4 young players Timbewolves should develop, 3 to give up on

II: Give up on PF Josh Minott

I continue to hope for the best out of young power forward Josh Minott’s second season in NBA competition, but his second summer league was nowhere near the level I had hoped that he might deliver. After making it a point to deliver some bold tough talk, the young Timberwolves power forward fell short. That cannot help his cause as he enters his second season.

Minott used a solid 2022 NBA Summer League performance to springboard from a Two-Way contract into a standard NBA contract last year. But after arriving in the NBA and competing with little success, his rookie season looked a lot like a Two-Way contract, as he competed for the Iowa Wolves as often as he did for the Minnesota Timberwolves. This year, his path to playing time has also become far more complex.

While the Timberwolves did not opt to reclaim F Taurean Prince this season, the team did sign FA forward Troy Brown Jr., who has the same long-range sharpshooting qualities as Prince, but who has a far better showing of banging the boards for rebounds. That means that Minott will likely need to prove his worth in cleanup minutes before he will have any chance of meaningful play for the Timberwolves this year.  He could surprise us all by showing up in a big way this year. But to get meaningful minutes, Minott will need to show some serious initiative. Until he does, look for him to be relegated once more to splitting his time.

I: Develop F Leonard Miller

It’s wrong of me to do so, but the range of skills combined with the size of Leonard Miller makes it awfully difficult to contain the enthusiasm of his nearly limitless upside. He shows the potential to showcase so much for this Timberwolves team in so many ways.

The most immediate need for the Timberwolves roster is rebounding, which is something that Leonard Miller already shows signs of excelling at. He is not just adept at defensive rebounds, but he has a knack for vacuuming up offensive rebounds as well and giving the Timberwolves a free second or third shot to the basket. At 6-foot-11 and 210 pounds, this 19-year-old from Toronto, Canada is quite at home in chilling winter weather. He’ll have plenty of chances to heat up Target Center.

Because he can play all five positions for the Timberwolves, he brings tremendous untapped value to the team. But to develop all aspects of his game, he will need incredible amounts of coaching and patience to unlock all that he can do.

Ben Simmons stands 6-foot-10. Giannis Antetokounmpo stands 7-foot-0.  Can Leonard Miller make an impact on the NBA like either of those players? He has a perimeter shot. He can work at getting rebounds off the boards. He has a good handle on the basketball and has great vision. So, why not?  He just needs the time and the coaching to reach his optimal level of play.