The Minnesota Timberwolves’ acquisition of LaMelo Ball from the Charlotte Hornets was a huge and necessary move for the Timberwolves to make and while Ball might be young and relatively untested himself, he carried with him the potential to radically reshape what was already an impressive offense. 

The obvious way that Ball can contribute to the Timberwolves is through his playmaking. For years, the Timberwolves haven’t had a true point guard on their roster, instead making do with players like Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle to take over the bulk of the assisting duties. 

While that wasn’t an ideal system for Minnesota to work with, it was relatively effective considering the Timberwolves were eighth in the NBA in team assists during the regular season. Thought that speaks more the effectiveness of Minnesota’s offense and the sheer volume of shots taken and made than it does to the effectiveness of their hybrid-playmaking system. 

That’s where Ball comes in. He was ninth in the NBA last seasons with 7.3? assists per game and he should no doubt thrive in a Timberwolves’ system that was was already effective while missing that essential skill set. 

Ball’s abilities as an assister are just one aspect of his skills though, and he’ll be able to affect the Timberwolves in far more ways than just that. 

His own skills as a shooter, especially from three, should pair nicely with a backcourt featuring Anthony Edwards who, while taking a big leap in his own three point shooting, still functions best as a run-and-jump scorer. 

The threat he poses with that skillset should go a long way in spacing the floor for Ball and letting him roam the permitted relatively unchallenged. 

That situation is ideal for Ball, who has had to play as the main target on the floor throughout his career with the Charlotte Hornets, so being in a situation where he can move about freely while his teammate attracts attention will go a long way in helping his own offensive game. 

That's even better news for the Timberwolves, who have already built a brand on their impressive offense. Incorporating another standout offensive player into that scheme should only take the Timberwolves to new heights. 

Additionally, without either Randle or Naz Reid on the roster next season, the remaining players on the team like Edwards and Rudy Gobert will have to take up more responsibility as physical agents on the offense, so the team overall will have even more need of a focused three point shooter, which is exactly the kind of value that Ball provides.