Trey Lyles' Role With Timberwolves Is Coming Into Focus

After a year abroad in Madrid playing in the Euroleague, Trey Lyles now comes back to the NBA and should have a chance with the Wolves to help in some way. This week, Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch spoke on why Lyles has been able to adapt and why Minnesota prioritized bringing him into the building this offseason. 

“He knows how to play basketball, like he just has a high IQ, great feel, a connector in his own way, makes great decisions, he’s always in the right spot. He’s an unbelievable team defender.”

Timberwolves want Trey Lyles to do what he does best

After three preseason games it’s clear Lyles is still searching for what his role ultimately will be with the Wolves, but he's done a little bit of everything which is nice to see. He’s averaging 5.0 points per contest on 33.3% shooting and 35.7% three point shooting, he’s grabbing 4.3 rebounds and dishing out 1.5 assists, all in just 15.3 minutes per night. 

The reality is that Lyles, based on his history, will figure out where he is needed most on the Wolves. Then he will find minutes by thriving in his role, whatever that may be. It’s that reason that he has proven over his career he’s able to do exactly what he said was his best skill on draft night. He plays smart and is willing to do whatever is necessary to help a team win.

Way back on June 24th 2015 Trey Lyles was conducting his post draft interview with the Utah Jazz media. He was asked what his special skill was, that will help him make it in the NBA

“Probably being able to play smart,” Lyles said. “Doing the little things, doing whatever is necessary to win."

Eleven years later Lyles has put together a 10-year NBA career that has been built around exactly what he claimed he was best at: playing smart, and doing whatever is necessary.

Take Lyles' first two seasons in the league with Utah, he started 37 games, and played 16.8 minutes per game. He averaged 6.1 points per game, and grabbed 3.5 rebounds.. He shot 34.3% from three and averaged 0.8 assists to 0.9 turnovers.

He found his role quickly as a stretch-four next to Rudy Gobert and bought in to being a solid perimeter defender. He played such good defense that both of his career highs in defensive win shares were in his rookie season (1.6) and his second and last season in Utah (1.7). Simply put, Lyles played smart on offense, and did what he had to, to win on defense. 

He would then be traded after his second season to Denver in the draft day deal that led to the Jazz landing Donovan Mitchell. Like in Utah, he adapted and found the little things that Denver needed to maximize his playing time.

He found that shooting corner threes was a place to fit in with Nikola Jokic, increasing his three-point attempts from 2.2 in Utah to 3.1 in Denver. This increased his scoring to 9.3 points per game and on the defensive side of the floor he transitioned to more of a post defender, guarding faster centers forwards to make up for Jokic. He also improved as a rebounder, in finding a new role with the Nuggets, he would log 18.3 minutes per game. 

After two season in Denver, Lyles would sign with the Spurs and for the third time have to reinvent himself. He would start 53 games his first season in San Antonio with LaMarcus Aldridge at center in the Covid-shortened season.

His first season with the Spurs he went back to purely spacing the floor and shot 38.7% from distance, allowing Aldridge to primarily control the mid-range and paint for the Spurs offense. He saw 20.2 minutes per game, and helped defend next to a non-traditional center in Aldridge.

This would force him to again find a bigger role rebounding in which he had a career high 5.7 per game in 2019-20.  His second season in San Antonio was shortened due to injury after just 23 games. 

Lyles then signed with Detroit before being traded midway through his first season to Sacramento. In his four seasons with the Kings he would average 19.1 minutes per game. He was used primarily off the bench as a low man defender and rebounder next to Damontas Sabonis, often taking the more difficult matchup in the post every game.

On offense, he was trusted to shoot threes and move the ball more on offense to find shooters. He would have 1.1 assists to just 0.7 turnovers over the entirety of his Kings career. 

This clear history of doing what's required bodes well for him working out in Minnesota, even if he doesn't make the splashiest of plays.

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