Analysis: Timberwolves need better help when Mike Conley’s missing, and Rob Dillingham looks like the solution

Mike Conley has had an up-and-down start to the season individually, but on Tuesday night the Timberwolves dropped to 0-4 in games Conley doesn’t play after they fell 117-11 in overtime to the Rockets.

Following losses to Toronto and Boston, the crowd at Target Center was already on edge as the Wolves started falling behind by double digits in the second half. Fans vented their frustration when Donte DiVincenzo, who was starting for Conley, committed an awful turnover near halfcourt that led to a Jalen Green dunk. The crowd began booing as Chris Finch called timeout.

They began cheering again after rookie Rob Dillingham checked in, and the offense looked a lot different with a true point guard in Dillingham running the show — he had 12 points, seven assists and five rebounds — than it did with combo guards DiVincenzo or Nickeil Alexander-Walker at the point. Alexander-Walker’s best minutes came when he wasn’t playing point guard (13 points on 6-for-7 shooting). When he was the de facto ballhandler in overtime, the Wolves scored just one field goal before Houston rattled off 11 unanswered points for the win.

Alexander-Walker has played great this season, but his worst games have come when he has handled point guard duties for Conley. After starting the first two games Conley sat, Alexander-Walker shifted back to the bench in favor of DiVincenzo, and that move just seemed to exacerbate the struggles DiVincenzo has had adjusting to life with the Wolves.

Even though Conley (out because of a left great toe strain) has struggled scoring, the Wolves still have an 8-5 record when he plays. Their offensive rating is 115.9 when Conley is on the floor; that would rank fifth in the league. When he doesn’t play? It’s 111.2. That would be 19th.

The difference with Dillingham on the floor running the show at point guard Tuesday was a stark contrast to how it looked the rest of the time. Dillingham was a plus-26 for the game.

Dillingham says he spends the opening minutes dissecting what the Wolves may need when he gets in the game, and Conley is in his ear helping with that.

“I just play freely. If someone is open, I’m gonna kick the ball out,” Dillingham said. “If I’m open, I’m going to shoot the ball. If it’s a three-ball and I’m just getting in, I probably won’t shoot it even if I’m wide open. But really … [I’ll get] warmed up by shooting layups, floaters, getting an assist, just the little things, playing the right way.”

Want one reason why the Wolves defense has been below standard to start the season? Coach Chris Finch said this after Tuesday’s loss: “Our offense is affecting our defense.”

So to remedy that — and perhaps to fix the defense as an added benefit — the Wolves need to have a true point guard playing point guard minutes, which means Dillingham should be the ninth man of the rotation when Conley returns. It sounded as if Finch was coming around to that idea after Tuesday’s game.

“I think it’s evident that our rhythm is affected,” Finch said. “Oftentimes, Ant [Anthony Edwards] and Julius [Randle] probably feel that they’ve got to do too much too early in the offense. Yeah, for sure, Rob’s play of late has definitely revealed that for us.”

If Conley isn’t back for Wednesday’s game against the Kings, Finch should consider starting Dillingham and increasing his minutes.

Overall, playing Dillingham more would allow DiVincenzo and Alexander-Walker to slot more into more natural off-ball roles. DiVincenzo can stop pressing so much to break out of his slump, and perhaps find better room to shoot. Alexander-Walker has excelled when playing off the ball. It also relieves pressure on Edwards and Randle to handle the ball.

Teams know that if the Wolves don’t have a true point guard on the floor, they can pressure whoever is bringing the ball up fullcourt and gum up the Wolves offense.

“They really put a lot of pressure on us, it’s kind of like slowing down our offense a little bit,” center Rudy Gobert said. “They’ve really been doing that. I think it’s been better. I think it’s great that we go through that now, and it forces all of us to be more aware to space better, try to look for teammates a little more and still got a long way to go.”

Dillingham has worked hard to overcome his shortcomings on the defensive end. His effort is apparent, and that’s refreshing when the Wolves as a whole come out lackadaisical, as they did in falling behind early. He’s no more of a defensive liability right now than anyone else, and the five rebounds he grabbed are evidence of his hustle.

“He’s been working extremely hard all year,” Randle said of Dillingham. “And these past few games he’s got his number called and been ready for his moment.”

The Wolves need what he brings to the offense right now — and they need Conley to get back on the floor as quickly as possible.