The Minnesota Timberwolves picked up their first win of the 2023-24 season on Saturday night, taking down the shorthanded Miami Heat in their home opener. Naz Reid led the Wolves in scoring with 25, much to the delight of the Target Center crowd.
With Jimmy Butler out of the lineup for Miami, Minnesota was able to secure an easy 16-point win. It was a nice evening for Wolves fans to welcome their team back and see them leave with a rather impressive victory.
Sitting at 1-1, the Timberwolves are in a good spot heading into their Monday night road contest with Atlanta. Ahead of the game, the team decided to assign two players on the roster to the G League: 2023 first-round pick Leonard Miller and 2022 first-rounder Wendell Moore.
NEWS: @Timberwolves assign forward Leonard Miller and guard Wendell Moore Jr. to G League affiliate @iawolves.
— Timberwolves PR (@Twolves_PR) October 29, 2023
Leonard Miller and Wendell Moore will head to the G League
Miller and Moore will be heading to Minnesota’s G League affiliate to get extra reps in. Since neither is likely to crack Head Coach Chris Finch’s rotation with how deep the roster is at the moment, it is better for them to go somewhere they can get consistent playing time.
This will be the first G League assignment for Miller, while Moore will return for the first time since last NBA season. While with the Iowa Wolves, both guys will get valuable experience playing against mostly inferior competition, allowing them to build consistency and letting their talent shine.
Many Wolves fans will be disappointed not to see them both on the court for the big league club right away, but the reality is that they would be buried by depth in Minnesota. Past developmental wins for the Timberwolves like Naz Reid and Jarred Vanderbilt should give fans confidence that this is the best direction for the young guns.