13 October 2023
The Timberwolves head into their third preseason game, and first on American soil, on Saturday in New York City after a week flush with practices within the friendly confines of their practice facility in downtown Minneapolis.
The Knicks are better than the Dallas Mavericks and likely, at this point in training camp, a more locked-in team than the Mavericks were for last week’s two games against the Timberwolves in Abu Dhabi, making this an even better gauge for where the Timberwolves are with less than two weeks until their regular-season opener in Toronto.
With that in mind, here’s a look at things to watch for Saturday evening in New York.
More of the same?: As unprepared and disorganized as the Maverickss, a team that started a pair of rookies in the frontcourt, looked against the Timberwolves, it’s a good bet the Knicks will be the opposite.
Like Minnesota, New York touts a bevy of continuity on its roster. And this is a team that accomplished a lot last spring, winning a playoff series before bowing out in the second round to Miami.
Plus, Timberwolves fans will recall how seriously Tom Thibodeau takes exhibition games, so Minnesota will get a good test from the Knicks. If the Wolves can ace it with the same connectedness and purpose they showed against Dallas, that will be a sound indicator of Minnesota’s preparedness for the regular season.
Rotation: The Timberwolves have yet to play a game with all five of their starters. That’s likely to remain true after Saturday, as Jaden McDaniels missed practice time this week. The lack of the true starting lineup makes it more difficult to parse through any rotation information.
But the substitution patterns from the first two games certainly did nothing to dissuade the notion that the Timberwolves will open the season with a nine-man rotation featuring Mike Conley, Anthony Edwards, McDaniels, Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert in the starting five, with Naz Reid, Kyle Anderson, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Shake Milton coming off the bench.
Unless Jordan McLaughlin or Troy Brown Jr. enter the game before any of those nine on Saturday, Minnesota’s opening-night rotation will seem to crystalize, even with the inconclusive data.
Of course, strong performances by Brown or McLaughlin on Saturday could give Timberwolves coach Chris Finch something to think about.
Young guys: The preseason does offer one final chance for many onlookers to get substantial looks at the likes of second-year wings Josh Minott and Wendell Moore Jr. and rookie forward Leonard Miller before they stop seeing NBA minutes upon the opening of the regular season.
Training camp provides insight into the trajectory of young players, while also creating a possible pecking order for when injuries provide rare opportunities for minutes during the season.
Perhaps Wendell Moore Jr. is staking his claim to the top spot on that ladder.
“Wendell has really found some consistency, which is important,” Finch said. “I think obviously they all know the game a lot better, know the system a lot better. Wendell, when he’s out there, he’s playing, he’s super solid, playing within himself. Every time he’s out there, you kinda know what to expect now. I think that’s a huge growth sign for him.”
It’s a step the organization is still waiting for Minott to make.
“Josh is still kind of figuring it out. Thought he’d be a little more consistent right now. Still does a lot of Josh things. He makes plays kind of out of nothing, gets his hands on stuff, lobs, tip-ins, dunks, that kind of stuff. Makes a lot of ooh-aah plays,” Finch said. “He needs to make more kind of solid fundamental plays, be in the right spot a little bit more. He’s kind of struggling to find consistency in that right now.”
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