The Timberwolves head coach spoke about his guard’s play in year two
Minnesota Timberwolves guard Jaylen Clark has carved out a role for himself coming off the bench and impacting games for his squad.
Clark was drafted late in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft. So far in year two, he is only playing just over 16 minutes a game, but is averaging five points and 2.4 rebounds per contest, thus proving to be an important piece of Minnesota’s bench unit.
Head Coach Chris Finch recently spoke about Clark’s play several weeks into his second year in the league, mentioning his impact when some of the Timberwolves’ other defenders like Rudy Gobert and Naz Reid are not in the game.
“[Clark’s] a guy that’s certainly feared,” Finch said. “Guys don’t want to handle against him, which, that kind of changes the dynamic right away. It makes teams adjust even before they are trying to do anything else. So, just trying to kind of survive him. We need him to rebound a little bit better consistently. He has the ability to do that. I think when he can rebound at a higher level, he can move to the elites.”
Minnesota's Role Players
So far this season, Clark has tallied 10 steals and 29 rebounds. His steal total through 12 games this season is already almost halfway to his total from last season, which was 36.
Having another defender and even another option on offense is certainly a bonus for Minnesota as the Timberwolves continue to find their identity just 14 games into the 2025-26 NBA season.
Beyond starters like Anthony Edwards, Julius Randle and Jaden McDaniels, who are averaging 25.9, 24.5 and 17.5 points per game, respectively, Clark is just one of several players to come off the bench and make impactful contributions.
Reid, who won the league’s Sixth Man of the Year award in 2024, has continued his efforts off the bench, averaging 12.3 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. Mike Conley (6.1 points per game) and Rob Dillingham (4.9 points per game) are two others, alongside Clark, who have also contributed to Minnesota’s cause through the first couple weeks of the new season.
Minnesota’s next game is against the Washington Wizards at 8 p.m. on Nov. 19. Following that, the Timberwolves have a three-game road trip awaiting them, where the team will match up against the Phoenix Suns, Sacramento Kings and Oklahoma City Thunder on Nov. 21, Nov. 24 and Nov. 26, respectively.