4 Timberwolves worth watching after 3 preseason games

After the way the Minnesota Timberwolves unloaded the bank vault to purchase their rim-protecting NBA center, you may have entered the preseason with the belief that the team would either need plenty of time to start to gel or have assembled only a modest roster around their starting core of players.

Thankfully, neither proved to be the case as the Minnesota Timberwolves jumped right out of the blocks and appeared to have everything under control. Appeared, of course, is the operative word. We know that preseason is not a true test of an NBA team. And there is no way to project what in essence amounts to a handful of pickup games, versus a grueling 82-game gauntlet of a full NBA season.

But this is as good as it gets for now. And much like the team’s preseason success that ultimately foreshadowed the Minnesota Timberwolves’ successful 2021-22 season, the Timberwolves are once more hot as they line up for the upcoming 2022-23 season.

Growing up

We’ve witnessed a lot of growth from the younger members of this Timberwolves roster. But perhaps even more encouraging is the fact that this team is finding success from the contribution of everyone on the roster.

In two of three preseason wins, the difference makers have come off the Timberwolves. Only once in three games has the scoring come from the five starters. And as far as the stars of this team? Sharpshooter SG Anthony Edwards has appeared in all three preseason games. But PG D’Angelo Russell has appeared just twice. And PF Karl-Anthony Towns and C Rudy Gobert have only appeared once.

So who is putting on these preseason performances? Here are four players to keep an eye on:

Player IV: Naz Reid

One of the first players to catch the eye is their backup center, Naz Reid.  While he is entering only his fourth season for the Timberwolves, he has quietly improved his game each season. Of course, it would have been nice if he had developed quickly enough to show up big in the Minnesota Timberwolves playoff series against the Memphis Grizzlies last year. But we can chalk that up to valuable experience.

It was clear that Reid needed to up his game on many levels, and the opportunity to work with All-Star center Rudy Gobert should do wonders to hone his defensive strategy this season. Of course, as all of that occurs, the Timberwolves hope that his development improves his ability to rebound and box out opponents to ensure optimal rebounds.

A defender with an improved shot selection

But where Reid has really been showing up in preseason games so far is on the offensive side of the basketball court. He averaged just 8.3 points per game last season, and just 4.8 points per game in the playoffs.  So far this preseason, he is averaging better than 12 points per game.

Reid has always been better on the defensive end of the basketball court. But if he suddenly shows some scoring too? That could go a long way in elevating the Timberwolves from a good/very good team to an elite team rather quickly.

Reid has even been scoring from the perimeter, sinking three of nine from three-point range. While that may not be his bread-and-butter shot in the season, it’s a sign that he is working to develop a complete shot arsenal. That is what the Timberwolves need from him now.

Player III: Jaylen Nowell

The Minnesota Timberwolves have been looking for significant strides from Jaylen Nowell this season, and it appears that he may be ready to deliver. He showcased a much-improved perimeter shot last season, sinking 39.4 percent of his three-point shots in the regular season.

This year, the Timberwolves will be eyeing Nowell’s ability to run the floor a bit, as well as distribute the basketball to the open shooter. Of course, the best way to clear defenders from other players is to become a scoring threat himself, something that Nowell is doing a pretty good job of so far.

Nowell is becoming a formidable offensive weapon for the Timberwolves

Level up

He has averaged nearly 13 points per game in just under 19 minutes per game. That is a significant improvement over his 8.5 points per game from a year ago, on 15.7 minutes per game.  He is doing so while continuing to shoot better than 36 percent of his treys.

Even as he is elevating his offense, he is likewise improving his ability to rebound. Truth be told, he is rounding out his entire presence on the basketball court into a solid game on both ends. The Timberwolves have plenty of uses for a versatile guard on this roster. So far, it looks like Nowell is answering that want ad.

Player II: Taurean Prince

One of the reasons that the Minnesota Timberwolves re-signed Taurean Prince is the simple fact that he does so well for the team, that he will find ways to help the Timberwolves win no matter what the need is on any particular night.

Prince is not particularly great at anything. But the Timberwolves do not need him to be. The Timberwolves merely need Prince to be good at everything, and he is delivering exactly that so far. So far, he is averaging nearly 10 points, three rebounds, two assists, and better than one block per game.

Trey Taurean

He is even finding his range from beyond the arc.

Prince is so versatile, which truly makes him a necessary plug-and-play option for the team at either power forward or small forward. That is particularly vital to a team that will open the season while trying to find the best lineups and the best rotational players.

Because Prince is consistently good at so many things on the basketball court, the Timberwolves coaching staff can use his dependable play to field-test various lineup combinations and troubleshoot underwhelming performances in real-time. That may not seem to hold much value early in the season, but it will fast-track this team’s ability to establish their optimal rotations more rapidly than you might expect.

Player I: Anthony Edwards

The Minnesota Timberwolves know that their success this season will depend upon the shooting skills of Anthony Edwards. Fortunately, the team may be getting a bonus this season, as Ant-Man intends to be noted for his defense as well. That is another unexpected plus so far that we’ve been pleasantly observing in preseason games so far.

That is not to say that Edwards has lost his touch on the offensive end of the court.  In three games, the young shooting guard is averaging 17.0 points per game in just over 24 minutes. While you may expect his scoring to go up, so will his playing time. In fact, his minutes per game are expected to average nearly 36 minutes, so you can look for 26 points per game as a pretty good estimate.

A shot in the dark

And yes, Edwards can still pile up the points.

Edwards has plenty of scoring in him, but where he will make a significant contribution to the Timberwolves this season is on the defensive court. With the Timberwolves upgrading their front-court defense, the team will need perimeter defense to keep pace with a roster that is already forcing opponents to rethink their offensive strategy.

The Timberwolves need an improved defense to be more successful this season. By the offseason roster moves, it appears that the Timberwolves have enhanced the odds of doing so significantly. But if the time comes and players like Anthony Edwards have also elevated their defense, that is more than just a shot in the dark. That will put this Timberwolves team on course to perhaps make significant noise in the NBA Playoffs this season.

All of this from just three preseason games? Optimism comes easily this time of year. But in my defense, the Timberwolves are 3-0 in preseason so far. So why look for something to fret about?