18 October 2023
Timberwolves coach Chris Finch noted there “has to be a light at the end of the tunnel” for young players who are not getting much run during an NBA season.
With a roster like Minnesota’s — which is flush with experienced NBA players, even guys who are used to playing regular minutes who may not this season — breaking into the rotation as a first- or second-year player may be an impossible feat.
So, if there is no light, Finch noted, “guys will otherwise lose faith.”
That’s why it was important for Finch and Co. to approach Tuesday’s preseason home game against Maccabi Ra’anana — a professional club from Israel — the way that Minnesota did. The Timberwolves’ top-10 rotational players were dressed in sweats. All the minutes belonged to everyone else.
“To get these guys real minutes in block minutes in situations to be able to evaluate them a little bit better,” Finch said. “They work hard, they’re super engaged.”
It was a chance for the Timberwolves’ coaching staff and front office, as well as the fans in attendance for the team’s lone home preseason contest, to get a better look at second-year wings Josh Minott and Wendell Moore Jr., rookie forward Leonard Miller and scoring center Luka Garza.
They certainly all stood out with various flashes, as Garza scored 13 of his 20 first-half points in the opening quarter. Moore, Miller and Minott helped Minnesota push the pace, dazzling in transition with impressive passes and fluid finishes as the Timberwolves took what was at one time an early double-digit deficit and quickly flipped the script en route to a 138-111 victory.
Garza finished with 30 points, while Minott tallied 23 points, six rebounds, six assists and three blocks. Miller added 22 points and 15 rebounds.
They were able to show what they had.
Minott and Moore have spent the last two offseasons, ever since they were drafted in 2022, in Minnesota’s practice facility. They’re starting to take shape as players. Minott is a high-flying, constant source of energy and highlight-reel plays who’s working on slowing himself down just a bit.
“The best players, it’s like the game is in slow motion for them, so I’m just trying to overall just learn the game,” Minott said.
He’s clearly picking things up along the way. On Tuesday he described how going against the likes of Shake Milton and Naz Reid in practice is teaching him how to defend drives and post ups with physicality.
As he continues to learn the many nuances, the game becomes easier.
“Once you recognize the patterns, you can really see what’s going to happen. It’s like knowing the future. I’m not going to say I’m a master at it – it’s Year 2 – but I’m starting to recognize the patterns,” Minott said. “The game is all about patterns, reads, your defender does this, do this. On defense, if you see something happen, you know what it’s going to set up, and that helps really slow the mind down and understand what’s coming.”
Minott himself describes Moore as a player who’s starting to see the game at that level. Finch said the team is grooming Moore into the type of wing who can serve as a point man, getting the team into its offensive actions.
“I got a year under my belt, so I kind of know what’s going on,” Moore said. “I just feel a little more comfortable out there. Not so frantic, not so rushed. Just being able to play at my own pace.”
“He looks so poised these days. You can really tell he’s starting to become like a true point guard,” Minott added. “He knows the right reads and he knows how the floor is going to open up offensively and he’s been locking in on defense, going over screens, stuff like that.”
Finch said both players are truly starting to grasp who they are on the floor and what they can best bring to the game. That knowledge leads to more consistent performances. Those are the types of things that only improve with experience. Those experiences can range from Tuesday’s preseason run to more extended playing time with the Timberwolves’ G-League affiliate in Iowa. Finch said Minnesota “short-changed” Minott and Moore in that area as rookies, as injuries to the NBA club forced the two players to stick around as emergency options. Even with that, it does seem as though the young wings are maturing into professionals.
“I feel a little more comfortable. I’ve been here a year. I kind of know what’s going on,” Moore said. “I’ve been learning from new guys, from the old guys. It’s been great.”