Chris Finch Says Timberwolves Must Make One Fix to Offense

The Minnesota Timberwolves fell 113-108 to the Detroit Pistons on Thursday, and Chris Finch didn't sugarcoat what's been ailing the offense. The Wolves shot just 31% from three on 42 attempts, a number that tells most of the story on its own.

It was the kind of shooting night Finch has been watching repeat itself over recent weeks. Shooters going cold, possessions wasted, and a team that has the personnel to knock down threes simply not doing it. When asked about the offensive struggles, Finch pointed directly at shot-making as the root of the problem.

"We've missed some really good looks," Finch said. "We gotta make those looks. I mean, we've got shooters 0-for-6, 1-for-7, this is kind of every night when we're facing these numbers. And some of them are good shots, and maybe some of them are not. Whether they're at the end of the clock or they're tough shots, or whatever."

He acknowledged that some of this is due to good defense. But he also made it clear that some of it is just needing to execute when the ball is in your hands and you have an open look. "Credit to the defense on some of those, but some of it is just we gotta make shots," Finch said. 

The numbers from Thursday backed him up. Donte DiVincenzo, statistically one of the most dangerous three-point weapons, went 1-of-7 from deep. Bones Hyland was 0-of-6 from three. Julius Randle was the lone bright spot offensively, finishing with 27 points on 60% shooting, but he couldn't carry the load all by himself.

Finch was careful to acknowledge the obvious. Minnesota has been without Anthony Edwards for six games, and his absence removes a layer of offensive pressure that the rest of the roster simply can't replicate. When defenses don't have to account for the league's most electric scorer, they can load up and make life harder for everyone else.

But Finch wasn't using that as an excuse. He was clear that the shot-making issues extend beyond any one player's absence. The Wolves have shooters and they have a system built to generate good looks. What they don't have right now is the consistency to convert them when it matters.

Minnesota enters the final stretch of the regular season with the playoffs on the horizon, and this kind of offensive slump can't carry into the postseason. The Wolves finished with 108 points Thursday. Detroit is a strong defense, but not being able to match the level of powerful defenses in the playoffs is when you get into trouble. 

The encouraging thing is that Finch isn't pointing fingers or making excuses. He's identifying the problem clearly and putting the responsibility where it belongs.

Shots simply have to go in. The personnel is there. It's an execution issue, and those tend to be correctable. Especially when Edwards returns to the lineup and defenses are forced to recalibrate. The Wolves aren't crying doom and gloom just yet, but this is something that will have to revert to the norm.