Pivotal Pieces
Remember when Naz Reid was an internet sensation back in high school? The jelly fam days? Yeah, those were good times. Reid has blossomed into a productive NBA player. Stretching the floor to a certain extent, Reid is a positionally average three-point shooter, as he shot 35% from deep last season. But from the corners, Reid is money. He shot 50% there last season, per Cleaning The Glass.
Reid is a physical player you can catch setting bone-crushing screens leading to a pop on the perimeter. He’ll be in the rotation garnering backup big minutes, but it will be interesting to see how much Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns are staggered. If so, where does that leave Reid?
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How many of the younger core will crack the rotation? Josh Minott, Wendell Moore Jr., Nathan Knight, and AJ Lawson all plan on getting minutes this year. Realistically, some of these players will get their run in the G-League and make the most of their opportunity there. Nathan Knight is the only returning player of this group, and he played 179 non-garbage-time minutes last year.
Minott showed some wonderful flashes during Summer League. He’s a high energy player with a never-ending motor. Moore left Timberwolves fans wanting more, but he should look better playing next to better players. AJ Lawson had a couple of bright moments as he dropped 28 points along with six three-pointers against the Bulls in Summer League.
Eric Paschall wraps up the pivotal pieces group, and Minnesota got him for a steal. He was named First-Team All-Rookie back in 2020, and now the Timberwolves have him locked up on a two-way contract. The perfect setup for the front office. A low risk, high reward situation if he can get close to the level he showcased his rookie season.
All in all, this is one of the most talented rosters in Timberwolves history. With a strong starting five and rotational pieces that can bend defenses and impact the game as a whole, the Timberwolves are set to compete in 2022-23.