Chris Finch believes Timberwolves ‘traded moodiness for giddiness’ with LaMelo Ball appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
NEW YORK — Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch seems excited to have LaMelo Ball on his team. Speaking to reporters ahead of a preseason game at Madison Square Garden, he described the guard like a schoolteacher would a gifted, talkative student who’s secretly their favorite.
Finch praised Ball’s ability to take pressure off superstar guard Anthony Edwards and his gifts as a shooter. What caught scribes’ ears most, however, were his comments about personality.
“He’s always in a great mood. Always comes in smiling,” Finch said of Ball. “He and Anthony have a shared quality: they’re really hard to stay mad at. And they do some things that you want to get mad at. They have a reflective joy…We referred to ourselves as a moody team in the last couple of years, at times, and it’s probably gotten in our way. We’ve traded moodiness for giddiness. So, we’ve gotta get to some sort of happy medium.”
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Last postseason, the Timberwolves were eliminated by the San Antonio Spurs in the second round of the 2026 Western Conference Playoffs. The season before, it was the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals.
After the second elimination, Naz Reid was asked what separated those two teams from his own Timberwolves. He introduced the idea, openly, that Minnesota was too moody for their own good.
“Just the moodiness. Both of those teams, they’re playing for one another, excited to be on the floor with one another, they’re selfless…we have more than enough talent, just need to be less moody and more selfless,” Reid told reporters in mid-May.
During the offseason, the Timberwolves dealt Julius Randle to the Brooklyn Nets. They later merged that deal with their Reid-for-Ball swap, sweetening it with two first-round picks. They re-signed Ayo Dosunmu and won the Jonathan Kuminga sweepstakes by offering him a starting spot.
The new-look Timberwolves will, indeed, have to find the balance between locked-in and giddy that helps them win most. Edwards said at media day that, while he’ll miss Reid, he was “super happy” about the changes in the locker room.
Finch didn’t reveal a preference, but did affirm in New York that the vibes are different. Only time will tell if that translates to winning more games, which will ultimately define the tenures of Edwards, Finch, and Ball alike in Minnesota.
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