Okay, so if you had any concerns about the Minnesota Timberwolves’ ability to compete in the 2023-24 NBA season, you may have some answers now. The Timberwolves are finding ways to win against NBA teams that are unanimously projected to compete in the 2024 NBA Playoffs.
That is not to say that the Minnesota Timberwolves are a shoo-in for a berth in the 2024 NBA Playoffs, or even if they earn a spot in postseason competition, that this team will waltz right through Round 1. We know all too well how a serious or poorly timed injury to a key player can derail this team.
But preseason is a time to run the race car through its paces, or in this case, the Timberwolves roster. The team has certainly impressed me so far, which is a small surprise because I’ve already bought into the belief that the Minnesota Timberwolves are a much better and more balanced team than the team from a year ago.
Sorting out Timberwolves players in preseason takes time
But the truth remains that there will only be a limited amount of minutes to distribute among the players on the Timberwolves roster. And that is even further limited as there is only one basketball to share among the five players on the basketball court.
What that all means is that the Minnesota Timberwolves will have players who perform instantly, who perform quickly, who perform reluctantly, and who fail to perform to expectations. And it’s no easy task for the Timberwolves coaching staff to guess at the rate that players may develop before the start of the 2023-24 NBA season.
Even as the Timberwolves have returned all five starters from the 2023 NBA Playoffs, and a key core of bench players, this team has an abundance of players who are either new to the Timberwolves roster or new to the NBA in general.
So let’s do a quick grading of Timberwolves players who stood out, either in a positive or negative light, in the Timberwolves’ third preseason game against the New York Knicks, and how they have performed in preseason games so far. Why Game 3? It’s the most relevant in terms of a competitive game that featured both the full Timberwolves roster, but also the most competitive game that the Timberwolves have played so far.
So let’s dig in:
Concern: F Matt Ryan
While you may not think that it’s fair to grade the performance of forward Matt Ryan from a game in which he saw no playing time, let’s step back and rethink that strategy slowly. The Timberwolves coaching staff is making every effort to spread playing time among the players who have a stake in the 2023-24 NBA season.
Not every player develops at the same pace in the NBA. While some can show improvements in each additional game, others are a bit less suited for rapid improvement. One such slow riser is forward Matt Ryan, who has returned to the Timberwolves on his second consecutive Two-Way contract.
Matt Ryan is going to have his opportunities. But the fact that he did not see action in the Timberwolves’ third preseason game against the New York Knicks does not exactly bode well for him. Even guard Daishen Nix, who is signed to an Exhibit 10 contract, saw some playing time.
While I don’t believe that Ryan is at any risk right now of losing his Two-Way contract, I suspect that he will spend plenty of time commuting between the Minnesota Timberwolves and their G-League affiliate, the Iowa Wolves, this season. That may not be such a bad thing, as he will need plenty of playing time to develop this season.
Preseason Game 3 grade: Incomplete
Standout: PG Jordan McLaughlin
The Minnesota Timberwolves will need a successor to veteran point guard Mike Conley Jr., and if PG Jordan McLaughlin can continue to perform at this level, he will certainly be given serious consideration to be Conley’s successor.
While the team made efforts to sign veteran Shake Milton to the Timberwolves roster, there is no firm and final decision made as to who is the heir apparent to veteran PG Mike Conley Jr. For that matter, there is not even a clear need for an immediate successor, and Conley could re-sign with the Timberwolves and remain as the starting point guard.
McLaughlin has a real opportunity to salvage his role on this Timberwolves roster, but he will need to put together more games like the one he had against the New York Knicks. It’s not as though McLaughlin was on fire in any one attribute. Rather, he simply had a solid and well-rounded performance that you expect from a veteran backup point guard.
In just nine minutes of play, he scored eight points, while delivering two rebounds, two assists, and two steals. Even as other players on the Timberwolves roster will squeeze minutes from McLaughlin, as long as he optimizes his minutes like this, he will eventually grow his role with the team.
Preseason Game 3 grade: B
Concern: SG Wendell Moore Jr
The Minnesota Timberwolves cannot compare the rapid development of shooting guard Anthony Edwards to other players on the roster, but the performance of second-year SG Wendell Moore Jr. was not exactly reassuring. It’s not due to any fault of Moore. It’s simply a case of too few minutes to be dolled out to everyone in 2022-23, and the impact that light workload has on his development this season.
But there seems to be more at work with Wendell Moore Jr. this season than a musical chairs medley of playing minutes. Are the Timberwolves redirecting him from a 3-and-D role into more of a combination guard role who excels at defense? If that is the case, then he would eventually refill the void created when the team traded away veteran combination guard Patrick Beverley.
While Moore continues to develop his shot arsenal and learns how to become Velcro-like in his NBA defense, he will have good games and he will have bad games. This game was not one of his good ones.
In 11 minutes, Wendell Moore Jr. shot just 25 percent from the floor (1 of 4), while adding one rebound and two assists. His road to an NBA career will certainly be a bit rocky this season. But in all honesty, I believe that he could become a solid point guard alongside SG Anthony Edwards. And tracking how he improves the number of assists per game will speak volumes as to his progress in that direction.
Preseason Game 3 grade: C-
Standout: SF Kyle Anderson
The Minnesota Timberwolves coaching staff seems to rely on veteran forward Kyle Anderson in so many ways, and yet he typically exceeds expectations. That continues to be the case as he has morphed from a starting power forward and point forward throughout the 2022-23 NBA season, to a new plug-and-play role at almost any position this season.
The trouble with grading an amoeba-like performance of forward Kyle Anderson on the Timberwolves roster is the necessity to pause and try to comprehend exactly which of the Timberwolves’ many roles Slo-Mo was tasked with filling. Against the New York Knicks, Anderson was directed to defend and facilitate.
By the end of the game, Kyle Anderson played 22 minutes but had only scored six points. That did not tell the tale of that game, as Anderson had hauled in three rebounds and dished out eight crucial assists. Those assists kept the flow of the game going in the Timberwolves’ favor.
One of the hopes for Kyle Anderson entering the 2023-24 NBA season was that with a nadir of injuries and a more predictable rotation, Slo-Mo might be able to specialize in a few roles for the Timberwolves this season. But it appears that the opposite may prove to be true. He will serve as the mortar that Timberwolves Coach Chris Finch will use on any given night to shore up weaknesses that appear during the game.
Thankfully, he very much appears to be up to the task.
Preseason Game 3 grade: B
Concern: PG Mike Conley Jr.
While there will always be an up-and-down pattern of even the most consistent veteran players, I can honestly say that veteran point guard Mike Conley Jr. has been a true Steady-Freddie on the Timberwolves roster since he arrived. But even Conley has the occasional struggle.
Against the New York Knicks, Conley struggled.
He only played 19 minutes, but of that time he could only score five points, would only dish out three assists, would suffer two turnovers, and would commit three fouls. In summary, he was not having a very good game.
While this was a rare stinker of a game by Conley, it does feed into the vigilance and concerns that become ever tenser over the endurance of the 36-year-old point guard to handle the wear and tear of 82 games on the Timberwolves schedule. You see, thanks to the introduction of even more stringent measures necessary to rest veteran players, the Timberwolves cannot give Conley a rest day because he is stiff and sore.
Mike Conley Jr. is one of four Minnesota Timberwolves players named in the new NBA rule change. What that means is that the Timberwolves will find it necessary to start Conley, but have a player ready to go in if Conley is not up to par. That may not happen again this season, but it did happen against the New York Knicks.
Preseason Game 3 grade: D+
Standout: C Naz Reid
The growth of backup center Naz Reid appears to be more than just a larger role that he plays on this team. Recent reports have him shooting up to a height of 6-foot-10, which is not surprising. But what is a mild and pleasant surprise is the fact that he seems to be taking to the power forward position like a duck takes to water.
Reid is a huge factor in just how well the Minnesota Timberwolves perform in the 2023-24 NBA season, and from what we have witnessed so far, this is going to be an incredible season for the Timberwolves.
Reid is more than a backup center this season. He is one of the first players off the bench for the Timberwolves this season, is the primary rotational player when either C Rudy Gobert or PF Karl-Anthony Towns head to the bench, and has the onus of putting up points.
In 19 minutes of play against the New York Knicks, he pumped 22 points onto the scoreboard. I believe that is just the tip of the iceberg for Naz Reid this season. He has a track record of a high work ethic, and he loves to mix it up under the basket.
While it feels disingenuous to claim that the Minnesota Timberwolves will only go as far as Naz Reid can take the team this season. But, he will certainly have a strong say in how successful the Timberwolves will be this season.
Preseason Game 3 grade: A-
Concern: SF Nickeil Alexander-Walker
Timberwolves 3-and-D expert Nickeil Alexander-Waiker has gotten plenty of work with the injury to starting SF Jaden McDaniels, but like many players who compete on a regular basis, not every game results in a new highlight reel. Against the New York Knicks, NAW was called for three fouls rather quickly.
While we cannot expect that Nickeil Alexander-Walker will get many starts for the Timberwolves once Jaden McDaniels heals, the fact that he struggled in this game has introduced a bit of a hiccup to a pattern of steady growth, improvement, and development.
Alexander-Walker only played 17 minutes for the Timberwolves against the New York Knicks, and by all accounts that was probably 10 minutes too much. He registered five points, one rebound, two assists, one turnover, and five personal fouls.
I might have graded a bit more leniently if he was thrust into a starting role at the last minute. But the truth is that he had a week of practice to prepare himself for this one, yet looked rustier and far less prepared than his previous start. Just an anomaly? Perhaps. But he cannot allow a repeat performance like that again, or his role will shrink rapidly.
Preseason Game 3 grade: D
Standout: PG Shake Milton
The Minnesota Timberwolves simply feel like a better team with guard Shake Milton on the roster. While he is not the biggest, fastest, or best scorer on the team, he always to be connected to great plays on the basketball court.
Shake Milton is another of the Wolves ‘Jack of All Trades,’ on the roster who seems to flow to whatever Coach Finch needs him to play in any rotational lineup. Much like Kyle Anderson, Milton doesn’t bat an eye at whatever the Timberwolves ask of him.
He is a battle-hardened tough guy who delivers in so many ways. In 20 minutes, he was able to score 12 points, haul in two rebounds, dish out six assists, and finish the game with a (+/-) factor on the night of +31, the highest of any player in the game.
While all of this is wonderful news, it is amplified ten-fold due to the fact that this is only the third time that he has competed with the Minnesota Timberwolves this season. He does not start. He does not have a fixed role with the Timberwolves. And Wolves Coach Finch is still assessing when and how to optimize Shake Milton’s role on the team.
But he has contributed at every turn, shown up, and competed hard with every opportunity. The Timberwolves are absolutely thrilled with him so far.
I am too.
Preseason Game 3 grade: A-
How would you grade these players? Are any graded too low? Too high? Let us know in the comments section of our Facebook page. Thanks!
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