The Minnesota Timberwolves have been all over the place in terms of who is going to get the fifth spot in the starting lineup when the season begins. At first it seemed like Kevin Martin would have the spot but then interim head coach Sam Mitchell named Zach LaVine the starting shooting guard. Mitchell has since taken back the idea of starting LaVine at shooting guard and has to decide on his final starter. As of right now it seems like Tayshaun Prince is the favorite for that spot, according to Jerry Zgoda of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.
At first Mitchell seemed to like the idea of starting Andrew Wiggins at the small forward spot and having a smaller player alongside him but now he has changed his mind. Mitchell reportedly thought the lineup with LaVine playing the two and Wiggins playing the three was too small and too underdeveloped so he has changed his thought process.
Prince has been starting at small forward for the Timberwolves recently in the preseason and Mitchell seems to like his veteran leadership and defense. Having Prince start the game will help Wiggins out as he will be able to guard the other teams best player and take some pressure off the young star on defense so he can focus on scoring.
The other options the Timberwolves are considering for the starting role are Damjan Rudez and Shabazz Muhammad but they don't seem to pose too much of a threat there. Mitchell has moved LaVine back to the point guard spot where he will likely be Ricky Rubio's primary backup and he has said he likes LaVine and Martin together with the second unit which means neither of them are likely to work their way back into the starting lineup either.
Prince signed a one year veterans minimum deal late this offseason with Minnesota and was expected to play a minor role. Now that he is likely to start Prince's role will be much bigger than initially thought and he will be an important player for a young Minnesota team. Last season with three different teams Prince averaged 7.5 points and 3.6 rebounds in 24.1 minutes per game so the 13 year veteran still has something left in the tank.
