After losing to the Phoenix Suns on Friday night, the Minnesota Timberwolves fell to 0-6 against teams with a record of .500 or better. It’s great that the Wolves are 10-0 against teams under .500, but to be the best you have to win the big games.
Listen, so far I’ve been careful not to freak out about the Wolves’ poor performances against good teams. In every other game there was a reasonable explanation. However, this loss was unfathomable for the Wolves, and it highlights the Wolves’ need for a point guard in the worst way possible.
The Wolves led by eight with less than a minute to go. Anthony Edwards had 41 points and the Wolves forced 27 turnovers. Additionally, Devin Booker fouled out. That’s a game the Wolves need to win.
Nevertheless, the Wolves scored three goals with less than a minute to play, allowing the Suns to stage a comeback. Credit Phoenix’s defense, but man, was that poor execution from Minnesota. The Wolves’ lack of a point guard and stabilizing force to organize the offense couldn’t be more apparent after this game. Unless this need is addressed, this appears to be a major expense for the Wolves.
Here are all three of the Timberwolves’ last minute turnovers, all in 30 seconds of game time. https://t.co/looJ1pAT2x pic.twitter.com/2peroup43Z
— Jonah (@Huncho_Jman) November 22, 2025
The Timberwolves have a point guard problem
The Wolves’ lack of point guard play hasn’t been much of an issue all season. Yes, it will always be mentioned as a weak point. Regardless, the Wolves’ point guard-by-committee approach has been largely effective. However, in the clutch this is a huge problem. Minnesota ranks 26th in clutch time turnover.
Late in games, this mistake can be exploited, and the Suns did just that. Two of the Wolves’ three goals in the final minute came on simple inbounds plays, and the other came when the defense collapsed on Julius Randle. There’s no denying that having a trusted point guard would help in these moments.
At 38 years old, Mike Conley is still a good decision maker, but he is best in a role with limited minutes; his lack of shot creation and burst are problematic. Rob Dillingham has not proven to be reliable in high leverage situations, and even at his best he is not a stabilizing force.
Point guard play will hurt them in the playoffs unless they make a trade
After back-to-back appearances in the conference finals, the hope for this season was that the Wolves could make a championship run. I haven’t ruled that out yet. To do this, however, they will need to trade for a point guard. It doesn’t even have to be a star; someone like Tre Jones could be perfect.
If they don’t trade for a point guard, the top teams in the Western Conference will certainly expose Minnesota’s point guard problem. The Oklahoma City Thunder force converts like no other. The Houston Rockets also force turnovers at an elite rate and have unparalleled positional size. While the Denver Nuggets don’t force turnovers like these two teams, their positional size and versatility make it difficult for the Wolves.
We’ve seen how this issue has hurt the Wolves. The lack of a true point guard hurts them in close games. Now imagine the playoffs, where the close games are more common and opponents can take a series on you.
These three teams (especially the Thunder) are the standard in the West. If the Timberwolves want to close the hole, it is imperative that they trade for a point guard.
Otherwise, they could forget about another deep playoff run, let alone a Finals run.
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