The Las Vegas Summer League has come to an end, giving the Timberwolves a little bit of time to now catch their breath, regroup and eventually begin preparation for training camp at the end of September.
The Wolves went 1-4 in summer league play, with a roster that was short on shooting and playmaking but longer on intriguing second-round picks who could one day work their way into the big club’s rotation. Now that it is all over, it is a good time to look at some of the key takeaways from the five games the Wolves played and how the team feels about much more than just the players that were on the court in Sin City.
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The headliner
While many teams brought shiny new first-round picks to Las Vegas to showcase, or get concerned about, the Wolves’ newest intriguing piece was second-rounder Leonard Miller because their first-round pick went to Utah in the Rudy Gobert trade. The good news for the Wolves is that Miller was impressive in his first summer league, exhibiting size, athleticism and a nose for rebounding that already makes him unique for the roster.
Miller played in all five games in Vegas and averaged 15.4 points, 8.0 rebounds and shot 36.8 percent from 3-point range. He spent last season playing for G League Unite, an experience that prepared him well for the frenetic physicality that defines summer league play. Miller looked comfortable in the rough-and-tumble stuff and didn’t mind getting his hands dirty. His size and nimble feet stood out.
Leonard did his thing at Summer League:
15.4 PTS / 8.0 REB / 1.6 AST / 44.6% FG
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) July 17, 2023
Conversations with rival executives and scouts from all over the league returned favorable intel on Miller, impressed that Tim Connelly and the front office were able to grab him with the 33rd overall pick. His rebounding alone in the G League gives many confidence he has at least one elite skill that will translate to the league, but the sizable improvement he displayed in his all-around game from the start of last season to the end led several scouts to believe that there is plenty of upside there to be had.
“I’m just trying to get better, be more of a part of this group of guys and this franchise and get more settled than I am,” Miller said. “For now, it’s all good, and I’m liking it.”
There is plenty for him to work on. His jumper is a little on the funky side, but it went in during summer league play, albeit on a small sample. It would be reasonable to assume the Wolves player development staff will work with Miller on smoothing the mechanics out as the 19-year-old gets acclimated to the NBA life.
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He turned the ball over 2.6 times per game, which is high. But some of that could be attributed to the lack of playmakers around him. The Wolves put the ball in his hands more than he would have it playing in Minnesota, and likely more than he would in Iowa as well.
The biggest takeaway from his performance in Vegas was the way he was deployed defensively. He guarded multiple positions, not just bigs, which is likely his fastest way to getting a sniff of playing time in the NBA.
“I take big pride in that,” Miller said of being able to guard wings. “That’s key in the game right now. That’s what everybody wants to see from me, and that’s what I know I can do.”
Internally, the Wolves are very high on Miller. The more they are around him, seeing his practice habits and his intensity on the floor, the more they are liking what they see. He is very young and pretty raw, but the Wolves believe they have a player there.
The lawnmower man
No Wolves player went to Las Vegas with higher ambition, and more intrigue from the fan base, than Josh Minott. The 6-foot-8 swingman only appeared in 15 games last season, mostly garbage time, but his highlights in Iowa and his physical tools make him a mysteriously tantalizing prospect.
He has been working out at team headquarters since the season ended and showed up for summer league determined to make a mark and use it as a springboard toward training camp.
“He’s trying to come into this season with the right mindset like, ‘I’m going to do something. I’m going to crack that rotation some way,'” summer league coach Max Lefevre said. “Definitely has a chip on his shoulder. I think his approach has been different and I think it’s going to show, I hope, for him.”
Minott averaged 16.4 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game in Vegas. He played with assertiveness and confidence befitting a second-year player.
watch Josh fly ✈️
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) July 12, 2023
Similar to Miller, the Wolves had Minott guarding as many different players as possible, including point guards on occasion. This was clearly a test to see how he will can hold up defensively against smaller, quicker players. With Taurean Prince gone, there is a void for a guy who can play the 3 or the 4, guard multiple positions and get out in transition to score. Minott was checking a lot of those boxes in Vegas.
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But there was one big box that he did not check. Minott shot 12.5 percent from 3, a glaring element for a team that is already short on shooting and let one of its best go in Prince. The Wolves wouldn’t need Minott to shoot 38 percent like Prince did last season, but they can’t have him shooting the 12.5 percent he did in Vegas — or even the 14 percent he shot in limited opportunities in college at Memphis.
Minott spoke often in Vegas about needing to earn respect, an admirable sense of his own standing in the league. There were times in the five games out there that he looked to be trying a little too hard to prove he was ready. He fouled a lot while trying to show he could stand up to the physicality out there, and there were some rushed shots as he tried to take control of the Wolves’ offense.
It is natural for players looking to make a statement to be a little over zealous at times. Being too aggressive is a good problem to have, much better than being too passive. And overall, there were encouraging signs that the work Minott has been putting in is starting to pay off.
“This is where you can make an immediate impact as your offensive game progresses,” Lefevre said coaches have told Minott. “To his credit, he’s bought into that. I don’t know if he had that idea coming in, but he’s bought into it so much that he’s really embraced it.”
Moore’s tough break
The Timberwolves did have a first-round pick on the summer league roster in Wendell Moore, Jr. While summer league is not a place to make blanket statements for the good or bad, the hope is that a first-round pick going into his second season looks a cut above when he is on the floor with rookies and journeymen looking to get noticed.
Moore did not separate himself last week. He averaged 14.3 points and 3.3 assists but shot just 37 percent from the field and 28 percent from 3. He missed two games with knee soreness, which could have impacted his performance.
PUT IT BACK, JAVONTE. 😤
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) July 15, 2023
Another factor: Moore is a role player who thrives when he plays off of star players who bend the defense with their gravitational pull. He is an intelligent, controlled player who usually makes good decisions and plays a supporting role. When thrust into a role that requires him to carry more of the load, as was the case in summer league, it didn’t appear to suit him.
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If he shares the floor with Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns, it would be a completely different world for him. The Wolves love Moore’s work ethic and makeup, and they could use another combo guard who can handle the ball like Moore has been training to do over the last 18 months. His defense, most notably on Ja Morant last season, is something to rely on.
But he will have to shoot better than he has put on display, in the NBA and in Vegas, if he wants to crack the rotation on a consistent basis. Moore’s game isn’t really suited for playing with a team full of non-shooters just trying to survive from one day to the next. Whether it is suited to play alongside stars in the NBA is still to be determined.
Quiet summer
The Wolves embark on the quiet portion of the summer after a relatively quiet run through free agency. They made big splashes with a max contract for Edwards and a $42 million deal for Naz Reid, but Minnesota also made moves on the margins to tweak their roster by adding Shake Milton and Troy Brown. Nickeil Alexander-Walker was also brought back, but the Wolves followed suit on their plans to run it back with their existing core, including Towns.
His name came up over and over in the gossip mill in Vegas, with widespread speculation that he would eventually have to be moved. The Timberwolves will pay three bigs, including Gobert, $90 million next season. That doesn’t seem sustainable over the long haul.
In conversations with people connected to the team and throughout the league, there has been very little in the way of substance surrounding the speculation. The Timberwolves have said all summer that they are committed to giving the Towns-Gobert pairing another chance after a disjointed first season together. Tim Connelly and Chris Finch believe they can make it work. Whether that is right or wrong, that is the stance they are taking. And Prince’s departure means the Wolves need KAT’s 3-point shooting more than ever.
Will it work? That remains to be seen. There are a legion of doubters out there as we speak, and many of them were in Vegas postulating the end of an era in Minnesota. But there are no signs that the Wolves have plans to trade KAT anytime soon.
(Photo of Leonard Miller: Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
