Summing up Timberwolves summer league roster (so far)

Three down. More to go. The Minnesota Timberwolves 2023 2K24 NBA Summer League competition is going hot and heavy. But now that the Timberwolves have lost their second of three games, perhaps this is as good of a time as any to take a seventh-inning stretch and look over the Timberwolves Summer League roster.

On paper, the team seemed to be a solid mix of college, G-League, and NBA talent. But as is often the case, the theory and the practical application seem to have surprisingly different results. The Timberwolves have gotten great play from some players so far. But not everyone on the Timberwolves Summer League roster is created equally.

So let’s go down over the roster and their individual performances so far in the competition:

• Name                            Position     Stats (after 3 games)
  

1. Brendan Adams          PG               6.4 M | 4.0 P | 40.0 3P% | 1.0 R | 0.0 A | 0.0 S | 0.0 B
2. Matteo Spagnolo       PG               DNP
3. Brandon Williams     PG               28.7 M | 21.3 P | 33.3 3P% | 2.3 R | 4.7 A | 2.0 S | 0.0 B
4. DJ Carton                      PG               23.35 M | 8.3 P | 16.7 3P% | 1.3 R | 6.0 A | 2.3 S | 0.7 B
5. Jaylen Clark                  SG               DNP
6. Javonte Cook               SG               13.3 M | 1.3 P | 16.7 3P% | 1.7 R | 0.7 A | 0.7 S | 0.7 B
7. Wendell Moore Jr.     SG/SF        28.2 M | 15.0 P | 25.0 3P% | 4.0 R | 6.0 A | 1.0 S | 1.0 B
8. Jaylin Galloway           SG/SF         5.0 M | 2.0 P | 0.0 3P% | 0.0 R | 1.0 A | 0.0 S | 1.0 B
9. Leonard Miller            C/PF           27.9 M | 18.0 P | 42.9 3P% | 7.3 R | 2.0 A | 1.7 S | 1.3 B
10. Sam Wardenburg       C                 DNP
11. Josh Minnott               PF              28.9 M | 17.0 P | 0.0 3P% | 6.0 R | 1.7 A | 1.3 S | 2.0 B
12. Trevion Williams        C                16.4 M | 4.7 P | 0.0 3P% | 4.3 R | 2.0 A | 0.3 S | 0.0 B
13. Phillip Wheeler           F                8.4 M | 3.5 P | 0.0 3P% | 1.5 R | 0.5 A | 0.0 S | 0.0 B
14. Theo John                     F                 4.9 M | 0.0 P | 0.0 3P% | 1.0 R | 0.0 A | 0.0 S | 0.0 B
15. Feron Hunt                   F                17.4 M | 7.3 P | 0.0 3P% | 2.7 R | 1.7 A | 0.3 S | 1.0 B
16. Brian Bowen II            F                 15.4 M | 7.3 P | 25.0 3P% | 1.7 R | 1.0 A | 0.3 S | 0.3 B
17. Kris Bankston             C/PF            8.4 M | 1.5 P | 0.0 3P% | 2.5 R |1.0 A | 0.5 S | 1.0 B
18. Kok Yat                           F                   1.6 M | 0.0 P | 0.0 3P% | 0.0 R | 0.0 A | 0.0 S | 0.0 B

Okay, so what have we got so far?

Timberwolves top scorers

In three games so far, I don’t think that anyone is surprised to find both SG Wendell Moore Jr (15.0 PPG) and Josh Minott (17.0 PPG) among the Minnesota Timberwolves’ top scorers. But perhaps we should discuss the fact that the top two Minnesota Timberwolves scorers are point guard Brandon Williams (21.3 PPG) and forward/center Leonard Miller (18.0 PPG).

Williams is a former Portland Trail Blazers point guard who stands 6-foot-2 and weighs 190 pounds. While he is not exactly pushing the basketball into the hands of his teammates, there is no denying the fact that with a basketball in his hands, he is very dangerous. And he has a respectable perimeter shot at 33.3 percent. If the Timberwolves have an eye on adding a point guard to the roster, Brandon Williams is really making a very strong case.

Rookie Leonard Miller is the other hot scorer on the Timberwolves summer league roster. He not only pumps in an average of 18 points per game, but he is doing so with a solid 42.9 percent perimeter shot, as well as working the boards (7.2 RPG) like a Hoover vacuum cleaner. The fact that he is all over the basketball court and delivering only adds to his value.

Timberwolves honorable mentions

Of course, you would expect players who are signed to play for the Minnesota Timberwolves to compete at a high level. But who has been a pleasant, and unexpected, surprise so far?

For openers, you have to do a double take over the production from 6-foot-4 190-pound point guard D.J. Carton. While a bit raw, he is delivering in those areas that make a solid play at the NBA level as a point guard. He has a nice pass, dishing out an average of 6.0 assists per game. He is also leading the team in picking pockets, leveraging his Stretch Armstrong reach to snag the ball from unsuspecting opponents, averaging 2.3 steals per game.

Another name to keep on your radar is forward Brian Bowen II. While only averaging 15.4 minutes per game, he is tied for fifth place on the TImberwolves’ list of top scorers. And while nothing to brag about, he has managed a 25 percent perimeter shot, a nice beachhead for a 6-foot-7 199-pound young forward. He has had two separate trials with the Indiana Pacers, not sticking on the roster on either occasion.