Minnesota Timberwolves: Jordan Bell to miss start of preseason

The Minnesota Timberwolves will have to wait a while to see their new big man in action as Jordan Bell will miss the first two preseason games with a calf strain.

Excitement has been building around the Minnesota Timberwolves‘ new frontcourt addition Jordan Bell this preseason.

Karl-Anthony Towns has been a fan of Bell saying the former Golden State Warriors big man can guard all five positions and he has more in his offensive arsenal than he was able to show with the Warriors.

After signing a one-year, $1.62 million deal with Minnesota this offseason, Bell was expected to crack the rotation and even have a shot at securing a starting job in certain matchups.

Bell will have to wait to show the coaching staff what he’s got as he will be sidelined for the first two preseason games with a calf strain, according to Dane Moore of Zone Coverage.

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This injury provides an opportunity for Noah Vonleh to steal that second big man spot in the rotation while Bell nurses this injury.

I expect both Vonleh and Bell to get more minutes than Gorgui Dieng this year as the Wolves try to employ a more switchable defensive scheme that requires more versatile athletes in the frontcourt.

Before this injury, I thought Jordan Bell should get an edge in playing time edge over Vonleh due to his dominant shot-blocking ability and his potential to be a good facilitator on the offensive end.

However, Vonleh can now make a solid first impression while Bell spends most of his time in the training room trying to get healthy for the regular season, which is set to begin on October 23rd against the Nets in Brooklyn.

Hopefully this is the only injury the Wolves will have to deal with during the preseason as this new squad spends their time gelling before the games start to count.