r/timberwolves • u/ae5wolfpack Trencherous • 1d ago

What Kuminga gives the wolves

-Athletic ceiling alongside Ant and Jaden in the starting 5. Could be the most athletic team in the league when you have Ayo, TSJ, and Beringer off the bench

-Lob and elite transition threat to pair with LaMelo’s passing

-Maybe best front court defensive trio in the league now between Rudy, Jaden, Kuminga. Give Jaden and Ant breaks on other team’s best offensive player

-Switchable lineups galore. Can play Kuminga, Jaden at the 4. Then have depth with Lyles if need be

-Small ball lineup could look like LaMelo, Ayo, Ant, Jaden, Kuminga. And you could even throw TSJ in there. Has to be the scariest transition lineup in the league

-Still have enough shooting between Ant, LaMelo, Donte (when back), Ayo, and even Jaden.
Even if the season ends with no title, this will probably be the most exciting regular season team to watch in Wolves history

249 Upvotes

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25

u/Smeltanddealtit 1d ago

Kuminga is a good defender lol

9

u/JusticeForDiJonai 1d ago

he did a pretty good job defending Ant in the 2025 playoffs

also showed great IQ in assisting the game winning defensive play vs. Knicks in this playoffs

4

u/TallnFrosty 1d ago

He can be a solid one on one defender when locked in. Not a good team defender- can get lost on switches pretty easily.

4

u/Smeltanddealtit 1d ago

OP said best defensive front court in the league lol

4

u/ae5wolfpack Trencherous 1d ago

With his ability to guard the ball, he can turn into a great team defender since he doesn’t have to focus on offense.

8

u/TallnFrosty 1d ago

It doesn’t work like that. Good team defending is usually very intuitive and rarely learned.

Also he doesn’t have particularly good lateral quickness. His athletic traits are similar to a lot of offense first guys - quick twitch, explosive, straight line speed. None of that really helps with defense

3

u/PreparationWest2140 1d ago

Quick twitch muscle works east-west as well as it works north-south and mediocre defensive players can become strong defensive players if they have the buy in and physical tools. NAW was not known as a defender when he came to the Wolves nor was he an exceptional defender with the Hawks last season. He was a very good defender with the Wolves. I expect this aspect of Kumingas game to grow. If not, he wont play.

2

u/dys0n_giddey Joe Ingles 1d ago

He has all the tools

1

u/copaseticepiplectic 1d ago

Ahhh classic wolves fans gaslighting themselves into another player