The Timberwolves may be trying an exciting new lineup combination

The Minnesota Timberwolves are coming off an extremely disappointing performance on Tuesday night. After giving up 16 points in transition and turning the ball over 23 times, the Wolves fell in their first NBA Cup game to the lowly Portland Trail Blazers. Some of the team’s most crucial mistakes continue to haunt them.

Now they will leave the hotel and go straight back to the arena to face the same enemy just one night later. It’s safe to say they’ll have some extra motivation to take care of business on Wednesday after such an underwhelming performance less than 24 hours before. Anthony Edwards said the same thing in the locker room after Minnesota’s latest loss.

On Wednesday afternoon, a crucial injury update was given to the Timberwolves, indicating that Mike Conley would be out of the starting lineup for the second night of a back-to-back against the Trail Blazers. Conley is taking one game off to rest.

It will be good for the veteran to get some well-deserved time off the bench, but the resulting action with Minnesota Mike out of the starting lineup could make for an intriguing outcome. Many, including Timberwolves podcast Dane Moorehave speculated that the Wolves could use this opportunity to get Rob Dillingham his first opportunity at big time.

This would be a great idea for Chris Finch and his staff, regardless of how well Dillingham ends up playing. First, Conley is solidly on the older side, and his body is going to have a hard time holding up to a full 82-game season. Getting him some rest was always going to be important no matter what else.

But then it would also be necessary to give Dillingham a chance. Mostly because the Timberwolves and Tim Connelly specifically made it clear that they drafted him with the intention of having him be a part of this rotation in his rookie year. So far, Rob has played in four games and only logged 19 total minutes.

It’s still early days, but Dillingham probably needs to get out there and gain experience in order for him to truly reach his potential in his first season as a pro. Even the most talented guys are likely to struggle without much experience in the game. Portland is a very beatable team, although Minnesota should have several starters out of the lineup, and this is a perfect opportunity for Rob to shine.

Realistically, it wouldn’t even be a bad idea to throw Dillingham into the starting lineup just for one night. Finch and Connelly have both spoken highly of their young point guard prospect, and giving him a longer leash could do wonders for his development.