Timberwolves' Chris Finch gives hilarious NSFW reason for changing starting lineup
01/07/2025 11:47 AM
When the Minnesota Timberwolves acquired Donte DiVincenzo in the offseason, many assumed he would become Anthony Edwards’ backcourt running mate. Instead, Chris Finch stuck with 37-year-old Mike Conley in the starting lineup for most of the first 34 games of 2024-2025 until he finally cracked on Jan. 6 and gave fans what they wanted to see.
Finch started DiVincenzo over Conley against the Los Angeles Clippers, a move that led to a 108-106 win. Unsurprisingly, after the game, Finch was asked about the lineup change. He nonchalantly explained that he truly made the decision based on public opinion.
“I just read all the papers,” Finch said to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. “And [from] what everyone was telling me and said, [I thought] you know what, s***, I should change the starting lineup.”
DiVincenzo played 31 minutes in the game, scoring 15 points and adding nine rebounds. He has now reached double figures in eight of his last 10 games after a rough start to the year.
DiVincenzo and Julius Randle were traded to Minnesota from the New York Knicks in the offseason trade involving Karl-Anthony Towns. The seventh-year guard broke through for the Knicks in 2023-2024, averaging a career-high 15.5 points per game and shooting 40.1 percent from deep. He started the entire second half of the season and averaged over 20 points per game over the final three months of the year.
Chris Finch looks to turn Timberwolves season around with Donte DiVincenzo-Mike Conley starting lineup change
Whether Finch revealed his true thoughts or not, a change was imminent. Thirty-five games into the regular season, the Timberwolves are just 18-17, a far cry from what most believed they would be in the preseason after making it to the 2024 Western Conference Finals.
On paper, DiVincenzo’s insertion into the Timberwolves’ starting lineup provides more scoring and shooting than Conley did. A lot of criticism has been placed on Anthony Edwards despite the team’s lack of consistent complementary scoring. Finch made the move one game after Edwards accounted for 50 percent of the team’s total points in a 14-point loss to the Detroit Pistons.
Regardless, Edwards, as the team’s leading scorer, has taken the brunt of the blame. Yet in the team’s past two games, the outspoken 23-year-old has racked up 90 combined points as he desperately attempts to keep his team above .500.
Randle was the main asset Minnesota acquired in exchange for Towns. He has been the team’s second-leading scorer but has regressed in his 11th season. The forward is averaging 19.6 points per game, nearly five points less than he did in 2023-2024.
In a small sample size, the Timberwolves are now 1-2 in three games with DiVincenzo starting. However, they are also a slightly better 9-5 in games where he takes 10 or more shots.
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