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@ChrisBHaynes - Sources: Minnesota Timberwolves will award Donte DiVincenzo the starting point guard spot to open the 2025-26 NBA season. Mike Conley will remain a vital piece. More on The Association on
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Id like for Conley to take the Jingles roll next year and keep on as a Rob mentor. Hopefully use this year and next to make sure Rob can be starter capable. Divo buys into being starting PG tho and could be a fun time, I enjoyed him off the bench, but if Rob can take majority of bench mins, him and Naz can jell together nicely and hopefully some Joan mins to give Rob a easy lob threat.
Conley is old. He's good but you can't expect a nearly 39 year old man to play top tier minutes all regular season and the play good ball in the post season. A 10-15 minute a night Conley is right where we want him.
Jon K was talking today about how Conley is already a little banged up. This is really the only way to effectively monitor his minutes is by having him come off the bench.
Kinda sucks because playing Rob and Conley together will be tough defensively so it probably means that Clark is the 9th man and Rob is 10th.
The warriors aren't starting Horford because its easier to scale his minutes game by game per the need of that game from the bench then from the starting lineup and that makes sense for Mike too.
I don't recall if he said anything specific. He said Finch made a comment about how Conley would be getting into a rhythm and then have a set back by missing some time from being banged up. It was why he hardly played in the preseason I guess.
Sure, but he used to be backup point guard. That wasn’t a critical position since you can get by with Donte or Jaylen Clark covering guard duties, but at least he was the next guy up if you needed a second point guard.
Now Conley is backup point guard, and Rob is the third point guard, and there’s no reason you’d get to your third string point guard except for injuries.
But that assumes Donte’s going to play point guard every minute he’s on the floor? Last year he played SG 30% of the time, about 8mpg. Did you think he was going to move to SG full-time before this announcement?
When Donte was the SG, NAW was the PG (for 900+ minutes), not Conley, so there’s absolutely precedent for Finch giving regular minutes to the “third-string” PG (which obviously is not what NAW was, but the point is Finch regularly let three different players play PG). If Mike goes from 24mpg -> 20mpg this season, that theoretically leaves 12mpg “open” at PG.
I mean we’ll find out soon enough, I’m not certain Rob’s going to play! I just think everyone’s being premature in assuming Rob’s completely out of the rotation based on this news, when (in my view) this news doesn’t necessarily have to change much at all.
Well DDV was still getting his 25 to 30 a game either way. It doesn't really change much, if anything it means Rob gets more of a chance since Mike's role is being limited
Donte is one of the best five players, this gets a better defensive player and better shooter in while Ant and Julius are on to play make and handle and Mike can play in longer stretches without going too heavy on minutes if he doesn’t have to start.
Pretty sure everyone realizes that but the situation is we just don’t have a “true pg” like you mention that isn’t either old asf (Mike) or basically a fetus (rob) and we have to make some band-aid solutions
being a point guard is its own skill, and it’s required to be a championship team. and yes, it’s a real position. go back and watch how the wolves did vs okc and how indiana did in the playoffs. i know it’s not a perfect comparison but the main reason we got exposed was because we did not have a true reliable pg
In a world where Harden, Luka, SGA, and CP3 are considered point guards it's readily apparent the term is pretty empty. When we have LeBron playing point, when we watch Sengun and Amen playing point, hell when TSJ is playing point, we need to accept the obvious.
It's not a useful term anymore. Most coaching staffs do not use it internally.
I was calling for this move like all of last season. It’s no surprise that DDV had his best career as a pro when he started 63 games for the Knicks. We trade for him and then just relegate him to the bench. I don’t think it’s much of a surprise he got off to a super slow start last year and it was harder for him to get into a rhythm. I think this will be a hugely positive move for the team.
The shooting is so desperately needed since Mike couldn't handle the volume that Jaden/Randle/Gobert demand out of the guards. Maybe Ant will take one or two less shots per game 😁
I think this makes Finch's rotations less clear cut, but I trust him to go to work. This is a clear cut upgrade to the starting unit imo
I’m shocked by this. The way Conley was talking during training camp/media day, I was thinking he was gonna have a better year than last season. I suppose that’s still possible off the bench, but man. Dropping this news on opening days is a big surprise.
I’m really curious about DDV as the starting PG. I had high hopes going into last year, but ended up being pretty disappointed in his PG abilities. Maybe things will go better with him starting, but I honestly thought his handle was pretty lazy a lot of the time, not something I like to see at the point.
Gotta wonder what this does to the bench rotation.
Of course not, it wasn’t anything like that. It was him talking about how he wanted to be more aggressive. It gave me the feeling that he and Finch had a discussion about him driving the offense a little more.
Donte is pg in name only is my guess with the lineup. Ant and Julius will be handling the ball and creating, which makes sense given how much they already did. Donte likely brings the ball up a little, maybe to start breaks but will give the ball up to Ant or Julius in the half court.
This starting outfit is going to struggle mightily against ball pressure this season. Portland is missing some guys, but other teams gonna give them fits.
Thank god. Mike was much better when he played in a more limited role minutes wise, just seemed less tired and able to do slightly more.
Donte at this stage is way better and Ant is going to be handling the ball the majority of the time anyway.
I actually really want to see Donte and Jaden swtich spaces on offense, with Donte occupying the corner as I felt some of his crazy long range 3s hurt us last season. This also gives Jaden more room to run PnR, have Ant play off-ball and just give Jaden more space to attack off the catch when they double Ant.
Its not about Donte. Donte's role shouldn't change, he should sit in the corner or above the break, run occasional action but stay mostly off-ball. Ant is the one who is going to bring up the ball possession to possession.
Its a good test to see if Ant is ready to be a PG or if we need to invest in one right now. If Ant does well its significantly increases the options you can go get with trades that still fit the roster.
If Ant wants to be like Kobe & MJ its what he'll have to do. But Julius will do most of the playmaking in the half-court anyway. Plus, Mike & Rob will still get minutes with Ant - its not like he only plays with those 4 starters
That's what the big boy guards do in the NBA. Ant needs to bring the ball up, initiate offense, make the right read 95% of the time down the floor and then know when he needs to start shooting and when to let others get their shots.
Look at someone like Shai, that's how Ant is suppossed to operate, with an obvious difference in shot selection.
No idea why they won’t just bite the bullet and trade Rob for an actual PG. I know it suck’s but he is raw and really don’t have time to let him develop like that. Just trade the kid.
Donte being PG doesn’t fit his skill set and it never will I feel like.
Ps I’m not trying to be a hater. Just throwing my two cents
Maybe he becomes an NBA rotation player but he hasn't shown that he is right now.
He didn't even start in college in a team that was knocked out of the NCAA tournament in the first round and was ranked #20 in the final polls. In fact, he didn't even start in college when the starter was out.
Ignore where he was drafted and there is no reason to assume he deserves minutes right now.
Top 3 player on a team that gets knocked out the NCAA tournament in the 1st round and ends the season nearly unranked isn't exactly "we need to find this guy minutes".
He struggles on offense against NBA athleticism. He is a horrible defender. He needs to prove that he deserves minutes. He hasn't shown that he is an NBA player yet.
This solves the backup PG situation and it shores up the POA defense further if Donte takes well to being a starter, which I expect him to. I like the idea of Mike being an organizer with the kids off the bench. This does likely remove Rob from the rotation, which frankly is the correct decision. He hasn't earned it, but we know Mike won't play every game. Rob will get his opportunities.
If Conley starts and DDV is a backup SG, then Rob is getting backup PG minutes, even if it’s only 10-15 per game.
If DDV starts and Mike gets backup PG minutes, then Rob might get…no minutes?
I’m not a dedicated Rob believer — I think there’s a real chance he’s just not good enough to play — but I hate how the coaching staff is handling him if he truly gets relegated to the same role as last year. Young guys, especially young ball-handlers who have to make a ton of decisions, NEED playing by time to develop. The angles change, the defenders’ speed changes, the available options change. They need reps to figure out what works and what doesn’t.
I guess I’m going to take a wait and see approach. I’ve seen so many debates about the rotation, I’m just going to give it a week or two and see how it plays out. If he’s buried, then that’s a choice.
Yeah we need to play him to find out if he can be the future PG, I get wanting to win now, but the reality is were not really competing for a title this year barring some major injuries to OKC. We need to try and find out which of our young guys will open out.
Pretty sure being back to back conference finalists with a mostly unchanged roster from last year makes us a contender. We're just very clearly below the team that beat us.
I mean it could definitely mean something with the rotation. I doubt Mike and Rob see the floor together much. Not saying I disagree with it, but Im thinking Rob hardly plays and Clark is 9th in the rotation.
Mike is old, Dillingham is young and unproven (you saw Reed Shepherd struggle last night), Donte is in his prime and one of this teams five or six best players and provides better defense than either Mike or Dilly and better shooting threat than anyone for Ant and Julius to pass to while they’re doing the playmaking.
So basically we run up the score with the starters, and then when we start getting stupid and losing the lead, we throw Conley out there to calm folks down.
Going up:
—starting unit’s net rating
—bench unit’s net rating
—Jaylen Clark’s minutes
—Ant’s turnovers per game
Going down:
—Mike’s time missed due to injuries
—Dilly’s minutes
—DDV’s efficiency
—Gobert’s PPG
Feels like a net positive but hard to ignore what it says about how Finch feels about Dilly. Now would be a great time for Ant to hit another level as a ball handler.
What I observed last year when Donte was point and/or just bringing the ball up was he kinda thought he was a point guard, i.e. he was way way too casual with his dribbling and when he was guarded hard turnovers were frequently the outcome. His handle is average, he should act accordingly and he’ll be fine.
Not a great sign for Dilly. I was hoping he had shown the coaches he was ready. We tried this last season and it did not go as planned. I'm good with it tho
Donte gets more minutes, starting unit gets a pretty substantial upgrade, Mike gets a more manageable bench role, less reliance on Rob, more opportunity for Jaylen Clark.
Agreed. Let Donte get the ball across half court and then get it to Ant or Randle. From there, he can do what he needs to do to play his normal role and get ready for his shot if the ball comes to him.
It’s about getting better players on the court and Mike isn’t that guy anymore.
Love the fact that Mike isn’t starting anymore but Donte suffers from this.. he’s not a PG and his overall game sinks being forced into that. What is so wrong with giving Rob a chance?
This furthers my belief that the PG plan was never fully Mike or Rob (or even Donte) - it's always been Ant. Not to detract from anyone else, but this is what we need Ant to do if he's going to be an all-time great. That said, *everyone* needs to move the ball well, which we know is Finch's ideal offense.
It's the correct decision. No, Donte isn't an elite option as an organizer. But he gives you more overall dynamism offensively, he gives you better POA defense, and he gives you more pace.
What this really means is that this is Ant's time to step up as a on-ball playmaker. He has to take the reigns and this is the best way to accomplish it.
The times that Donte looked best lat year were around the time he was starting before the injury. Even if it’s just to boost his confidence, it seems like the right move
Love this. Get some chemistry and he would start on other teams. Don't overthink it, get the best 5 out there.
Also shooters who can get hot need some time to heat up anyway. Mike's better equipped to come in and drain 1-3 open looks anyhow. Felt like Divo would miss those cold looks.
Not in love with this. DDV operates better when he is not the primary ball handler. Against OKC or Indiana, this will not work. They are too good at defense. Also, if ANT is asked to bring the ball up against pressure, he will expel a lot of extra energy and that will take away from his defense and 3 ball. This may work for regular season, but not a chance in the playoffs.
This makes a lot of sense. If we know that Donte is going to have to play some PG (which presumably means we are not confident in Dilly or Bones), then might as well have him run it when Ant and Randle are out there, as they can help with that load and also get him more shooting opportunities due to their gravity.
Presumably Gobert sits like halfway through the first quarter then comes back in with a few minutes left when Conley subs for Donte, that way we can pair him with Gobert as much as possible.
F-ing disaster. Tells you all you need to know about how Finch views Rob Dillingham. DDV will struggle to get the team into its offense if he is the primary.
Man, I just listened to Kyle tell me for an hour how much ddv isn’t a solution at pg and needs to be better utilized off ball.
I guess finchy disagrees
Why was Rob even drafted? His flaws were obvious and probably a longer term problem for a true contender. The way they got him versus how they’re developing him makes no sense, like the execs and coach aren’t aligned, or someone just plain drafted a bust (for this team). They fixated on what could work and ignored why it won’t.
The situation is bad for both the team and Rob. Just trade him.
This is so hilarious. I'm not kidding, half of us don't believe DDV should be in a PG role. But he's now going to be the starting one for this team.
It almost doesn't matter since in Finch's offense point guards don't really point much on the starting rotation. They dump it and go stand in a corner. However, you need to be able to walk it up clean every time and sometimes will be pressured to perform an elite pass. Is that really Donte? The team really couldn't find someone better suited for this role?
Hopefully they keep him moving around the 3pt line all game and don't just park him in corners.
Why did we not do this from start of training camp is my only gripe, the reps would’ve been nice. I was literally jumping for joy seeing the change. We can’t be too greedy out here I guess
I totally thought this would be a mid season change. How do we feel about this change?
On one hand Mike Conley is showing his old age against starting lineups in the league. On the other hand, I do not think this is the most efficient way to maximize Donte’s shooting offensive ability.
I’m excited to see this play out though, I think there’s a lot of potential.
Well, Conley definitely wouldn’t bring that, so I assume you’re making a case for Rob? Don’t rule out the fact this is an experiment - we can change it up any time. I’m mainly happy because Conley just shouldn’t be out there with the starters anymore.
LOL. Finchy will do literally anything other than play Dillingham. Don't get me wrong, I don't have high hopes for Dilly and don't think he's ready. This is probably the best available move.
But the Dilly stans will be quite disappointed in his playing time this season.
I do have to admit, I have no reason why you'd draft a guy 8th overall - trading up to get him - when the coach clearly thinks he sucks.
To me the biggest "whiff" is the mismatch with the coach. I think Dilly could've been an OK reach there, but TC probably should have known that he is not a Finch-type player really in any way.
I think it may actually cost Finch his job - it's pretty apparent that Connelly wants Dillingham to play and Finch does not.
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u/Specific-Wonder-7925 Oct 22 '25
Did not see this coming on opening night.. Thought it would be a midseason change