Minnesota Timberwolves: 3 takeaways from weekend at Summer League

The Minnesota Timberwolves won a pair of games in Las Vegas over the weekend, pushing their Summer League record to 4-0.

It’s been an impressive run for the Summer Wolves. Let’s look at the the key takeaways from the two weekend wins.

Minnesota Timberwolves: 3 takeaways from weekend at Summer League

Friday’s win was a blowout, as the Wolves used smothering defense and strong play in transition to bury the Milwaukee Bucks.

On Sunday, the Wolves had to force overtime in the final seconds before ultimately emerging victorious over the Philadelphia 76ers.

Lets take a look at what was most notable from the weekend.

Timberwolves Takeaway No. 1: Ball pressure and defensive intensity

Just like it was in the Wolves’ first two wins this weekend at Las Vegas Summer League, the defense was the story in both weekend wins as well.

The defense was most impressive in Friday’s win over the Milwaukee Bucks, as the Wolves’ perimeter players locked down Jordan Nwora and the rest of the Bucks in a dominant 91-64 victory. Point guards McKinley Wright IV and Isaiah Miller led the way, pressuring Milwaukee into 14 turnovers and a horrendous 27.9 percent shooting night from the field.

But it was across the board for the Wolves, as the big men were aggressive in playing the level at the ball in pick-and-roll action and hedged and recovered with frequency.

It seemed as though every time the Bucks rotated the ball, a Wolves defender was getting a hand into the passing lane, and virtually no shot was uncontested for the entirety of the game.

This is exactly the kind of intensity that head coach Chris Finch will demand of his team in the regular season, and his staff did an outstanding job getting the Summer Wolves to play disruptive and effective defense throughout their time in Vegas.

Timberwolves Takeaway No. 2: Jaylen Nowell and Jaden McDaniels were up for the challenge

Second-year forward Jaden McDaniels was challenged to be aggressive and hunt for shots in Las Vegas Summer League. Third-year guard Jaylen Nowell was asked to be a playmaker and run the offense.

Both players have held up their respective ends of the bargain through four games in Vegas, and both were fantastic in a pair of Wolves victories over the weekend.

Nowell initiated plenty of offense, and that helped him achieve the gaudy numbers: 26 points, six rebounds, and three assists in Friday’s win and 26 points, seven rebounds, and two assists on Saturday. But he shot the ball well, making exactly 50 percent of his shots from the floor in each game and going 7-of-19 (36.8 percent) from the 3-point line between the two contests.

McDaniels had had 17 points, five rebounds, three assists, and two steals on Friday and was dominant throughout the win over the Bucks. He was generally quieter against the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday, but finished with 15 points, seven rebounds, and two steals and hit the game-tying 3-pointer with 2.7 seconds left to send the game to overtime.

The biggest takeaway here is that both players have done exactly what was asked of them, and the Wolves have to feel great about where their young rotation players are in terms of their development.

Timberwolves Takeaway No. 3: Knight and Wright are rotation players

The Wolves also have to be pleased with both of their two-way players, Wright and big man Nathan Knight.

Knight’s best game was the first one, but he was solid over the weekend. He had seven points, six assists, and four rebounds against the Bucks and 19 points, four assists, and four rebounds against the 76ers.

He continues to be a revelation in pick-and-roll defense, with the mobility, athleticism, and basketball IQ to defend modern-day offensive schemes and personnel. It’s easy to see him as a fourth or fifth big for the Wolves this year with the ability to step into a bigger role as needed.

Wright’s calling card is his defense, and that was the case against the Bucks and Sixers. The undrafted rookie set the tone in both games, picking up defensively in the backcourt and forcing his man to be uncomfortable from the opening tip to the final horn.

He didn’t do much offensively but did show solid passing chops and solid touch in the paint when needed.

At the end of the day, Summer League is all about second and third-year players showing improvement and the young, fringe rotation pieces showing that they deserve their shot with the big club. The Wolves got all of that and then some in a pair of weekend victories.

The Wolves aren’t done, either. Despite finishing 4-0, they won’t compete in the championship game due to the point differential tie-breaker. But they will play in what is effectively the “third-place game” against the 4-0 Pelicans. The contest tips off at 6:30 p.m. CT on Tuesday and will be televised on NBA TV.