“So, it’s more than just his shooting. But he’ll have one of those games. I’m not worried about it. I don’t have any doubt,” said Julius Randle, about Donte DiVincenzo, in the aftermath of the Wolves’ Game 3 against the Thunder. The backup point guard hasn’t particularly been exceptional with his shooting throughout the postseason. The 37.8% field goals and the 32.0% 3-pointers he had averaged against the Warriors were a drop from the 42.2% and 39.7%, respectively, that were averaged in the regular season. Fortunately, Randle didn’t sway, stating that “his moment can be any game” and recognizing “how impactful he is as a player.” The veteran held hope, and his prediction recently turned into reality.

Donte DiVincenzo delivered not only his best performance of the ongoing playoffs during Game 4, but also recorded his highest points since early April. Over 28 minutes, the player scored 21 points, along with 3 rebounds, and 5 assists. He surpassed his average shooting percentages by making 7-11 (63.6%) field goals, 5-8 (62.5%) 3-pointers, and 2-2 (100.0%) free throws. Losing a 3rd game against Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and co was sure a sting. But DiVincenzo’s resurgence is a welcome relief.

By early May, Donte DiVincenzo was reported to be in the midst of one of the worst shooting stretches of his playing career. After all, throughout his first 6 postseason games of the ongoing tournament, the sharpshooter buried a mere 18.4 percent of his 6.3 attempts per game.

For a while, it did not matter, as Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle were enough to handle things on the offensive front. The duo’s leadership helped the Timberwolves defeat both the Los Angeles Lakers and the Golden State Warriors in 5-game series. However, the Oklahoma City Thunder squad is a different beast altogether. The defense around the two has been tightened enough to limit Ant Man to just 2 points in the first half and force 5 turnover off Randle. Then the MVP himself stopped one rebound short of a 40-point triple-double.

Now, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and co are just one more victory away from qualifying for the NBA Finals. The need is for every player to do their part. If Donte DiVincenzo showed something during Game 3, it is that he is willing to fight. “My teammates, my coaches, they all have confidence in me, so that just keeps it going when you’re missing shots,” he had said, entering the season. With Randle declaring that out loud, expect the guard to step up. That is needed, especially when the Timberwolves will make a do-or-die attempt over the next few days.

However, to get the better of the Oklahoma City Thunder, DiVincenzo isn’t the only one who has to improve. After all, Julius Randle was concerned about the backup point guard. However, the team’s head coach was worried about Randle himself.

Chris Finch emphasized bench players amid Julius Randle’s poor performance: “That’s the guys that we chose to go with there”

Minnesota Timberwolves fans praised Donte DiVincenzo for his performance during Game 4. However, several of those also called out Julius Randle. After all, during his 28 minutes on the court, the power forward scored only 5 points! He also recorded 7 rebounds and 3 assists. However, they did not matter. At least over the fact that the starter only shot 1-7 (14.3%) field goals, 0-3 (0.0%) 3-pointers, and 3-4 (75.0%) free throws. That too at a time when the team needed everyone on the Timberwolves squad to give their best. Therefore, after that abysmal performance, Chris Finch had to seek help from elsewhere.

During the post-game presser, the head coach was asked about Julius Randle’s performance “Yeah, I mean it’s, you know, didn’t have a great night. Obviously, bench was really really good, so I rolled with them. You know, those…. they were finding shots for each other. They shot the ball extremely well from the three-point line, which, you know, we did a good job of finding those things. You know that’s the guys that we chose to go with there, so”.

Finch’s remarks highlighted the key concern the Timberwolves have been dealing with for quite a while now. That is Julius Randle’s inconsistency. It was only in the previous game when the power forward had scored 24 points to contribute to his team’s win. However, in the game before that, he had scored just 6 points. Prior to that, it was 28.

Either Julius Randle has been performing really well against OKC, or downright disastrously. This inconsistency has caused Finch to rely more on bench players. The same affects the rotation in a way that removes the advantage that comes from consistency. Therefore, if Anthony Edwards and co wish to see the NBA Finals stage, then Julius Randle will also have to become more reliable. Do you believe that Donte DiVincenzo and Julius Randle can turn things around for the Minnesota Timberwolves in the coming days? Or will the next game be the last time we see Anthony Edwards and co perform in this tournament?