Dunking With Wolves
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Sports Illustrated on Timberwolves’ Summer League play

By Ben Beecken

Mar 21, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Tyus Jones (1) dribbles in the third quarter against the Golden State Warriors at Target Center. The Golden State Warriors beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 109-104. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 21, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Tyus Jones (1) dribbles in the third quarter against the Golden State Warriors at Target Center. The Golden State Warriors beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 109-104. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports /
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Our friends over at Sports Illustrated compiled some thoughts on the best-of Las Vegas Summer League so far, and the Timberwolves were prominently featured.

The roundtable featured Andrew Sharp, Ben Golliver, Rob Mahoney, and Matt Dollinger, and discussed, among other things, the Most Impressive Player, Strangest Summer League Sight, Most Impressive Non-Rookie, and the team that each of the four writers is most excited to see in the future.

The Wolves were mentioned twice in two different categories: Most Impressive Player and the most-exciting future team.

Here are a couple of excerpts, which are glowing in nature but include at least one facepalm-worthy moment.

On Most Impressive Player:

"Rob Mahoney: Kris Dunn wasn’t the best all-around player in Vegas (hello, Devin Booker) but his performance was the most striking of all the rookies in attendance. It only took two games. Dunn was pulled from action after a hard move toward the basket later triggered concussion symptoms. Still he made the bucket on the play responsible, powering his way up and through a bigger defender. It’s fair to be skeptical of Dunn’s jumper until he proves his range as a pro. What should tide him over is his strength, physicality, and persistence on both sides of the ball.Matt Dollinger: I should probably never gamble again after spending eight unsuccessful days in Las Vegas, but screw it, I’m going all-in on Kris Dunn. It’s never wise to get too carried away with what you see at Summer League, but Dunn appears to have all the makings of a star NBA guard. He’s explosive, he can shoot, he can get to the rim, he can create for others, he has a big frame and he plays with a certain electricity. You could see the delight on Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns’s face as they sat courtside watching their future teammate carve up the competition. At 22, Dunn might already be the best point guard on Minnesota’s roster, making Ricky Rubio a trade candidate this season."

Agree completely with Mahoney. Dunn’s physicality and strength, especially against a decent NBA player (and promising prospect) in Denver’s Emmanel Mudiay was impressive, but there are still offensive question marks.

Dollinger, on the other hand…yeesh. Even considering that a rookie with two summer league games under his belt might be “the best point guard” on a roster that includes Ricky Rubio is absurd, to say that least. There really isn’t any way to rationalize it, whatsoever.

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It’s fair to say that Dunn’s performance might confirm many things about his game that we had hoped to see, but there’s zero evidence to suggest that he could be a starting point guard in the NBA from Day One — some of the turnover issues might suggest the contrary, in fact.

But let’s be clear: Dunn’s summer league performance was fun, but it doesn’t tell us much at all, positively or negatively, about what he’ll provide come training camp in October.

And, on the team that the writers are most excited about for the future:

"Andrew Sharp: Three-way tie. The Timberwolves with Kris Dunn as the sidekick to Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns are the most exciting young team of Summer League 2016.…Ben Golliver: The strong early work by Kris Dunn has me even more excited about the Timberwolves, who have already been on an upward trajectory in recent years with the additions of Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns, plus the hiring of new coach Tom Thibodeau. Frankly, Minnesota’s identity over the last decade has ranged from irrelevant to incompetent to incoherent. With Dunn on board as a difference-making backcourt piece, the Timberwolves seem ready to settle on a young, talented, hard-working core that complements each other and should develop nicely into an aggressive defensive-minded team under Thibodeau’s guidance. The big question now is whether Minnesota will make its long-awaited playoff breakthrough in 2017 or 2018?"

Fair points, all around. It’s hard to overstate just how exciting the Wolves’ roster is moving forward, and it’s good to see the consistent attention that they’re getting.

Next: The Timberwovles Roster Crunch: What's Next?

We’ll be back with some more summer league analysis over the weekend, and don’t forget that Wolves vs. Raptors is on Saturday at 3:00 p.m. Central Time on ESPNU. Reaction from the tournament semifinals will be following, as well.