Minnesota Timberwolves: Leandro Bolmaro, two-way players impress in G League

The Minnesota Timberwolves sent rookie Leandro Bolmaro and both two-way contract players to the G League for the Iowa Wolves’ regular-season opener this weekend, and all three played extremely well in a comeback win.

Minnesota Timberwolves: Leandro Bolmaro flirts with triple-double in G League

It was just over a week ago that Leandro Bolmaro was sent to the Iowa Wolves for their lone preseason action. He tallied a double-double and knocked down some big shots in a win before returning to the Timberwolves and sitting on the bench for the big club’s last four losses.

Now, with the G League regular season underway and the Timberwolves headed out on an extended road trip, Bolmaro returned to the Iowa Wolves along with both two-way players.

Bolmaro showed out in his official G League debut, putting up 19 points on an ultra-efficient 8-of-10 shooting and also tallying eight rebounds and eight assists.

While he did turn the ball over seven times, he was 2-of-4 on 3-point attempts and added a pair of steals.

The biggest question marks surrounding Bolmaro as he comes stateside following a relatively brief professional career overseas are the consistency of his outside shot and if his moderate athleticism will play on both ends of the floor in the NBA.

So far, at least at the G League level, the answer appears to be a resounding ‘yes’.

By the end of the year, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Bolmaro’s role with the Timberwolves as that of a secondary creator on the second unit, perhaps eating into the minutes currently soaked up by Jordan McLaughlin and Josh Okogie.

It’s encouraging to see him perform this well in such short order in the G League, to say the least.

Minnesota Timberwolves two-way players star in G League debuts

Two-way players Nathan Knight and McKinley Wright IV were both assigned to the G League prior to the opener, and they joined Bolmaro in putting together impressive showing in the comeback win.

The Wolves trailed by as many as 19 and were down by 10 at halftime but ended up coming away with a 115-100 victory.

Knight proved himself as the best and most polished professional on the court in this one, scoring 31 points on 13-of-25 shooting, including 4-of-9 from outside the arc. He also added 13 rebounds, two assists, and a steal in 31 minutes.

Wright started at point guard and had 18 points, six rebounds, six assists, and a steal. Encouragingly, he shot 4-of-6 on 3-point attempts and 7-for-15 from the floor overall.

Exhibit 10 contract signee Isaiah Miller, who starred for the Wolves entry at Las Vegas Summer League and was with the Timberwolves during training camp this fall, impressed off the bench with 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting while nabbing four steals. His ball-hawking on defense led to several breakaways dunks, as chronicled by the Iowa Wolves social media team.

Already since Saturday’s game, the Timberwolves have transferred Knight back to the big club for the four-game road trip that begins on Monday night in Memphis.

We’ll be keeping an eye on the Iowa Wolves throughout the year here at Dunking With Wolves, as the Timberwolves will have several intriguing players on their G League squad for the first time in a long time.