doncic, Klay Thompson, P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford have a minus-13.4 net rating, though injuries have limited that group to just 78 minutes together.

But it begs the question: Shouldn't the Timberwolves explore more effective lineups? There's data to support the idea of playing the following five-man lineup combinations more often.

Mike Conley, Donte DiVincenzo, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Naz Reid, Rudy Gobert

Perhaps this is the must-have lineup when Edwards takes a breather. Together, these five guys have played 50 minutes together across 11 games and outscored opponents by 28.5 points per 100 possessions. They're humming along with an offensive rating of 122.8 and a defensive rating of 94.2. This is currently the team's third-most common lineup combo.

Donte DiVincenzo, Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, Naz Reid, Rudy Gobert

This five-man lineup has been on the floor together for a combined 23 minutes in nine games. In that time they've posted a 110.9 offensive rating and an 82.4 defensive rating. At plus-28.5 points per 100 possessions, they've been elite in a limited sample size. This is currently the eighth-most common lineup combo for Minnesota.

Donte DiVincenzo, Anthony Edwards, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Julius Randle, Naz Reid

This is a gifted offensive lineup that has played together for 62 minutes across 14 games and posted a plus-19.8 net rating. That's from an offensive rating of 123.5 and a D-rating of 103.7. It's the Wolves' second-most common lineup.

Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, Julius Randle, Rudy Gobert

This group has played 49 minutes together across 10 games and owns a plus-11.5 net rating based on offensive and defensive ratings of 111.5 and 100.0, respectively. This has been the starting lineup in the games that Conley has missed.

This is currently the fourth-most common lineup combo for Minnesota.

Mike Conley, Anthony Edwards, Donte DiVincenzo, Julius Randle, Rudy Gobert

Somewhat surprising, this five-man combo has been featured for a grand total of eight minutes in only three games. Those eight minutes have yielded a 141.2 offensive rating and an 86.7 defensive rating, which leads to a net rating of plus-54.5. This is currently the 16th-most common lineup combo for Minnesota.