Wolves Promote DiVincenzo, Conley Moves to Bench
In a strategic move to enhance their lineup, the Minnesota Timberwolves will start the 2025/26 NBA season with Donte DiVincenzo as the starting point guard. NBA insider Chris Haynes reported this change, indicating that veteran Mike Conley will transition to a bench role.
Timberwolves Lineup Update
This adjustment marks a significant shift for the Timberwolves. Conley, a key player, will still remain integral to the team, as highlighted by Haynes. Since joining the Wolves from Utah in a mid-season trade during 2023, Conley has played in 171 games, starting in 164 of them.
Conley’s Role and Performance
Despite his veteran experience, Conley, now in his 19th NBA season and having turned 38 earlier this month, can no longer sustain heavy minutes on the court. Last season, he averaged a career-low of 24.7 minutes per game, contributing 8.2 points, 4.5 assists, and 2.6 rebounds each contest.
Head coach Chris Finch utilized a brief experiment in January 2025, switching Conley to a bench role for seven games, during which DiVincenzo started. However, this arrangement ended when DiVincenzo sustained a toe injury, keeping him off the court for over a month.
Impact of the Starting Lineup
The Timberwolves are focusing on minimizing Conley’s minutes as a means of managing his workload, rather than signaling a loss of trust in his abilities. The new starting five, which includes DiVincenzo, Anthony Edwards, Julius Randle, Jaden McDaniels, and Rudy Gobert, demonstrated effective synergy last season, with a +4.6 net rating over 213 minutes.
In comparison, when Conley filled in for DiVincenzo in that lineup, they achieved a +3.2 net rating over 714 minutes, showing that the team is exploring potential enhancements to optimize performance going into the new season.
