Minnesota Timberwolves Summer League Recap

In what was the least-important Summer League stint in recent memory for the Timberwolves, let’s recap the stand-out performers as we head towards the depths of the off-season.

Over the past decade-plus, Timberwolves fans have at least had something of a reason to pay attention to Las Vegas Summer League; 14 straight seasons without making the playoffs mean a lot of lottery selections.

But this year, the Wolves traded back and out of the #7 slot on draft night, meaning that there was no highly-anticipated, top-five pick to trot onto the floor in Vegas. They did grab Creighton big man Justin Patton at #16, and the rookie was slated to make an appearance with the summer Wolves. Before he could do that, however, Patton broke a bone in his foot during a workout and was declared out indefinitely.

That meant that the roster submitted for Las Vegas Summer League was…uninspiring, to say the least. Zero players on the roster have played in a regular season NBA game. In fact, Marcus Paige, at #55 overall in 2016, was the only player on the roster who was drafted at all.

A few players were reported to have signed non-guaranteed contracts with the Wolves, including V.J. Beachem and Charles Cooke, which would potentially include invitations to training camp in the fall, although that remains to be seen.

At the end of the day, however, a trio of decently well-known college stars (all removed by a full calendar year from collegiate play) led the team in scoring output: North Carolina’s Paige, Kansas’ Perry Ellis, and Michigan State’s Matt Costello.

Marcus Paige, G, University of North Carolina

At 6′-2″ with moderate athletic ability, Paige profiles as a backup point guard. He was a decent scorer and playmaker as a Tar Heel, but only averaged 12.3 points per game last year in the NBA D-League.

In order to make an impact at the NBA level, Paige would have to move from being an above-average jump-shooter to a fantastic one, or at least find a way to improve drastically on defense. The combination of a lack of size and athleticism and no specific outstanding skill will probably keep him from being a contributor in the NBA.

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In Summer League, Paige led the Timberwolves by scoring 12.4 points per game on just 34.9 percent shooting from the floor and 39.4 percent from beyond the arc.

Perry Ellis, F, University of Kansas

Ellis played last season in the D-League and averaged 9.8 points and 4.7 rebounds per game. He’s already agreed to a contract to play in Australia this fall but could opt-out for an NBA deal if an opportunity arises before then.

In Summer League, the former Jayhawk put up 11.2 points and 4.4 rebounds per game while shooting a surprising 8-for-18 (44.4 percent) from beyond the arc and 42 percent from the field overall.

In some ways the forward version of Paige, Ellis is solid at most things but not great any any one skill, and as an average athlete that has an average build and wingspan, that probably isn’t enough to stick in the NBA. While he could be an undersized stretch-four, he’d struggle defensively both there and as a ‘three’ in the pros.

Expect Ellis to stick overseas for a long time, but it would be a surprise to see him end up on an NBA regular season roster any time soon.

Matt Costello, F/C, Michigan State

Costello finished his four-year career with the Spartans as Michigan State’s all-time leader in blocked shots. He saw a big bump in production from his junior to senior years, finishing with per-game averages of 10.7 points and 8.2 rebounds in 2015-16.

A bit undersized at 6′-9″, Costello averaged 9.5 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks per game over 23 contests last year in the D-League. He’s a good rebounder and a has a wingspan north of 7′-1″, but doesn’t stand out in enough other areas to be an NBA roster player.

Don’t be surprised if a team adds him for training camp as teams are always looking for competitive rebounders. The all-around offensive game and one-on-one defense probably aren’t quite there, however, so a lengthy NBA career as anything other than a 14th man seems unlikely.

Next: 5 Trade Ideas For Gorgui Dieng

Summer League is over, Wolves fans, and the odds are high that there wasn’t a single player on the Wolves’ summer entry that will sniff the court at Target Center come fall. But if you see any of those names resurface, it’s likely to be one of the three listed above…