Minnesota Timberwolves: 3 things to watch in preseason

Here are three storylines to keep an eye on for Minnesota Timberwolves fans in this years edition of the NBA preseason.

The Minnesota Timberwolves are finally unofficially underway in their much anticipated 2017-18 season, starting off hot with a 108-99 win over the Los Angeles Lakers in Anaheim in Saturdays first preseason game.

The first game was impressive, but Minnesota still has a lot of work to do as their players learn how to play with one another.

The preseason is a time to look at the smaller storylines that will unfold over the season, you won’t see Jimmy Butler play 12 minutes a game in the regular season like he did against Los Angeles, nor will you see Andrew Wiggins score under 10 points very often.

A shortened preseason and training camp will be made to feel even shorter for the players, who travel to China to play the Golden State Warriors in a pair of matchups.

There are still many questions that are left unanswered only a couple weeks out from the beginning of the regular season. So, let’s have a look at three things to keep an eye on during this Timberwolves preseason.

3. Taj Gibson, 3-point shooter?

Taj Gibson has hit a total of four 3-point shots in his career, so to even be mentioning him as a long-range specialist is bizarre, yet he we are, one game into the preseason, and he looks like he has transformed his game.

After hitting two corner 3’s from two attempts against LA, Gibson looks like he can become the stretch four that the Timberwolves need to keep up with the floor stretching nature of the NBA.

More from Dunking with Wolves

• The dream starting 5 for Minnesota Timberwolves 5 years from now
• Anthony Edwards’ latest accolade is a great sign of things to come
• In an OT thriller, Team Canada snatches Bronze from Team USA
• Timberwolves start, bench, cut: Mike Conley, Shake Milton, Jordan McLaughlin
• Which Timberwolves roster additions have upgraded the bench?

The space that a 3-point shooting version of Gibson creates would be huge for the Wolves, who need to open up space in the lane for their paint-orientated stars to operate in.

It seems unlikely he will all of a sudden become an elite 3-point threat, given his shaky track record from behind the arc, but if Gibson can make defenders respect his outside shot it will go a long way to success for a team already lacking outside shooting.

Gibson spoke to the Star Tribune after the Lakers game, exclaiming how this is only the beginning of his three-point evolution.

"Just try to evolve in all aspects of the game, this is the first game so still got a ton of work to do … I’m going to roll with it, every day up in practice."

It seems he has earned the starting power forward position with Coach Thibodeau starting him alongside Butler and Towns in the frontcourt in Anaheim.

If Gibson becomes the 3-point shooting big man that he looked like he could be in game one, then the Timberwolves are loaded with four bigs who can stretch the floor.

It will be interesting to see if he can keep up his new-found stroke, or whether the Los Angeles game was just an outlier.

2. The Brooks-Jones battle.

When Tom Thibodeau and the Timberwolves front office brought in Aaron Brooks, the backup point guard position that Tyus Jones had seemed to have locked up was once again brought into question.

One game through the preseason and that hasn’t changed.

Minnesota Timberwolves

15 minutes for Brooks and eight for Jones didn’t seem to clear up any confusion, and it seems like the two are locked in a battle for the minutes left behind by new starting point guard Jeff Teague.

While Teague had a thrilling unofficial debut, both Jones and Brooks didn’t have their finest performances on the court, combining for six points on 1-for-7 shooting with four assists and three turnovers.

Jones has been regarded as the team’s reserve point guard from the minute Kris Dunn was moved to Chicago in apart of the deal to bring Jimmy Butler to Minnesota. But Brooks, a seasoned veteran capable of lighting up opposing second units, has thrown a spanner in the works.

This competition should bring the best out of both the 6-foot point guards. And even with Brooks being a former Thibs-Bull, Jones has as good a shot as any to garner the backup minutes this year, even if Thibs has made him work extra hard for it.

The rust should shake off for both, and when it does it will be an intriguing clash to watch out for, just another thing that will make this preseason an exciting one to watch.

1. The Jeff Teague factor

Replacing a fan favorite like Ricky Rubio was always going to be a tough task, even for a former All-Star like Jeff Teague, just ask him.

But if the first preseason game against the Lakers is anything to go by, it’s going to be a fun task to watch.

11 points and 9 assists in just 23 minutes looks exciting on the surface, but it was watching Teague cut his way to the basket, finishing and dishing in a variety of different ways, that will have Timberwolves fans salivating.

He gave much-anticipated rookie Lonzo Ball the business in his first NBA preseason game, making Lonzo look like the rookie that he is on multiple occasions.

When It comes to replacing Rubio, Teague looked to bring everything that Rubio critics have been screaming for. He looked comfortable shooting the three ball and looked to drive aggressively and get his shot all while passing well and playing serviceable defense.

If he can continue to produce this fast-paced, energy-filled game, the Timberwolves will be a fun, fun team to watch this year.

It will be a big year for Teague, who will have gained a chip on his shoulder from the pressure of replacing a fan favorite, and it will be interesting to see if he can prove himself to all  Timberwolves fans.

Next: Minnesota Timberwolves: 5 bold predictions for the preseason

He is the new offense-runner in the Twin Cities, and getting used to his new ccolorsin Minnesota will be another storyline that will keep the curious Timberwolves fan extra busy this preseason.