​Do you remember when every opposing coach raved about how difficult it was to play the 2023-24 Timberwolves because of their length in the starting lineup? Well, opponents might have a similar problem in 2026-27. Take a look at the wingspan of each 2026-27 Timberwolves starter: LaMelo Ball: 6’10”Anthony Edwards: 6’9”Jaden McDaniels: 7’0”Jonathan Kuminga: 7’0”Rudy Gobert: 7’9”Check out how that compares to the wingspans of the 2023-24 Wolves starters: Mike Conley: 6’6”Anthony Edwards: 6’9”Jaden McDaniels: 7’0”Karl-Anthony Towns: 7’3”Rudy Gobert: 7’9”Nov 18, 2023; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) shakes hands with center Rudy Gobert (27) after making a shot to take the lead against the New Orleans Pelicans during the second half at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY SportsOver the last two seasons, the Wolves primarily rolled with a starting group of Donte DiVincenzo (6’6” wingspan), Edwards, McDaniels, Julius Randle (7’0” wingspan), and Gobert. The difference isn’t significant, but Ball at point guard gives the Wolves more length in the starting five than they had in 2023-24 — by a single inch. It ain’t much, but it’s something. Combined wingspan, 2023-24: 35 feet, 3 inchesCombined wingspan, 2026-27: 35 feet, 4 inchesSwapping Ball for Conley at point guard barely outweighs losing Towns’ length at the 4 in favor of Kuminga. The average starter’s wingspan this season is 7’0.8” — a shadow more than the average from 2023-24 (7’0.6”). The biggest difference is that the 2026-27 Wolves are long at every position, thanks to Ball. Conley was clearly the size outlier who dragged the 2023-24 team’s size down. The 2023-24 roster also had more natural size and length on the bench than this year’s team. When Gobert, Towns, or McDaniels went to the bench, those Wolves remained long with Kyle Anderson (7’2” wingspan), Naz Reid (7’3” wingspan), and Nickeil Alexander-Walker (6’9” wingspan). The 2026-27 bench has a lot of length with backup center Joan Beringer (7’4” wingspan). Their lack of a backup power forward is notable, but they have incredible length from their collection of backup guards and small forwards: Ayo Dosunmu (6’10” wingspan), TJ Shannon (6’9” wingspan), Jaylen Clark (6’9” wingspan), and Bones Hyland (6’9” wingspan). At the end of the day, the 2026-27 Wolves have a starting five with more length than any team in Timberwolves history. That could be a huge factor in making them a strong defensive team — and that’s significant since we know they are loaded with offensive firepower. We are in the age of big media consolidation and content networks. But even with the proliferation of AI, nothing can beat the quality and inherent knowledge of local sports journalism. Our writing room consists of a Tommy, a Gopher, and even a Mustang. We know the Minnesota towns and t