We are working our way through the Minnesota Timberwolves summer league roster. Why so late to the party? Well, after the team assembled the initial roster, trading two players put a bit of a damper on knowing who was and who was not signed up. Now that we know and have some time to make formal introductions, the Timberwolves have already played two games and are now 1-1 with two more to go.
Nest on our list of introductions is 6-foot-7 200-pound small forward Brian Bowen.
Let’s start out by saying that he was born in Saginaw, Michigan. But after declaring for, then rescinding his intentions for, the 2018 NBA Draft, he is worked hard to get up to speed in Australia. He declared for the 2019 NBA Draft, but went undrafted, and signed a two-way contract to play for the Indiana Pacers.
III – Plays well off-ball
The young man is familiar with creating his own shots through a wide-ranging arsenal of moves. He has a natural instinct to establish proper floor spacing, he has excellent burst and initiative to fill the role of a cutter, and he seems to be able to sustain the type of hustle that is necessary to make plays by running the length of the court and crashing the glass.
He has a solid selection of spot-ups, cuts, put backs, and can be a true asset in transition.
II – 3-and-D potential
He is an ever-developing perimeter shooter. And he has a great length to develop into a perimeter defender. The challenge is coaching him to that point. He is vulnerable to turnovers whenever he handles the basketball, scored 1.1 points per jump shot (among the top 20 percentile), and is improving in his mid-range and finding the soft spots beyond the arc.
And then, he has the potential to get the crowd into the game with a strong defensive play.
Brian Bowen with the monster block! 😱😱 pic.twitter.com/TtNUA4BriZ
— Sydney Kings (@SydneyKings) December 29, 2018
He has not seen action yet for the Timberwolves, and so it makes it a bit challenging to gauge where he is right now because there is no reference point against NBA hopeful competition.
I – NBA potential
One of the reasons to keep Brian Bowen on your radar is simply that he has NBA plug-n-play potential. While he has yet to see action in summer league for the Minnesota Timberwolves, there are two games remaining.
Should the Wolves sign one of Minott or Knight to a regular deal and have a two-way spot open, Brian Bowen II may be a good look. He’ll be on their SL team tonight and played in Iowa last year. Very fun two way wing.
— Logan (@LaltenNBA) July 8, 2022
If he makes the basketball court, he should be the type of player who will perform well in this competition.
Bowen has some NBA background and simply needs more experience. Will he get playing time? If he does, will he show up large? Stay tuned . . .