2015 NBA Summer League

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Summer League Photo Gallery | Wolves vs. Cavaliers

When the Minnesota Timberwolves traded to acquire Tyus Jones on draft night, many assumed that he would assume back-up point guard responsibilities to Ricky Rubio.

Lorenzo Brown, the only other point guard on the team’s roster, became an afterthought.

Brown has looked fantastic during Summer League play. He looks composed when running the offense, has excelled in pick and roll situations and most impressively, his jump shot has looked fantastic.

Brown said he’s put in the same amount of work with his jump shot as he normally does in the offseason. Maybe it’s because we weren’t able to see much of his shot last season, as he played sparingly and when he did (after two 10-day contracts), he wasn’t the team’s first, second, third or fourth option to score.

“It’s definitely something I’ve worked on, but definitely something I’ve had,” Brown said. “I mean, there’s been support from other guys pushing me, like Zach and Wig. They’ve been great teammates.”

Last season, he shot 42.6 on the season and just 21.4 percent from the three-point line. This, of course, was a small sample size he had just 28 attempts. The year before with Philadelphia he was just 3-of-30 from deep.

But wait. In 38 D-League games (from 2013-2015), Jones was 45-of-120 from long range, good for 37.5 percent from deep, certainly a respectable number - especially for a point guard.

Brown, who fans mostly remember from playing nearly the entire game against the Cleveland Cavaliers and shutting down Kyrie Irving (Irving shot 4-of-16 on the night) at the Target Center, isn’t known for his offense as much. But in Summer League, that’s changed. In four games, he’s playing 25.5 minutes per game and averaging 13 points, 3.5 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game. He’s shooting a hot 51.5 percent from the field and 37.5 (3-of-8) from deep. If you take out the July 11 loss to the Bulls, Brown is averaging 16 points per game.

Thanks to our friends at the D-League for highlighting Brown’s 17-point performance in the team’s first game (and win) over the Los Angeles Lakers.

"He's playing the game, he's taking what the defense gives him,” Summer League head coach Ryan Saunders said. “He's shooting open shots, I don't think one of his shots were bad shots, and usually when you're just looking for your own shot, you're gonna take a couple of bad shots, so I think he's playing the game at a good pace, at a good rhythm."

At the very least, Brown is capable of being a team’s third point guard. But if he can combine his defense with how efficient he was offensively in Las Vegas, he could find himself forcing Flip Saunders to play him more – something that would be a pleasant surprise for the 2013 second-round pick. 

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Lorenzo Brown's Jump Shot Looks Really Good

Wolves vs. Cavaliers | 5:00 p.m. (CST), Cox Pavillion

No matter how this game ends, it will mark the final game of Summer League for both squads.

For the Wolves, they would love to end their Summer League with a win over the Cavaliers. Head coach Ryan Saunders said on Wednesday night that the time in Las Vegas is more about developing players like Karl-Anthony Towns, Tyus Jones, Adreain Payne, Zach LaVine and Lorenzo Brown, but the team is also trying to win. These are all competitors.

Both teams are 1-3 in Summer League play.

The two teams last faced off on January 31 at the Target Center. No player on Cleveland’s roster is playing in this year’s Summer League.

Lorenzo Brown played 47 minutes and 55 seconds on the night. He scored just one point, but he did a great job on Kyrie Irving, limiting him to just 12 points. Brown also had a game-high nine assists to go with six rebounds.

The Wolves are coming off of an 82-77 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday.

Karl-Anthony Towns looked great, finishing with 20 points, 10 rebounds, three blocks, two assists and two steals. Brown stayed hot and finished with 16 points. Adreian Payne led the second unit with 13 points. Othyus Jeffers and C.J. Williams finished with 10 points each. The Wolves were 22-of-25 from the free-throw line.

Cleveland is coming off of a 91-73 loss to the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night. D.J. Seeley led the Cavs with 16 points, while Quinn Cook added 10 points.

The two were teammates on last year’s national championship team at Duke. Jones was a freshman while Cook was a senior.

In 39 games, Jones averaged 11.8 points and 5.6 assists per game while Cook averaged 15.3 points per game.

There will be some hugs and laughter before and after the game with these two.

In three Summer League games, Jones is averaging 6.7 points and 2.7 rebounds per game.

Cook has averaged 4.7 points and two assists per game.

Cavaliers: PG – Seeley, SG – Cook, SF – Pointer, PF – Benimon, C - Griffin

Wolves:  PG – Jones, SG – Williams, SF – Jeffers, PF – Payne, C - Towns

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Summer League Scouting Report | Wolves vs. Cavaliers

If Tyus Jones played for any team besides the Minnesota Timberwolves, he’d still get plenty of media attention. He was a first-round pick and his championship performance with Duke will go down in history.

But in Minnesota, the attention is a whole different animal.

And Jones has handled it in stride. He doesn’t act like there’s any added pressure, which isn’t a surprise. Jones has the composure of someone much older than him. He’s one of those people that you feel comfortable following just because of his demeanor. He’s not letting expectations or his busy schedule affect him on the court.

“It’s been a whirlwind,” Jones told Timberwolves.com in Las Vegas. “It’s been really busy, but truly it’s been a blessing. Everything I could have dreamed of and wanted to achieve, I’ve been achieving the past year, so it’s been unreal and just truly blessed. It’s an extreme honor and I’m just trying to work hard and hopefully new doors keep opening up.”

Minnesota fans should probably pump the brakes a bit with Jones. He’s not going to make the All-Star game this season and he’s going to go through the rookie bumps and bruises, which is completely normal. He said that when he arrived at Duke he struggled early and had his doubts. We all know how that ended. He’ll struggle early, as did guys like Andrew Wiggins and Zach LaVine.

Summer League has shown us the good and the bad with Jones.

On Friday night against the Los Angeles Lakers, he struggled a bit to hang with LA point guards Jordan Clarkson and D’Angelo Russell. He finished with no points and was 0-for-4 from the field.

Not a great first impression, but ‘oh, well’ Jones thought.

He bounced back the next night against the Bulls. He started at point guard and finished with 14 points in 25 minutes and 22 seconds of play. He shot an efficient 4-of-8 from the field and was 6-of-8 from the free-throw line. He also added three assists, two rebounds and two steals.

It was obvious what Jones was doing differently. He was simply playing within himself and the offense. He wasn’t forcing anything and was playing within the offense. We didn’t get to see that on Wednesday as he was in Los Angeles for the ESPYs, but Jones should give fans another look on Friday as the Wolves close out Summer League against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

While Jones does have some extra pressure being from Minnesota, that doesn’t make him different than any other rookie in terms of improving.

“Personally, I just want to get better every day. A better point guard, a better leader on and off the court. Get to know my teammates and coaches better,” Jones said. “It’s just a different level. A lot of things are quicker. The windows are smaller. You just have to get adjusted to it and I know even you have to take your lumps…. I’m just trying to stay level-headed. Just trying to get used to everything and stay comfortable because I know there is an adjustment period, so it’s important as a point guard to know different scenarios in a game and different things like that, so that’s really what I’m trying to take away from Summer League.”

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Tyus Jones | Living Out His Dream

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Summer League Photo Gallery | Wolves vs. Blazers

Thanks to the ESPYs in Los Angeles (just a four-hour drive from Las Vegas), the Minnesota Timberwolves were without Zach LaVine and Tyus Jones.

It was a big hit for the Wolves as they opened up the Summer League tournament with an 82-77 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.

Wining isn’t stressed too much in Summer League, it’s mostly about development. There were some positives during Wednesday night’s game at the Thomas &amp; Mack Center.

C.J. Williams got the start for Zach LaVine. He erupted early, scoring seven points (3-of-4 from the field) in the first five minutes of play. The former teammate of Lorenzo Brown at NC State was prepared when head coach Ryan Saunders gave him the nod and did a good job of taking shots within the offense.

“That shows that we had great ball movement,” Saunders said. “When you’re getting shots in the corner it just shows that the play is running all the way through… It’s a credit to C..J.”

While it was nice to see Williams make the most of his opportunity, No. 1 pick Karl-Anthony Towns had his best quarter and ultimately game of Summer League, finishing with nine points and four rebounds in the opening 10 minutes. After committing nine foul in two of his first three games, he had none in the first quarter. Overall, he just looked more comfortable and he continue to make all the right basketball plays.

“I don’t play the game for myself,” Towns said. “I play for my team. The way you have to win a game is everyone has to be involved. Not one player is going to win a game for a team.”

It wasn’t enough, though, as the Wolves trailed 28-19 after the first quarter.

But that’s when the comeback came. The Wolves took a 54-53 lead in the third quarter after Brandon Fields hit a midrange jumper. Portland would rebound, though, and never looked back.

Towns led the Wolves with 20 points, 10 rebounds, two steals, two assists and three blocks. Brown was solid once again, finishing with 16 points. Adreian Payne came off the bench and managed to score 13 points. Williams and Jeffers scored 10 points each.

Portland was led by Noah Vonleh’s 16 points and 10 rebounds. Tim Frazier added 14 points while recently-acquired Arnette Moultrie pitched in 10.

Minnesota was great from the free-throw line, shooting 22-of-25.

Karl-Anthony Towns showed fans why he was the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft. With no LaVine or Jones, someone had to step up. That was Towns. The former Kentucky big had 15 points and six boards after the first half and finished with his second double-double of the Summer League.

“I think we saw KAT make a lot of strides,” Saunders said. “20 and 10 and he made a conscious effort to play without fouling. He did a good job of that.”

We’ve talked about Towns’ ability to pass the ball at a high rate since the beginning of Summer League. It should be no surprise that he made another great pass to a cutting Adreian Payne on Wednesday night.

The Wolves will play on Friday at 5:30 p.m. CDT against the Cleveland Cavaliers at the Thomas &amp; Mack Center.

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Shorthanded Wolves Fall To Blazers To Kick Off Tournament Play

Throughout the 2015 NBA Summer League, we'll be getting to know a few players on the SL roster. Today, we continue with C.J. Williams.

Williams was born in Fayettevillle, North Carolina. He attended Jack Britt High School before taking his talents to North Carolina State University. He played there from 2008-2012. Over 128 career games, he averaged 6.1 points per game. His best season came as a senior when he averaged 10.6 points and 3.8 rebounds per game. He went undrafted. Last season, he played for the Milwaukee Bucks Summer League team and averaged 6.6 points and three rebounds per game. He played for Giorgio Tesi Pistoia last season and averaged 14.4 points per game.

In two games (10.8 minutes per game), he’s averaged two points and 1.5 rebounds per game.

Well, if you followed Timberwolves guard Lorenzo Brown’s career at NC State, you’d know the two were teammates from 2010-2012. The coach of the 2010-11 team? Timberwolves assistant coach Sidney Lowe.

Williams is a solid two guard who has the ability to shoot. In 2013-14 with the Los Angeles D-Fenders, he shot 44.1 percent from the three-point line over 49 games. He rebounds well for a guard. The 6’6” guard/small forward has shown improvements since college, becoming a much better three-point shooter. If he can continue his improvement, the 25-year-old should get a shot in the NBA.

He’s a big fan of retweeting people who talk about watching him play, which is cool.

He seemed pretty excited when it was announced he would be joining the Wolves this summer.

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Get To Know Him | C.J. Williams

Every week on Timberwolves.com, we take a look at the top tweets from fans, players and media members. This week we focus on Summer League and a few moves the Wolves made. Enjoy!

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Top 10 Tweets of the Week | Summer League Edition

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