5 Minnesota Timberwolves who may not be back next season
By Bret Stuter
Timberwolves Two-Way Contracts
Before we start to identify those players who are at risk of not returning to the Timberwolves roster, we should start by identifying those players who should be back. For starters, the Timberwolves appear to have identified and signed two potential NBA stars in the form of center Luka Garza and power forward Matt Ryan. Both players signed Timberwolves Two-Way contracts, and they have contributed to the team so far this season.
Ryan is the typical two-way player. He has appeared in 20 games for the Timberwolves so far this season and has averaged 8.7 minutes, 3.8 points, 0.6 rebounds, and 0.6 assists. While he has delivered at or slightly better than expected, his teammate Luke Garza appears to be a future NBA star in the making. Garza has appeared in 22 games, averaging 9.3 minutes, 6.9 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 0.6 assists. Surprisingly, Garza is an NBA center who, much like Karl-Anthony Towns, can drain them from beyond the arc. He is scoring at a 36.1 percent clip from the three-point range.
Timberwolves rookies
The Minnesota Timberwolves boast two rookies on the roster as well. They are power forward Josh Minott and their shooting guard/small forward Wendell Moore Jr. Minott has made 11 appearances for the Timberwolves so far and averaged 6.2 minutes, 3.2 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 0.3 assists. Because he has seen limited action with the Timberwolves, he has also appeared in eight Iowa Wolves G-league contests, and he has averaged 28.7 minutes, 18.5 points, 8.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists with the Wolves.
Wendell Moore Jr. has seen the most action of this group, not only appearing in 24 games but getting two starts as a rookie as well. He has averaged 5.8 minutes, 1.5 points, 0.7 rebounds, and 0.7 assists with the Timberwolves. He has also found playing time with the Iowa Wolves, where he has averaged 34.0 minutes, 20.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 7.8 assists. Moore’s forte is defense, and he has flashed some serious potential in that area already for the Timberwolves.
Four players appear to be in line for larger roles with the team next season. All have shown enough promise to look for more production next season. Now the question is, who will vacate the Timberwolves roster to make room for their up-and-coming Timberwolves ‘pups?’