The Minnesota Timberwolves have three preseason games remaining after splitting their first two. They hit the road Saturday to take on the Miami Heat.
Saturday will be the first of two times over the next 11 days that Wolves fans will see the team play at the Kaseya Center. Their regular-season opener also takes place there on October 21.
While neither team’s starters will play their regular-season minutes, it will be the first time to see how the Timberwolves fare against a star-powered frontcourt (assuming both teams continue to play their starters).
Heat have similar frontcourt size to the Spurs and Thunder
Minnesota’s offseason saw the team trade away frontcourt depth for more backcourt star power. The presumed top teams in the Western Conference—the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs—possess plenty of size.
On Saturday—and again on October 21—the Timberwolves will see how they match up against a team with plenty of frontcourt size, as long as the Heat play their key players on Saturday.
Of course, Miami now has the nearly 7-foot Giannis Antetokounmpo, after he spent the first 13 seasons of his career with the Milwaukee Bucks (the Timberwolves were also heavily rumored to be trying to acquire Antetokounmpo). In the past, Minnesota focused on building a defensive wall when playing Milwaukee. They did this to keep the Greek Freak from reaching the paint, where he finishes nearly every time.
He joins longtime Heat player Bam Adebayo. The 29-year-old is a couple of inches shorter than Antetokounmpo, but few in the league can match his strength.
Late in the offseason, the Heat signed 6-foot-11 Nick Richards. They also roster Vladislav Goldin (7-foot), Nikola Jovic (6-foot-10), and Bobby Portis (6-foot-9). That’s a lot of frontcourt size for the Timberwolves to face on Saturday and in the regular-season opener. Goldin is a two-way player and probably won’t play on October 21, but Miami still has large bodies to throw at Minnesota all game.
Facing Miami on Saturday gives the Timberwolves and their fans a preview of what to expect in the regular-season opener. The Heat’s rotation will obviously differ on October 21 from the preseason outing, but Antetokounmpo and Adebayo will play large roles on opening night.
It will also hint at how the Wolves fare against a team with frontcourt size, like the Spurs and Thunder. Victor Wembanyama, Luke Kornet, Chet Holmgren, and Isaiah Hartenstein are a few of the big men those two teams roster.
Minnesota doesn’t have a small team, but they no longer have Naz Reid or Julius Randle, as both were traded this offseason. Rudy Gobert, Joan Beringer, and Jonathan Kuminga will need to do yeoman’s work on the glass against teams with large frontcourts, starting with Miami.
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