Timberwolves Have Surprising Player Pretending to Be Luka Doncic on Scout Team

Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) moves the ball against the Houston Rockets during the first half at Crypto.com Arena. | Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images

It feels safe to say that no team in the league has figured out how to defend Luka Doncic. Minnesota Timberwolves coach Chris Finch is going to give it his best shot in his team's upcoming first-round playoff series against the Los Angeles Lakers, albeit with a questionable game-plan tactic.

The Timberwolves will travel to Crypto.com Arena on Saturday to take on the Lakers, facing the dreaded two-headed monster of Doncic and LeBron James. Minnesota boasts a dangerous offense of its own that closed out the season with three straight wins to secure the No. 6 seed, but how the Timberwolves fare against the Lakers will likely depend on whether they can keep Doncic and James in check.

Ahead of the Timberwolves' playoff matchup, Finch shared a surprising tidbit about his defensive strategy that is now making the rounds on social media for the wrong reasons.

"We have our scout team ready," Finch said. "Yeah, it's hard to replicate everything [Doncic] does. We have Joe Ingles kind of simulating things, who gives us a comp on size and IQ for sure, but it's certainly tough."

Chris Finch on who is playing Luka Doncic on scout team

Luka=Joe Ingles

“We have our scout team ready. Yeah, it’s hard to replicate everything he does. We have Joe Ingles kind of simulating things, who gives us a comp on size and IQ for sure, but it’s certainly tough.” pic.twitter.com/VEss3TmVV7
— Andrew Dukowitz (@adukeMN) April 15, 2025

Comparing Doncic, a five-time All-Star, former Western Conference Finals MVP and one-time NBA scoring champ, to the 37-year-old Ingles definitely feels like a stretch. No disrespect to the Australian forward, but Doncic has been playing some of his best basketball as of late, looking rejuvenated after his big win against his former team, the Dallas Mavericks.

Given that scout teams typically are chosen from the practice squad, it's not like Finch and the Timberwolves have that many great options. Fans still had a field day with Finch's Doncic-Ingles comparison:

this is elite preparation because joe ingles is the better player https://t.co/4RifCiLtZf
— Kaleb (@PrimeERod) April 16, 2025

Finch should’ve kept this one close to the chest they bout to fry him https://t.co/TEO8Cw58c8
— key 🥷🏾 (@keyvo) April 15, 2025

Love Jingles, but not sure this is the missing piece to stop Luka. Hope I’m wrong! https://t.co/cazhHROK2t
— Nadine Babu (@NadineBabu) April 16, 2025

Ingles should have told Finch it's disrespectful to be asked to play like another player. https://t.co/VFfRmXEB0R
— Zachary Cohen (@BettingOnX) April 16, 2025