This player burst into the summer league sky
One of the keys to appreciating summer league competition is to focus less on the game score and more on how well individual players perform in the role they are assigned. While the NBA regular season stresses the opposite approach, summer league is a bit of an auditioning of players who will ultimately hope to be signed to an NBA team roster, which may or may not be that of their summer league host team.
Josh Minott – Forward (Pick #45 – 2022 NBA Draft):
Arguably the headliner of this year’s summer league roster. Minott is a high-energy competitor, who offers significant upside as a rebounder and defender. The question with Minott is can he become a two-way threat?
Personally, I am looking to see how Minott’s shot looks, and how comfortable his handle looks. If his shot starts to fall at a respectable clip, it is going to be very hard to keep Minott on the Target Center bench for very long.
Game 1 Observations: 20pts | 4rbs | 2a | +16
Talk about activity. Minott displayed a refreshing ability to be a master of subtleties. He was outstanding cutting to the rim for easy buckets. Minott was a terror in transition, showing his length and athleticism early and often. He was a menace on the ball defensively, but my favorite observation was watching how ecstatic Minott was for his teammates. It is going to be very hard to keep Minott on the bench if his shot starts coming around.
This is a pretty innocent and light-hearted back-and-forth, but it also hammers home a larger point in my opinion…
— Kyle Theige (@KyleTheige) July 8, 2023
Josh Minott is tired of being overlooked. He wants to contribute and he wants to contribute in Minnesota, not Iowa. pic.twitter.com/kZCvlmxspJ
Ultimately, Minott stirs the pot with a standout performance. Is he truly ready for a larger role with the Minnesota Timberwolves? It’s hard to deny that he appears far more mature in the S/L opener.