The Timberwolves Finally Have Their Star Guards. Their Center Problem Never Left.

MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Timberwolves spent the summer collecting talent like it was going out of style. LaMelo Ball arrived in a blockbuster trade from Charlotte. Jonathan Kuminga signed in free agency, in a move that felt like a full-circle moment since Minnesota originally traded the draft pick used to select him back in 2020. Throw in a deal for Cody Williams, and the franchise that once won with towering lineups has fully committed to a guard-heavy era.

The projected starting five — Ball, Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, Kuminga and Rudy Gobert — looks like a video game roster. Edwards is coming off a 2025 season in which he averaged 28.8 points on 48.9 percent shooting and knocked down nearly 40 percent of his threes. Ball gives Minnesota a true orchestrator for the first time in years, dishing out 7.1 assists per game. Kuminga adds a versatile athletic wing who can attack closeouts and finish above the rim.

But here's the uncomfortable truth hovering over the week's headlines: even after all that star power, the frontcourt behind Gobert is thinner than a Minnesota January morning.

The Wolves traded away Julius Randle, and Naz Reid — their most reliable scoring big — is gone too. The depth chart behind Gobert reportedly points to Trey Lyles as the primary backup center. Terrence Shannon Jr. and Bones Hyland may share the role Reid played as a bench scorer. Meanwhile, the franchise reportedly still has eyes on a Kevin Love reunion to add experience to the frontcourt.

That's not exactly a championship-caliber safety net.

Gobert remains a remarkable durability story — he played 76 games in 2025 while averaging 11.5 rebounds and 1.6 blocks. But the Wolves are now critically dependent on him staying healthy, and the schedule won't do them any favors. The Northwest Division alone features Oklahoma City, and the Western Conference is loaded with size. Several pundits have already pointed to the Thunder and other bulky matchups as nightmares for Minnesota's "makeshift" frontcourt.

The gap to the top is measurable. In 2025, the Timberwolves posted a net rating of 2.16. Oklahoma City's was 10.57. San Antonio has emerged as a co-favorite alongside the Thunder for 2026, with both teams listed at the top of championship boards. Minnesota, by contrast, sits in a mid-tier cluster — priced at 25-to-1 alongside Cleveland and Denver, with a win total of 48.5, essentially projecting a repeat of last season's 49 wins.

There's reason to believe the ceiling is higher. Ball's ability to create easy looks should unlock more of Gobert's offensive value. Edwards, who admitted there will be "a lot of downs" while he and Ball learn to coexist, remains one of the league's most explosive scoring guards. McDaniels shot 41.2 percent from three in 2025 and gives them a switchable defender who doesn't need touches.

But history suggests the first year of a superteam often looks clunkier than the vision. It may take a second season together for this group to reach its absolute ceiling — and in the West, mid-season growing pains can cost seeding.

The optimist's view: Minnesota finally has the playmaking and perimeter firepower to outscore its problems. The pessimist's view: one rolled ankle from Gobert and the Wolves are asking a backup forward to guard the league's best centers.

Either way, this is the most fascinating boom-or-bust roster in the conference. The backcourt got the headlines. The frontcourt will decide the ending.