Minnesota Timberwolves: 3 Wolves poised for a breakout year
By Paul Langan
There are three Minnesota Timberwolves players who are poised to have a breakout season in 2021.
During the latter half of last season, there were a few Minnesota Timberwolves players that showed improvement or caught the eye of Wolves fans.
A couple of these players may not be game-changers quite yet, but their improvement is something the team won’t take for granted as they look towards 2021.
These players either came out of nowhere or simply started off the season poorly and improved over time. But either way, they showed progress during the season, and barring any trade these players might be in, they will undoubtedly improve their play going forward and be a big part of next year’s squad.
3 Minnesota Timberwolves player poised for a breakout: Jordan McLaughlin
Probably the Wolves player with the most surprising season, Jordan McLaughlin has proven that he is a talented player in the limited games he has played with the Wolves.
A four-year player at USC, McLaughlin went undrafted in 2018 and spent the 2018-19 season in the G League. He signed on with the Wolves’ summer league squad in the summer of 2019 and then inked a two-way deal with Minnesota prior to last fall.
While his per-game numbers don’t necessarily jump out at you, he can provide much-needed leadership when he is on the floor. In 30 games played, McLaughlin averaged 7.6 points and 4.3 assists per game and shot 56.9 percent from 2-point range.
Before he made his debut in the NBA with the Wolves, McLaughlin was playing well in the G League. In 23 games with the Iowa Wolves, he averaged 16.6 points and 6.4 assists per game while shooting over 50 percent from the field and 35.2 percent on 3-point attempts.
He has also shown that he pairs well with D’Angelo Russell when they are both on the court which could be an important aspect to focus on for the team.
Depending on what Minnesota does in the draft, it’s tough to know for sure what McLaughlin’s role will be going into next season. But given how strong he finished the campaign with the big club, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him in the primary backup point guard role.