Wolves fans will be thrilled with the 2023 Summer League roster

After the 2023 NBA Draft, the assembly of the Minnesota Timberwolves roster for the NBA Summer League competition is one of the more pressing matters for the team. Not because the Timberwolves Summer League will earn the team some advantage come the 2023-24 NBA season, but from the standpoint of time available to perform the task.

If you recall, the 2022 Timberwolves roster was a bit chaotic, as the team had assembled the 2022 Timberwolves Summer League team, but then executed a trade for Rudy Gobert after the fact, which ripped center Walker Kessler from the Timberwolves team roster with just hours to spare.

Timberwolves Summer League roster set

This year, the  Timberwolves are not expected to suffer any summer seismic activity. Better yet, the team has made it a point to enlist some familiar faces to this year’s summer league roster.

And so, we do have a full 2023 Minnesota Timberwolves Summer League team.  And by all accounts, this is more than just a group of players who are auditioning for a chance to compete in the NBA someday. In fact, five of the players are already signed or are drafted and have yet to be signed by the Minnesota Timberwolves already.

That’s pretty huge, as it not only gives a better sense of the unfamiliar faces on the Timberwolves S/L roster in terms of comparability, but it demonstrates a bit of wise strategy. If the Timberwolves are truly looking at developing players for the future, what better way than to allow them to compete together now, and familiarize them with each other?

Timberwolves Summer League roster infused with competitive toughness

The Minnesota Timberwolves have a vested interest in committing more than a casual effort to creating a competitive team. It was the performance of Summer League play that convinced the Minnesota Timberwolves to act on upgrading the contract of rookie power forward Josh Minott from a Two-Way Contract to a standard multi-year deal.

It was the performance of small forward Matt Ryan, who averaged 19 PPG while competing for the 2022 Boston Celtics Summer League team, that landed a contract with the Los Angeles Lakers and then a Two-Way Contract to compete for the Minnesota Timberwolves.

In a similar fashion, it was the long-range accuracy of 2022 Portland Trail Blazer Summer League center Luka Garza (50.0 percent) that attracted the attention of the Minnesota Timberwolves, ultimately leading to a Two-Way contract as well.

Timberwolves tactics

With fewer picks to use, the Timberwolves must turn their attention to alternate sources of young talent to fill their roster needs and the talent pipeline to develop contributors well into the future. With a third Two-Way contract at their disposal, all 30 NBA teams will have a strong interest in who plays well in the NBA Summer League.

So who plays for the 2023 Minnesota Timberwolves Summer League? Well, the Timberwolves have released their roster:

Now we have the opportunity to see and assess the 2023 Minnesota Timberwolves Summer League roster for the first time. So let’s get right to it . . .

The 2023 Minnesota Timberwolves Summer League roster feels like a winner

A year ago, the Timberwolves Summer League roster felt like it was slow in its creation, and then hurriedly assembled after the great Rudy Gobert trade that took place after many of the more promising players were already signed elsewhere. But this year’s Timberwolves Summer League team roster feels like a winner.  How so?

The team will play second-year players, Wendell Moore Jr. and Josh Minott, add this year’s rookie Leonard Moore (Jaylen Clark is named but will be unable to participate due to injury) as well as future Timberwolves point guard Matteo Spagnolo. So let’s list a quick summary of players on the Timberwolves Summer League roster:

• Name                            Position     Stats (per game)
  

1. Brendan Adams          PG               25.0 M | 8.45 P | 31.3 3P% | 2.74 R | 1.67 A | 0.53 S | 0.11 B
2. Matteo Spagnolo       PG               15.5 M | 3.20 P | 11.1 3P% | 1.4 R | 1.80 A | 0.20 S | 0.0 B
3. Brandon Williams       PG               25.2 M | 13.4 P | 17.4 3P% | 3.2 R | 4.4 A | 1.0 S | 0.2 B
4. DJ Carton                       PG               32.5 M | 16.3 P | 36.5 3P% | 4.2 R | 5.7 A | 1.2 S | 0.6 B
5. Jaylen Clark                   SG               19.0 M | 7.4 P | 30.2 3P% | 4.1 R | 1.0 A | 1.3 S | 0.2 B
6. Javonte Cook                SG                27.9 M | 14.8 P | 34.5 3P% | 5.2 R | 1.6 A | 1.2 S | 0.9 B
7. Wendell Moore Jr.       SG/SF         25.5 M | 6.0 P | 36.9 3P% | 4.25 R | 1.4 A | 0.7 S | 0.9 B
8. Jaylin Galloway           SG/SF         14.9 M | 5.2 P | 32.7 3P% | 1.78 R | 0.7 A | 0.6 S | 0.2 B
9. Leonard Miller             C/PF            30.6 M | 18.0 P | 32.7 3P% | 11.0 R | 1.6 A | 0.9 S | 0.9 B
10. Sam Wardenburg         C                 25.5 M | 6.0 P | 36.9 3P% | 4.3 R | 1.4 A | 0.7 S | 0.9 B
11. Josh Minnott                 PF                29.3 M | 20.6 P | 29.2 3P% | 7.3 R | 1.8 A | 1.3 S | 1.6 B
12. Trevion Williams          C                   19.1 M | 8.3 P | 24.0 3P% | 8.3 R | 2.4 A | 0.5 S | 0.3 B
13. Phillip Wheeler            F                    17.5 M | 8.2 P | 19.4 3P% | 4.3 R | 0.8 A | 0.5 S | 0.4 B
14. Theo John                      F                      9.4 M | 1.7 P | 0.0 3P% | 1.4 R | 0.5 A | 0.3 S | 0.7 B
15. Feron Hunt                   F                    35.4 M | 18.0 P | 36.4 3P% | 7.5 R | 2.4 A | 1.4 S | 0.9 B
16. Brian Bowen III            F                    32.8 M | 14.5 P | 30.7 3P% | 7.7 R | 1.8 A | 0.8 S | 0.6 B
17. Kris Bankston               C/PF            22.1 M |  8.8 P | 28.6 3P% | 5.2 R | 0.9 A | 0.6 S | 1.1 B
18. Kok Yat                           F                   23.3 M | 10.3 P | 27.0 3P% | 4.4 R | 0.8 A | 0.6 S | 1.2 B

Now, what more can we share about the players?

Some fun facts about the Timberwolves Summer League team

Let’s not get too serious about the Timberwolves Summer League team that we fail to appreciate the work that each player has put in just to make it this far. And for some, the results of that work have already landed them an opportunity for an NBA career.

The Timberwolves are tapping SG Wendell Moore Jr., PF Josh Minott, and draft-and-stash PG Matteo Spagnolo to compete this summer. Joining them is newly added rookie forward Leonard Miller. Also named to the summer league roster is SG Jaylen Clark, but he will not participate due to rehabbing from a previous injury.

Forward Kris Bankston is certainly worth discussing. He is a 6-foot-8 240-pound forward who hails out of Norfolk State.  He is incredibly athletic and will certainly be the focus of a number of NBA teams throughout the competition.

And he is just one intriguing player on this roster.

More players to keep on your radar

If backcourt is your main interest, you will want to keep tabs on former Arizona point guard Brandon Williams. Standing 6-foot-2 and weighing in at 190 pounds, he delivers plenty for his size. He had a short stint with the Portland Trail Blazers in the 2021-22 NBA season and signed a Two-Way contract last season. While he needs to refine his perimeter shot, he is a dual threat as a point guard, able to score himself or attract defenders and dish the ball to the open shooter.

Another intriguing player who had a short stint in the NBA is forward Feron Hunt. Hunt stands 6-foot-8 and weighs 195 pounds. While he could benefit by muscling up in the weight room, he has certainly shown no signs of being a 98-pound weakling in his G-League performances. While he also needs to refine a perimeter shot, he delivers points, rebounds, and all sorts of stellar defense.

The hardest part of the 2023 Timberwolves Summer League roster is that:
I – The team will only have five players on the court at one time
II – No matter how many players we love in the competition, the Timberwolves will be limited in terms of offering any player a contract.

I believe that this Timberwolves Summer League team will show up and be very competitive this year. What are your thoughts about this team?