Chip Scoggins: LaMelo Ball should unlock Chris Finch's ideal Timberwolves offense

Chip Scoggins, The Minnesota Star Tribune on Oct 20, 2026

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MINNEAPOLIS — Chris Finch was having a wide-ranging interview over a beer at a downtown Minneapolis establishment in March 2025. The topics primarily steered clear of basketball strategy until I asked the Timberwolves coach about the influences that shaped his offensive beliefs.

He mentioned being enamored with the fluidity of Bobby Knight’s motion offense at Indiana. And even though his basketball idol as a kid growing up near Philadelphia was Julius Erving, Finch preferred watching the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers because of their style of play.

“I don’t think the game should be overly patterned, programmed, scripted,” he said.

Those words still resonate as the Wolves launch a new season on Wednesday in Miami. Finch finally has a point guard who possesses an abundance of creativity and court ingenuity so the offense does not need to be overly patterned, programmed or scripted.

The head coach sounds as eager as his players — and all Wolves observers, for that matter — to see LaMelo Ball’s impact on the operation.

“I’ve always been drawn to guys that can pass like that,” Finch said. “It’s a special skill in basketball. You’re going to see plays every day that just kind of make you go, ‘Wow.’ Same thing you say with every great player.”

Wolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly and Finch are so confident in Ball’s ability to elevate those around him that they commissioned another seismic roster shakeup. This marks the third distinct iteration of their regime.

As a roster architect, Connelly has proven to be wholly unafraid to pivot once he concludes his team has hit its ceiling. That’s an admirable trait in a profession filled with executives who become paralyzed by the fear of the unknown.

Connelly doesn’t let ego or concern over being second-guessed interfere with making aggressive moves. The Wolves were not good enough to catch the San Antonio Spurs or Oklahoma City Thunder as previously constructed.

None of their previous blueprints featured a point guard with Ball’s skill set.

Finch inherited D’Angelo Russell, whose time in Minnesota went nowhere.

Mike Conley brought professionalism and sharp basketball IQ. The offense functioned better because of his ability to keep everything organized, which endeared him to Finch.

Conley’s age and a draft-day miscalculation on Rob Dillingham prompted Finch to slide Anthony Edwards to point guard last season, a decision that Finch later described as an “original sin.”

Conley was reliable. Ball is spectacular.

Another Finch quote from our 2025 chat jumps out. He noted he believes basketball is better served when it is improvisational.

Said Finch: “I’m a big believer in, if you give freedom to your players, they’re going to gravitate to the things they do well.”

The Wolves will need more than freedom on the court to turn this iteration into a championship contender. That outcome also will require defense, rebounding, playoff fortitude, depth, health and maturity.

A Ball-Edwards backcourt pairing, though, creates the same suspense as a reservation at a five-star restaurant. You go in with expectations of something extraordinary.

The Charlotte Hornets owned one of the NBA’s most high-functioning offenses when Ball was on the court last season. He can dominate a game without scoring by making things easier for teammates with his passing.

Ball reads and processes things quickly. His size (6-7) enables him to see over defenders. He knows how to manipulate defenses by controlling pace.

“Everyone has to be ready because the ball will go anywhere at any time,” Finch said.

Edwards should prosper from more catch-and-shoot opportunities. An internal belief exists that Jaden McDaniels is primed to expand his offensive output. Finch highlighted Ball’s acumen in pick-and-roll and the impact that could have on center Rudy Gobert.

“Could have the potential to be one of the hardest things in the league to guard,” Finch said. “We need to lean into that.”

Pace is another area destined to change. The Wolves are smaller, sleeker and built like a race car compared to the plodding version we saw last season.

Ball loves to play fast, which forces others to play fast.

“If we’re not good in transition and taking advantage of that,” Finch said, “we’re leaving money on the table.”

Playing more up-tempo fits Finch’s vision of an offense that isn’t overly patterned, programmed or scripted. He called it a “simpler style of basketball at times. It feels like we really need to make that part of our identity overall.”

He noted that Edwards sprinted ahead of the ball more in training camp and the preseason, fully aware that the “ball is getting pushed up his tail if he’s not running.”

This style of play could resemble a sudden about-face. Something fresh and new. The Wolves lived through the experience of not having a true point guard last season. Ball’s arrival brings the possibilities that Finch shared over a beer two seasons ago.

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