The Minnesota Timberwolves will play their first Summer League game on July 10th against the New Orleans Pelicans. Minnesota’s Summer League roster includes Rob Dillingham, Terrence Shannon Jr., and Jaylen Clark. All three second-year players are poised to have sizable rotational roles in the 2025-26 season with Nickeil Alexander-Walker departing in free agency. Given their importance to the team next season, many were curious why the three players are playing in the Summer League. However, it’s fair to expect that these players won’t play all four games in Las Vegas, especially if they show out early.
This strategy is logical when considering that none of these three players played sizable roles this past season. It’s also not uncommon across the league to see players who even played a substantial role during their rookie season play a few games in the Summer League. Just last year, Brandon Miller and Brandin Podziemski played during the start of Summer League.
Wolves' young trio is poised to thrive
Dillingham, Shannon, and Clark are all poised to have monster starts to the Summer League. While none of them had consistent roles in their rookie season, they all showed flashes of high upside. Dillingham is a gifted shot creator and playmaker. Against lesser competition, this blend of scoring and passing will make Dillingham a dominant player.
Shannon perhaps played the most significant role of this trio this past season, especially in the Western Conference Finals, where he earned real rotational minutes for the last three games. Shannon’s athleticism and three-level scoring will make him a nightmare for opposing wings. Moreover, Shannon will turn 25 at the end of July, making him one of the older players participating in the Summer League.
Clark is a high-level on-ball defender and spot-up shooter. This skill set earned Clark occasional spot minutes and makes him well-equipped for a sizable role next season. It will be interesting to see more of Clark’s ability as a self-creator in a different setting. Given that shot creation is still an area of growth for Clark, he could benefit from playing in Vegas the most and thus might stay there longer than Dillingham or Shannon.
Summer League is mostly meant to get rookies for the NBA, which will be crucial for the Wolves’ rookies Joan Beringer and Rocco Zikarsky. For Dillingham, Shannon, and Clark, getting some extra NBA-like reps will be helpful. Regardless, it’s unlikely that they play the entire four-game slate.