Timberwolves 2-ways Luka Garza, AJ Lawson impress in Wolves W

It’s not always easy for Two-Way Contract players to bounce between the G-League and NBA but Minnesota Timberwolves’ 6-foot-10 center Luka Garza and 6-foot-6 forward AJ Lawson have continued to show development with the Iowa Wolves this season.

Even though neither player is likely to have a major impact on the Minnesota Timberwolves this year, it’s encouraging to see how they have improved during recent stints in the G-League.

In a matchup against his former franchise, the Motor City Cruise, Garza scored a game-high 33 points on 10  of 21 shooting from the field including one of four from the perimeter to lead the Iowa Wolves to a 116-106 victory on Friday morning in Detroit.

Garza totaled 22 points in the second half alone and grabbed five rebounds as the Wolves secured a fifth straight win to improve to 7-3 and keep pace for second place in the Central division.

Minnesota Timberwolves two-way players Luka Garza, and AJ Lawson impress with Iowa Wolves

In addition to Garza getting revenge against some familiar faces, Lawson showed off his potential with 16 points including a series of impressive finishes, plus five rebounds and two assists.

Lawson got the scoring started with a triple on the first possession and that aggression continued as he scored eight points in the first quarter, highlighted by a Eurostep and layup with his offhand.

During the second quarter, Lawson flashed his athleticism and defensive versatility that continues to entice the Timberwolves’ front office with a steal in the open court followed by a fastbreak dunk.

There is still plenty of room for both players to improve as Lawson struggled to limit turnovers and Garza failed to protect the paint consistently but it was definitely another promising performance for the duo.

Following the 33-point showing, Garza has scored 30+ points five times this season including in four of the last five games and now ranks as the second-leading scorer in the G-League with 28.0 points per game.

Just a few hours after the win, Garza and Lawson were called up by the Minnesota Timberwolves and should have a chance to come off the bench against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday night.