In exactly two weeks, the Minnesota Timberwolves’ preseason schedule kicks off on the road against the Milwaukee Bucks. The Wolves have six preseason games altogether, with the last taking place on October 16 against the Chicago Bulls.
While the starters will play, their roles are basically set in stone. For others, the preseason can be important in determining whether they'll be in the rotation or how much they will play at the start of the regular season.
Here are three players who hope to show out for Chris Finch and earn his trust to play early.
Jaylen Clark
For Jaylen Clark, it all comes down to offense. Finch loves the defensive intensity and grit that the soon-to-be 25-year-old brings nightly.
The problem is that Minnesota doesn’t want to feel like it is playing four-on-five when it has the ball. Life becomes much more difficult for the rest of the team on the floor if one player is basically ignored on offense. After surprisingly shooting the 3-ball well as a rookie in 2024-25—albeit on limited volume—Clark dipped to 32.7 percent accuracy last season.
Knock down some 3-pointers and cut to the hoop for some easy buckets in the preseason, and that will greatly increase the likelihood that Clark plays in the regular season opener.
Terrence Shannon Jr.
During the preseason, Terrence Shannon Jr. mostly won’t be facing the level of defenders he will during the regular season. The 26-year-old needs to be one of the better scorers whenever he’s on the court. Shannon's first two years have been somewhat uneven, and the third-year player missed nearly two months last season with a foot injury.
In the 2024 playoff series against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Shannon averaged nearly a point per minute over the last three contests. It would be nice to see something similar from him in the preseason.
Cody Williams
The Timberwolves acquired Williams in a trade with the Utah Jazz. Minnesota made the deal to free up room to sign Jonathan Kuminga without going over the second apron by trading away Josh Green.
Selected with the 10th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, Williams’ first two years in the league have mostly been nondescript.
Turning 22 in November, Williams played improved basketball in his second season, but he still has a long road ahead to find regular playing time with Minnesota. Playing well during the preseason may not get Williams inserted into the rotation right away, but it would help Finch avoid hesitating to give him meaningful minutes when the team isn’t at full strength.
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