Finch reflected on how the injuries to Anthony Edwards and Donte DiVincenzo shaped Minnesota's postseason push.
Chris Finch spent part of his recent trip to Las Vegas doing something coaches rarely enjoy, which is looking back at what might have been.
The Timberwolves head coach joined the Amazon Prime broadcast during Minnesota's Summer League win over New Orleans and was asked how the injuries that hit his roster in late April changed the team's playoff run.
Finch said his staff had to lean into what the remaining players did best and focus on building their confidence whenever opportunity arrived, an approach that carried Minnesota through one round but could not keep the season alive against San Antonio.
A Playoff Run Changed in One Night
Minnesota finished 49-33 and sixth in the Western Conference before beating Denver in six games and falling to the Spurs in the conference semifinals, a run documented on the team's season page.
The turning point came in Game 4 of the Denver series on April 25, when Donte DiVincenzo tore his right Achilles barely a minute into the night and Anthony Edwards hurt his left knee before halftime of the same game.
"Losing those two guys is really tough, tough emotionally for our guys," Finch said after that win, adding that he felt completely devastated for DiVincenzo.
Edwards missed the next two games before returning against San Antonio, where he closed out a season in which he averaged a career-high 28.8 points per game.
Leaning on What Was Left
DiVincenzo had appeared in all 82 games and averaged 12.2 points before going down, so replacing his minutes meant asking veterans and young players to stretch into bigger roles at the hardest time of year.
Mike Conley moved into the starting lineup, and Minnesota still pushed past Denver before a healthier San Antonio team overwhelmed the shorthanded group in six games on its way to the NBA Finals.
Finch admitted in June that health sits at the center of whatever comes next.
"We have to continue to take next steps. We have to make a couple of key acquisitions along the way. We have to stay healthy," he said.
Injuries Still Shape the Offseason
DiVincenzo's rehab looms over everything, and Finch shared an encouraging update during the same stretch in Las Vegas.
"I would be lying if I had a medical opinion on when he would come back," Finch said, while noting the early signs from the guard's recovery have been great.
The front office has already acted on the health lesson, landing LaMelo Ball in a four-team trade while absorbing the departure of veteran Mike Conley, who signed with Boston.
Ball is expected to log heavy minutes next to Edwards right away, giving Minnesota a second shot creator it sorely lacked once the injuries piled up in the spring.
The Wolves wrapped Summer League with a loss to the Clippers on Friday, and the roster Finch takes into camp this fall should be deeper than the one those April injuries exposed.
