Timberwolves start, bench, cut: McDaniels, Brown Jr., Miller

Bench: Troy Brown Jr.

While small forward Troy Brown Jr. may be new and unfamiliar to the Timberwolves roster, that does not mean that he will not carve out a niche in the rotations pretty quickly. He had a vital role last season for the Los Angeles Lakers, and that role should translate seamlessly and successfully to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

What PG Mike Conley Jr. was to former Timberwolves PG D’Angelo Russell, small forward Troy Brown Jr. is to former forward Taurean Prince. While Prince is the more proficient scorer, Brown is the more versatile player who adds value on offense and on defense.

Standing 6-foot-7 and weighing 215 pounds, Brown Jr. has the size and build to bang bodies with power forwards to haul in rebounds. But he has the agility to smother opponents as well. He had tremendous success for the Lakers in defending Golden State Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson, a fact that earned him plenty of praise from Lakers HC Ham.

But he is more than a defensive presence on the basketball court. The 24-year-old veteran who is entering his sixth NBA season has a sneaky-good perimeter shot, can score from the foul line, and even has the ability to toss out the occasional assist. While his role will likely end up being primarily coming off the bench for the Timberwolves, he has the experience to fill in with an occasional start as well.