One of the main criticisms Chris Finch faced during the Minnesota Timberwolves’ slow start last season was his refusal to expand the rotation beyond his eight veteran players.

Rob Dillingham, whom the Wolves acquired for a 2030 pick swap and 2031 first-round pick, didn’t play in the first five games of the 2024-25 season and didn’t accrue ten minutes in a game until late November. Minnesota’s 2025 first-round pick, Terrence Shannon Jr., didn’t find his way into the regular rotation until February, when Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo were injured for a month. Jaylen Clark didn’t make his season debut until January 9, when he played three minutes in a 104-89 win against the Orlando Magic.

All three found their way into the rotation in various forms by season’s end, giving Wolves fans hope that internal growth and continuity would be the engine for a title run this season. Finch has been more receptive to playing the youngsters in real-game situations during the first quarter of the season, and they have not stepped up to the moment.

Minnesota’s 13-8 mark is far better than last year’s 8-10 disaster start. And Dillingham, TSJ, and Clark aren’t the reasons why the Wolves blew late fourth-quarter leads against the Phoenix Suns and Sacramento Kings. But if the Wolves want to take the next step and challenge the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference, the young players need to get better quickly.

Rob Dillingham, who Tim Connelly traded for to become Mike Conley‘s heir apparent, was not in the rotation to start the season, ceding time to Bones Hyland. Once Anthony Edwards’ hamstring injury forced Finch to insert Dillingham into the rotation, the second-year guard is still having a hard time assimilating his skillset to the size and speed of the NBA.

Rob is averaging 3.9 points and 1.9 assists per game, and his shooting splits of 35.3/31.6/69.2 are unbecoming of a future franchise point guard. He looks unwilling to shoot and sometimes plays faster than his developing skillset allows. It looks like the classic case of broken confidence in a young player with a short leash. He’s still only 20, so there’s plenty of time for Dillingham to get his career back on track. But this isn’t what the Wolves were hoping to get out of the eighth pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.

Terrence Shannon Jr. has fared better over the first year and a quarter than Dillingham. The 27th pick in the 2024 draft has shown flashes of becoming a real offensive threat. At 6’6”, 215 lbs., TSJ uses his size and speed to overpower defenders and score at will in transition.

Shannon scored 10 points, grabbed five rebounds, and dished out five assists in 25 crucial minutes to secure the win against a punishing Portland Trail Blazers defense. He followed it up with a 0-3 dud in the first loss of the season against the Los Angeles Lakers. He had a few more up and down games off the bench before he missed nine games with a foot injury. In his second game back, TSJ scored 18 points on a perfect 7-7 from the field in a hard-fought loss to the Thunder.

But with the tantalizing offensive potential comes some warts in the rest of his game. TSJ is shooting 39.1 percent from three this season. It’s a great sign that he could become a lethal shooter off the bench, but it’s a small sample size — he’s 9-23 from deep. He shot 35.5 percent from three in his rookie year and 34.7 percent across his five years in college. He may become an above-average shooter. However, if not, his value will be in his ability to get to the hoop, which is a dying breed four weeks before 2026. He’s also a liability on defense. If everything hits, TSJ has the best chance to be a real contributor going forward.

Jaylen Clark might be the best contributor of the three right now. He might be the best perimeter defender on the Timberwolves right now. He’s got the strength and length to bully the best ballhandlers in the game in his second season on the court. His effort on the defensive end will guarantee a bountiful 10-year career in the association. And if he can hone his offensive game, he’ll become a major contributor on a perennial playoff team.

They’re all only in their second season, so there is still plenty of time for a breakout. But 21 games into the 2025-26 season, Dillingham, Clark, and TSJ take up three spots in Chris Finch’s rotation and currently amount to about 1.5 useful players. The three young players (and Joan Beringer, who has played 37 minutes this year) aren’t the reason why the Timberwolves are only sixth in the West. If they want to win the West and make the NBA finals for the first time, those three will need to start living up to the lofty expectations.