Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch has identified the need for another ball handler and playmaker to reduce offensive pressure on Anthony Edwards ahead of the offseason.
The Timberwolves finished the 2025–26 regular season with a 49–33 record, securing sixth place in the Western Conference and a guaranteed playoff berth in a tightly packed standings race.
Minnesota advanced through the postseason to the Western Conference Semifinals, where the team fell to the San Antonio Spurs 4–2 after a six-game series that exposed half-court creation limitations against elite defensive pressure.
Edwards remained the central offensive engine throughout the season, averaging 28.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 3.7 assists in the regular season while shooting 48.9 percent from the field and 39.9 percent from three-point range.
In the playoffs, Edwards produced 21.6 points per game while facing increased defensive attention, with Minnesota relying heavily on his on-ball responsibilities across multiple lineup configurations.
“We definitely need another ball handler and playmaker and somebody who can, you know, initiate the offense, take the load off of Anthony, get Anthony back to his natural best spot,” the coach said on KFAN, via NBA Base.
“I think there’s a lot of things that we gained by putting Anthony on the ball. I think there’s a lot of things he learned by, you know, having him on the ball. I think those things will pay off, you know, in subsequent seasons, you know, to be quite honest with you, so and that’s a silver lining. But there’s no doubt we need somebody to kind of help him. It it just put too much on his plate.”
The Timberwolves’ supporting cast showed scoring balance during the regular season, with Julius Randle averaging 21.1 points and Jaden McDaniels adding 14.8 points on efficient shooting splits, while Naz Reid contributed 13.6 points off the bench.
Veteran guard Mike Conley provided structure in limited minutes at age 38, but his 4.5 points and 2.9 assists per game in the regular season reflected a reduced role in primary creation duties.
Reserve guards Bones Hyland and Donte DiVincenzo offered perimeter spacing and secondary scoring bursts, but neither consistently operated as a full-time initiator capable of managing late-clock possessions.
