The Minnesota Timberwolves have completed the preliminary round portion of Las Vegas Summer League. What have we learned over the course of three games?
There’s only so much that one can glean from summer league. Let’s acknowledge that straight-away, and not pretend as if we’re about to come to any long-term conclusions from Las Vegas.
But it is also our first opportunity to see a host of players in a game setting that at least somewhat resembles NBA gameplay — or, at least more than NCAA basketball does, and it’s the only opportunity to do so.
The Timberwolves finished the preliminary round with a 2-1 record, with their only loss a one-point defeat at the hands of the Denver Nuggets on Friday night. They beat both Toronto and Brooklyn with relative ease, and will be seeded in the “tournament” portion of the summer league after the prelims conclude on Tuesday.
The Wolves’ starting lineup has featured draft picks Josh Okogie and Keita Bates-Diop, as well as last year’s Iowa Wolves standout Amile Jefferson and new two-way contract signee and rookie Josh Terrell. They’ve all had some intriguing matchups that they’ve faced, and there have also been a couple of players that have made somewhat unexpected contributions to the squad and stand to get more looks as summer league continues to stretch on.
Remember, for as much as the results of the actual games don’t matter, summer league performance will factor into organizational decisions on final roster spots, as well as the make-up of G-League affiliates. And the Wolves have roster spots to burn and only a sliver of exception money and veteran minimum contracts to use, so these games matter to the guys on the floor and Wolves’ brass alike.
Let’s take a look at what our three biggest takeaways have been so far in Las Vegas, from the draft picks to the non-roster guys and beyond.