The Minnesota Timberwolves’ Summer League squad took down the Pacers 105-94 on Sunday afternoon for their second straight win.
If Summer League has taught NBA fans anything, it’s to not overreact from a glorified G-League game. There is plenty to learn about rookies and inexperienced players, but it’s important to proceed with caution. That said, let’s run through the biggest takeaways so far…
The Timberwolves’ decision to trade up to the No. 8 overall pick and select Rob Dillingham stole all of the headlines on draft night, but they also left the night with Shannon Jr. at No. 27. He has looked like one of the best players in Summer League, averaging, 22.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1 assist, 2.5 blocks and 1.5 steals per game on 60/20/81.3 shooting splits.
After losing Kyle Anderson, Monte Morris and Jordan McLaughlin in free agency, Minnesota has to replace 48.9 minutes per game from last season’s rotation. The expectation is for free-agent addition Joe Ingles to replace much of Anderson’s role and for Dillingham to fill the backup PG role, but Shannon Jr. is showing that he deserves the opportunity for a role as soon as this season.
Dillingham looked like a teenage rookie playing in his first professional game on Friday, which is accurate because he’s still only 19 years old and it was his first game. He shot 2 of 12 from the field to finish with 4 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. He responded on Sunday with 14 points, 8 assists and 4 rebounds on 5-of-14 shooting from the field.
Minnesota’s future starting point guard has looked far from perfect, but he looked much more aggressive in the second game, which is sometimes all you can ask from a wide-eyed teenager. Given their current roster set for regular season play, Dillingham doesn’t need to light the world on fire.
When the Timberwolves selected Clark with the No. 53 pick in last year’s draft, he was viewed as a defensive specialist after winning the 2023 Naismith Defensive Player of the Year in his final season at UCLA. He unfortunately missed all of last season with a torn Achilles, so there was no telling how he would look in his first professional action this summer.
Through two games he has a remarkable nine steals. It looks like they’ve tried to ease him back in, playing only 18.5 minutes per game, but he looks as advertised so far. With a full season of on-court development, he could be a rotational player as soon as this coming season.
Guard Nadir Hifi was a late addition to Minnesota’s Summer League roster after failing to make the France Olympic team. The exact details of his contract have not been disclosed, but it’s likely a non-guaranteed deal. He has looked like a potential diamond in the rough, averaging 14.5 points, 1.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game on 45.4/20/100 shooting splits. The 6-foot combo guard is only 21 years old, and it looks like he has a place in the NBA.
Minott is in entering his third season with the Timberwolves and he is trying to find a spot in Minnesota’s NBA rotation. Minutes might be hard to come by, but if his ability to get to the rim and rebound translates to an NBA game there could be a spot for him at a smaller power forward.
Minott had 15 points and 12 rebounds against the Pacers, a strong follow-up performance to his 12-point, 8-rebound game in the summer opener Friday against the Pelicans.
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Publish date : 2024-07-15 10:28:49
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