Timberwolves start, bench, cut: Anthony Edwards, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Wendell Moore

Cut: Wendell Moore Jr.

Moore faces a drought of playing time this season

I don’t mean to cut off second-year shooting guard Wendell Moore Jr.’s role with the Minnesota Timberwolves before it ever gets started, but the evidence suggests that the Timberwolves front office has already begun to travel down that path. As a result, I feel that I am simply acknowledging the direction that the team has already taken, rather than setting any form of projections.

SG Wendell Moore Jr. was selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves with the 26th overall pick in Round 1 of the 2022 NBA Draft. Upon his selection, it was obvious that he was earmarked to fill a desperately needed 3-and-D role on the Timberwolves roster, particularly in the perimeter defense where the team struggled early.

Moore G-League appearances?

He did get his chances throughout the season, appearing in 29 games and even getting the nod for two starts. But no matter how many minutes he played, he struggled to score points. With the exception of two games: A November 30th effort against the Memphis Grizzlies and a December 3rd outing against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Moore never scored more than four points in a game.

Because he averaged a mere 5.3 minutes per game and was downgraded on the Timberwolves’ depth chart after the arrival of Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Moore bounced to the Timberwolves’ G-League affiliate, the Iowa Wolves, to bolster his playing time. Moore still shows signs of further refinement, and his 2023-24 NBA season could include more G-League appearances.

This is not an exhaustive list. The Timberwolves will likely look to see how rookie shooting guard Jaylen Clark looks after he has recovered from his Achilles Tendon injury. Other players on the Timberwolves roster could see playing time in rotations by sliding into the shooting guard role.