The Minnesota Timberwolves closed out their preseason with a 133-116 loss to the Chicago Bulls. Honestly, we learned a lot about the Timberwolves during these past six games. Generally speaking, the Wolves' revamped roster looked like a great fit. However, there were some hiccups along the way, and not everyone on the roster improved their stock.
With that in mind, let's explore the biggest winners and losers of the Wolves' preseason.
Winner: Jaden McDaniels
It was hard not to be in awe of Jaden McDaniels every second he played in the preseason. He averaged 20.7 minutes, 14.8 points, with mind-boggling 60.6/71.4/100 shooting splits. Nobody other than Anthony Edwards took more field goals than McDaniels. And he wasn't just a product of LaMelo Ball's playmaking—he was creating for himself a ton. He made everything look effortless, though.
McDaniels was regularly guarded by the opposing teams' worst defender, and he took advantage of that, both by taking smaller defenders to the rim and shooting over them. With a starting lineup of Ball, Edwards, McDaniels, and Jonathan Kuminga, opposing defenses will often try to hide their weakest defensive link on Jaden, and he'll punish them. He leveled up last season, and he's ready to do so again.
Winner: Anthony Edwards
All offseason long, we speculated about how Ball would make life easier for Edwards, and man, it felt good to see it in action. In four preseason games, Ant averaged 22.6 minutes, 19.8 points, while shooting 44 percent from beyond the arc.
LaMelo's playmaking abilities created a ton of open catch-and-shoot looks for Edwards. Furthermore, Ant-Man was very engaged on defense despite it simply being a preseason setting. Of course, he also showed the moments of brilliance as a shot creator we've come accustomed to seeing from Edwards. By all accounts, we should see the most complete version of Edwards yet this season, and preseason showed us this.
Winner: Trey Lyles
Honestly, I've been skeptical that Trey Lyles will play rotation minutes since he signed with the Timberwolves in July. However, if preseason is any indication, it looks like he's on his way to earning a role. In three out of four games where Lyles and the starters played, he saw first-half minutes, mostly as the ninth man.
Lyles wasn't spectacular in his minutes. Regardless, his feel for the game stood out. Chris Finch always values guys who play smart basketball and can do more with less. Lyles fits the bill, and thus feels poised for a fairly consistent bench role. Given the Wolves' need for frontcourt play off the bench, I don't think that's a bad thing, but it's certainly something preseason has changed my mind about.
Loser: Jaylen Clark
While Jaylen Clark erupted for 18 points in the Timberwolves' preseason finale against the Chicago Bulls, it was a rough preseason in totality for him. Frankly, it wasn't as if Clark played awful in the previous five games. Instead, I've labeled him as a "preseason loser" because of what these games have hinted at about his role.
Clark largely found himself as the odd man out of the Wolves' rotation. He was the ninth man in their game against the Indiana Pacers, but in the other two games with the Wolves' starters, he was outside of the top 10, only playing after Finch pulled the plug on the starters. Likewise, when Kuminga and Terrence Shannon Jr. missed Wednesday's game, Clark was only the 10th man.
Undoubtedly, Clark's offensive limitations are why he's currently on the outside looking in. Yes, he had a great game on Friday, but before that he was shooting 33.3 percent from beyond the arc, and last season he similarly struggled as a spot-up shooter. Friday's game could open the door for Clark to eventually earn a rotation spot. Still, he'll need to be able to make a consistent offensive impact, and for now a rotation spot feels unlikely.
Loser: Joan Beringer
Look, Joan Beringer flashed his upside at times this preseason, and I'm still optimistic about him overall. Nevertheless, Beringer showcased his inexperience on both ends of the floor at times in preseason. Defensively, he struggled to stay out of foul trouble in multiple games and was caught out of position at times. Offensively, he was generally good, particularly as a rim runner. Unfortunately, during Friday's game, his touch around the rim was poor, and he shot just 4-for-12 from the field.
With the Timberwolves' lack of frontcourt depth, Beringer will play a crucial role off the bench. Still, Beringer's preseason play highlights that he isn't ready to immediately thrive as a backup big, and there will be some growing pains along the way. Hopefully, he sharpens up as the season progresses.
Loser: Terrence Shannon Jr.
At the surface level, Shannon had a solid preseason. He posted respectable averages of 8.2 points, 2.8 assists, and 1.2 rebounds with 41.4/50/80 shooting splits. With that being said, his preseason play highlighted my concerns about his fit alongside the Wolves' established players.
Shannon is at his best with the ball in his hands. Can the Wolves afford to empower him with their plethora of established talent and creators? I've routinely leaned no. In the three preseason games where Shannon played with the starters, he averaged 6.6 points on 4-for-13 shooting from the field.
For a third-year player, Shannon still has some frustrating habits that seemingly won't go away, including being overly left-hand dominant, a lack of control as a driver, and defensive lapses. All of these problems popped up in the preseason. Shannon should still start the year in the rotation, but how long this will continue is unclear.
Add us as a preferred source on Google