Takeaways from the Minnesota Timberwolves’ preseason opener

The Minnesota Timberwolves dropped their first preseason game to the Memphis Grizzlies Saturday night, 107-105.

The Minnesota Timberwolves lost their first preseason game last night, but a simple win/loss does not often tell the story of a preseason game – however the preseason can be a precursor towards how certain players perform in their regular season.

Starting with Jake Layman, he was excellent last night for the Wolves. He posted 10 points, two rebounds, and one assist in 20 minutes of action, with high-level efficiency as well. Layman was really good defensively and is making a really good case to start at the power forward spot this season. Layman’s fit with Karl-Anthony Towns is undeniable, and he only bolstered confidence in his performance against the Grizzlies.

Jaylen Nowell also had a really, really good performance in only 13 minutes of action. He shot 7-11 from the field which included four-made 3-pointers on seven attempts. Nowell, quite simply, did not look good last season – like, at all. Over the course of last year, he made 19-of-56 field goals, while making only three of his 26 3-point attempts. If he can build on his consistency offensively, he might be able to play for the Timberwolves in some capacity moving forward, although it is unlikely that happens this year given the team’s tremendous amount of wing depth.

Anthony Edwards made his NBA debut last night and was largely inconsistent. Edwards airballed his first shot, but his first make was on a pull-up three. Overall, we should not expect much from a rookie that was drafted less than a month ago – but he finished 2-9 FG, with five points, four rebounds, one assist, three turnovers, and five fouls with a team-high 26 minutes.

Overall, there is a lot to dissect with the Timberwolves’ first preseason game. Looking forward, though, and Minnesota will play their next preseason game against the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday, December 14th at 7:00 PM CT.