featured-image

2016 Timberwolves Summer League Primer

Friday, July 8 marks the first day of Las Vegas Summer League for the Minnesota Timberwolves.

It’s a long 10-day schedule. Ten days in Florida? Not bad. Ten days in Sin City? Oh my goodness. If you can get out of there with enough money to pay rent next month, you did a solid job.

For players, Summer League can mean a variety of things.

For rookies, it’s a chance to get used to the NBA game and get accustomed to a coach and/or players on the team. For first, second or third-year players, it’s a chance to continue development and maybe give themselves a confidence boost after little to no playing time last season. And then there’s about eight to 10 players on a team who are simply looking for a chance in the NBA and Summer League is a great opportunity to showcase that talent and meet with teams and executives.

Not everything in Summer League is relevant, though. Remember last year when Karl-Anthony Towns nearly hit the 10 foul limit in Summer League? We thought it might be a problem that would carry into the regular season. Well, it wasn’t, and Towns put together one of the best rookie seasons in league history.

So, what should you be watching for while the Wolves are in Vegas?

First Look At Kris Dunn

It was somewhat of a surprise when Dunn fell to No. 5 to the Wolves. He’s labeled as one of the more NBA ready rookies at 22 years old, which is weird to think about when Towns is only 20.

We’ll see what Ryan Saunders rolls out for a starting lineup. If I had to guess, he’ll either start Tyus Jones and Dunn together, or Dunn will come off the bench backing up Jones.

In his first game, he’ll go up against the Nuggets’ Emmanuel Mudiay and Jamal Murray, not exactly the easiest first assignment as a pro.

His second matchup will be against the Norman Powell and Delon Wright, two players entering their second year with the Raptors. His final matchup in the preliminary round gets a little easier. Jordan McRae and Kay Felder highlight the guards on Cleveland’s roster.

It’s not fair to take too much from Summer League, but it’s a good opportunity to take a look at what some players are capable of. Last year we saw it with Towns and his passing ability.

Maybe Dunn will lead the rookies in steals. Maybe he’ll shoot 50 percent from three. Maybe he’ll struggle. We’ll find out soon.

The Development Of Tyus Jones

The Wolves aren’t lacking talent at the point guard position, having selected one in the first round in back-to-back years.

Jones had his ups and downs last season. He’s at his best when he’s playing within himself, not trying to do too much. He’s not the most athletic point guard and he never will be. But his smarts and basketball IQ is what sets him apart. If Ricky Rubio and Dunn play together this season, something Tom Thibodeau said was possible after the draft, Jones will have to figure out where he fits in.

Jones has been working out at the team’s facility almost every day this summer. We’ll see what he added to his arsenal over the next week and a half.

Can Adreian Payne Earn Himself A Spot In The Team’s Rotation?

It’s no secret that the Wolves lacked big-man depth last season. Towns was great. Gorgui Dieng was really good. But after that was a bunch of inconsistency.

The Wolves dealt a future first-round pick for Payne two years ago, just months after he was taken 15th overall by the Atlanta Hawks.

Since then, he hasn’t exactly performed like a near-lottery pick, but that doesn’t mean it’s too late.

Payne is only 25 years old and has loads of athleticism. There’s certainly an opportunity for someone, whether it’s Payne or Nemanja Bjelica, to grab minutes at the four this season. This is Payne’s first chance to impress the new Timberwolves regime.

Anyone Else?

Kent Bazemore just landed a huge contract and was undrafted. He won’t be the first player or the last one to succeed after being ignored. The same can be said about Miami’s Hassan Whiteside.

Look for players like Devin Thomas, Kris Joseph and Toure’ Murray to make an impact for the Wolves to get the attention of scouts. These players might not end up with the Wolves, which is kind of what’s great about Summer League. It’s a chance to showcase talent for the whole league.

The Wolves play their first game on Friday night at 7:30 p.m. (CT) against the Nuggets. The game will air on ESPN.

The team then plays that Raptors at 5 p.m. on Sunday and the Cavaliers at 7:30 p.m. on Monday. Those games can be live-streamed on ESPN3.