How well have the Timberwolves Two-Way contracts performed?

Two Way players: 2017-2019

To say that the Minnesota Timberwolves really had no clue what to make of the new Two-Way contract is not overselling the matter. The first clue is the fact that the Timberwolves were only willing to sign one player, 6-foot-7 wing Anthony Brown, to a Two-Way contract for the 2017-18 season. Perhaps the Timberwolves simply did not recognize the value of the extra temporary player. Whatever the case, it did not exactly set the team on fire.

SG Anthony Brown (2017-18) was a player originally drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers with the fourth pick in Round 2 of the 2015 NBA Draft. By the time Brown signed his Two-Way contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves, he had already played for the Lakers, the Orlando Magic, and the Orlando Magic. He appeared in just one game for the Timberwolves and played just 3.7 minutes. He did manage to score one three-point shot, the only shot that he would take for the Timberwolves that year.

2018-19

After a big fat fizzle the previous season, it seems as though the Timberwolves front office decided to invest a bit of effort to make use of Two Way contracts.  As a result, the team signed two players: 6-foot-3 SG Jared Terrell, and   SG C.J. Williams.

SG Jared Terrell (2018-19) was a 2018 NBA Summer League player who performed well enough to pique the interest of the Minnesota Timberwolves.  In five summer league games, he averaged 21.2 minutes and scored 9.2 points per game. That led to his signing on with the Timberwolves. He ultimately competed in 14 games for the Wolves, averaging 7.9 MPG and 2.2 PPG. He would compete in the 2019 NBA Summer League for the Timberwolves but regressed to just 16.9 MPG and 5.3 PPG. He would not return to the Timberwolves’ roster

SG C.J. Williams (2018-19) is the next up in our historical survey. He was a 6-foot-5 shooting guard who had competed for the Los Angeles Clippers in 2017-18. While he would appear in 15 games for the Timberwolves, he would only average 8.5 minutes and 2.6 points per game. Like Terrell, Williams caught the eye of the Timberwolves’ front office by putting up 4.8 PPG on 16.7 MPG for the Timberwolves’ 2018 NBA summer league competition. He too would not return to the roster the following year.