2016-17 Training Camp

admin

The Wolves are just two sleeps away (depending on their nap schedule) from their first preseason game on Saturday against the Miami Heat.

While everything in training camp has seemed to have gone well, the Wolves won’t truly know where they are until Saturday’s game.

“The first game is going to be a true indication of how we retained the knowledge we got during this training camp,” Wolves big man Karl-Anthony Towns said after practice on Thursday.

For head coach Tom Thibodeau, it’s a chance for him to see how his team has indeed retained that knowledge, and also take a look at how the rotation and roster will shape out. There are still roster decisions that need to be made considering the Wolves have 17 players on the current roster.

“For us, the games will be very helpful,” Thibodeau said, who will be coaching an NBA game for the first time on Saturday in more than a year. “It will reveal the things we need to do better . . . It gives us a better idea of who’ll help us more during practice and in the event you have an injury, maybe a guy who plays multiple positions, maybe it’s a guy who shoots.”

While Thibodeau said everyone has been solid and contributed in camp, the team will keep an open mind on adding players who become available via free agency as well.

There has been plenty of talk about Towns being a leader for this Wolves team. In just his second season, that might be a tough task, but then again, not many second-year players are as talented as Towns is.

“Your best players have to help sell the vision of the team,” Thibodeau said. “A young guy is always learning the league, obviously (Towns had) a very good first (season) . . . He still knows there’s a long way to go.”

At 20, does Towns feel weird being a leader around some of his teammates, like Brandon Rush or Cole Aldrich, who are older?

“For me, it’s about leading by action. I would never say anything I wouldn’t do myself,” Towns said.

The Wolves will be back at practice on Friday before departing for Kansas City. Saturday night’s game will be played at the Spirit Center at 7:30 p.m.

It’s the first of five preseason games away from Minneapolis.

practice-report-wolves-itching-for-preseason-action

Practice Report | Wolves Itching For Preseason Action

The game didn’t start out how the Wolves wanted it to.

The first half against the Nuggets in Nebraska was a bit sloppy, but thanks to a big run in the third quarter led exclusively by Minnesota’s defense, the Wolves came away with a 105-88 win.

Andrew Wiggins, Karl-Anthony Towns and Shabazz Muhammad finished with 18 points each, while Nemanja Bjelica added 11.

The unsung hero through the game might have Wolves point guard Ricky Rubio. In 25 minutes, Rubio was a game-best +25. He finished with seven points, eight assists and four steals while setting the team up on both ends of the court.

The Nuggets were without Danilo Gallinari, Will Barton, Jusuf Nurkic and Emmanuel Mudiay, all who sat for rest. Those players might have made a difference in the first half for Denver, but in the second, Minnesota found its rhythm on both ends of the court.

Center Gorgui Dieng finished with 10 points and seven rebounds while shooting 6-for-7 from the free-throw line. Towns also had eight rebounds.

Coach Tom Thibodeau talked before the game about minutes during preseason and how there’s a challenge to get guys ready, but also to get long looks at the bench. Thibodeau seemed to have the best of both worlds as no starter played more than 28 minutes and five bench players played at least 16 minutes.

Wilson Chandler led the Nuggets with 16 points, while rookie Jamal Murray added 14. Alex Toupane and Nikola Jokic, who had four fouls in the first half, both scored 11 points.

During the heart of Minnesota’s run in the third, Rubio hit Zach LaVine with a patented Rubio no-look pass for the slam to give Minnesota a 67-59 lead. LaVine finished with 12 points.

This sounds like a cop out, but there really wasn’t one. Rubio, Wiggins, Towns, Bjelica and Muhammad all played exceptional. And Dieng was a big reason, along with Towns, with getting Jokic in early foul trouble. A true team effort in this preseason battle.

The Wolves will travel to Louisville to take on the Miami Heat at the KFC Yum! Center. It will be the team’s second matchup against Miami this preseason.

second-half-defense-leads-to-wolves-win-over-nuggets-in-nebraska

Second-Half Defense Leads To Wolves Win Over Nuggets In Nebraska

The Wolves had their final practice on Friday before departing for Kansas City to take on the Miami Heat in the team’s first preseason game of 2016-17.

It’s a big of a late start considering most teams have already had at least one preseason game, but the Wolves were embracing the extra time they had to understand head coach Tom Thibodeau’s schemes on both ends. 

“We put a lot of stuff in,” Wolves center Cole Aldrich said after Friday’s practice. “ . . . I don’t know if the league (started us later) on purpose because of new coaches and young players,  but it’s just how the schedule is.”

We’ll know more on the team’s rotation after Saturday as Thibodeau said on Friday that he’s pretty set with his first two units. Of course, things could always change due to a variety of reasons.

“We’ll see how it unfolds,” Thibodeau said. “I have a pretty good idea of the first two groups, so I want to make sure to give them a proper amount of time so they can get some rhythm and chemistry together. But I do want to get a look at everybody.”

Tipoff tomorrow is set for 7:30 p.m. The game will not be televised or broadcasted on the radio.

The Wolves play the Heat twice in preseason play over the next week. A lot of teams look different in 2016-17, but one might not be more different than the Heat.

Franchise cornerstone Dwyane Wade signed with the Chicago Bulls this offseason, while power forward Chris Bosh is still dealing with blood clots in his leg, something that could be career ending. 

For the Wolves, it’ll be a little weird to not see at least one of those two on the court. 

“It’s definitely weird to play those guys,” wing Shabazz Muhammad said. “Their personnel is quite changed.”

Another former UCLA star shared the same thoughts. 

“It’s a totally different team,” Zach LaVine said. “That’s how fast the NBA can change on you . . . That will be a little bit different.”

We’ll be here with plenty of content from the team’s first preseason game. Stay tuned and have yourself a great weekend. 

practice-report-wolves-set-to-hit-the-road

Practice Report | Wolves Set To Hit The Road

The Timberwolves have four point guards on their roster right now and three of them addressed the media on Wednesday afternoon after practice.

You couldn’t help but think while they were talking how each of them are in completely spots in their careers despite playing the same position. 

Rubio is entering his sixth season. What a seasoned veteran, right?

With all the talk of the team’s youth, we forget that Rubio is only 25 years old. He’s probably coming off of his most complete season as a pro in 2015-16, playing 76 games while averaging 10.1 points, 8.7 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game.

For Rubio, this season is more about winning than anything. He’s one of the most unselfish players in the entire league. Rubio has been around a lot of faces during his time with the Wolves and Tom Thibodeau will be his fourth NBA coach in his young career.

Rubio said on Wednesday that after about two weeks of training camp, the team is ready to get rolling on Saturday against a different opponent than themselves, the Miami Heat.

The point guard said that of course he thinks this team is gelling well together, but you really never know until you play a game.

“You can kind of feel it, but it’s like in school, you can study and think you’re ready but until you go to the test, you don’t exactly know,” Rubio said.

In other words, it’s important to study, kids. Or, just go here and watch a bunch of really cool Rubio plays from last season's game against the Lakers. Your algebra homework can wait.

Kris Dunn, the team’s No. 5 pick in the 2016 NBA Draft is 22 years old. That’s older than second-year players Karl-Anthony Towns and Tyus Jones, along with third-year players Andrew Wiggins and Zach LaVine.

“They try to call me 'rook,' the guys that are younger than me,” Dunn joked after practice. “I tell them ‘that really doesn’t faze me because I’m older than you guys, so it’s kind of irrelevant you guys saying that.’ But you know, we’re all just joking around.”

Dunn is spending time with the team’s second unit, but has also seen time at shooting guard, something we saw in Summer League with Jones at point.

Dunn was lauded as the draft’s most-ready defensive player and with Thibodeau at the helm, it seems like a perfect match. I asked him at practice if there were things that he’s learned that he can or can’t do in the pros.

“I think on the floor stuff, usually in college if there’s an open guy, you rotate and the other guy (has to) rotate. In the NBA, instead, they want you to stunt and recover. Don’t give up no threes. The corner-three is the easiest shot in the game, so definitely don’t give those up . . . The game is a lot faster so you’ve got to make quicker reads.”

He told us at media day that there were plenty of adjustments to be made. One being the 3-point shot, but so far, Dunn seems just as confident as we saw this summer when he was putting defenders on skates and throwing down alley-oops to start games.

We’ll see if that carries over to Saturday.

Jones’s rookie season wasn’t a fairy tale rookie season, but not very many rookie seasons are.

“I think he worked extremely hard this summer on his body,” Thibodeau said. “Like most rookies, it’s a big adjustment going from college to the pros. It’s a totally different game. He had some good moments last year. He had some not-so-good moments, which is sort of typical of first-year players. But I liked his approach a lot this summer. I thought he got in early, thought he got in great shape, thought he played well in the Summer League. . . His commitment to improve.”

Thibodeau said that he talked to close friend Mike Krzyzewski (yes, we Googled that), who was Jones’s coach at Duke and of course, Coach K had nothing but good things to say about the legend that is Tyus Stones.

But like Thibs said, college and the pros are different games. That’s something Dunn is learning now, and Jones learned last season, bouncing to the D-League while being put in some difficult situations late in the 2015-16 season.

But Jones has put the work in this offseason and the evidence was in his Summer League performances. When you see Jones on the court this season, you’ll see a much better all-around player, and a guy who has worked extremely hard on his body.

And, of course, the super polite Jones is still saying all the right things.

“Just help this team as much as possible,” Jones said. “Trying to contribute as much as possible. Trying to be the best leader, floor general, point guard that I can be and you know, we just want to win.”

three-point-guards-three-different-roles

Three Point Guards, Three Different Roles

There was a new face at training camp practice on Monday afternoon.

Less than 24 hours after being officially named to the team’s coaching staff, assistant coach Ed Pinckney was out and about coaching players at The Courts at Mayo Clinic Square.

Pinckney joins Tom Thibodea’s coaching staff, along with fellow assistants Andy Greer, Ryan Saunders and Rick Brunson.

The former 1985 No. 10 overall pick can be a resource in a variety of ways for the Wolves. During his time in Chicago (five seasons) with Thibodeau, he was one of the highest-regarded assistant coaches in the entire NBA.

“Just his experience and the fact that he’s been with me,” Thibodeau said on what makes Pinckney so valuable after Monday’s practice. “He played in the league a long time and has been a coach for a long time. He can look at it from a lot of different angles. He’s done television, he’s worked in the front office, so overall experience. I think he compliments our staff very well. I’m very pleased with all the guys that we have.”

Pickney was with Mike Malone and the Denver Nuggets last season.

He brings a perspective that most assistant coaches don’t have having played in the league from 1985-1997.

In those years, he played for seven NBA teams and averaged 6.8 points and five rebounds per game, spending time at both the small and power forward spots. His best season came in 1988-89 when he averaged 11.5 points and 5.6 rebounds with the Kings and Celtics.

He has experienced a lot of the things many players have or will experience throughout their NBA career. He was a McDonald’s All-American in 1980-81. He was a first-round draft pick. He's been traded. He's played in 30 career playoff games. He knows his stuff and there’s plenty of knowledge to spread, although Thibodeau joked at practice that maybe it’s not quite as relatable as we might think.

“Well, he played so long ago, he probably doesn’t remember,” Thibodeau said with a laugh. “I just think all of his experiences and who he is as a person, I think that adds to our staff.”

It feels weird to write this, but preseason basketball is just five days away for the Timberwolves.

The Wolves face off against the Miami Heat on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. in Kansas City, Missouri. Technically, it’s a road game for the Wolves. After that, the team will be on the road until Oct. 16 when Minnesota closes out a game at Chesapeake Energy Arena against the Thunder.

Thibodeau said that he considered moving training camp this season to another location for team-bonding purposes, but with how great the team’s facilities are, added in with this road trip, he didn’t think it was necessary.

“We have to be a together team,” Thibodeau said. “I think all those things add up. The team building. I like the things that we’ve done so far. All the guys being back early and being here for training camp. I like being on the road like we are for eight days here. That’ll give us more time together as a group. I think you can’t help but to know each other a lot better.”

The road trip includes games in North Carolina, Nebraska, Kentucky and Oklahoma.

practice-report-wolves-add-another-valuable-piece-to-coaching-staff

Practice Report | Wolves Add Another Valuable Piece To Coaching Staff

The first two seasons of Zach LaVine’s career have started off slow.

The second halves of his first two seasons, though? My, oh, my. LaVine, who teammate Brandon Rush calls one of the best athletes in the entire NBA, has been great post-All-Star break.

Before the All-Star break last season, LaVine averaged 12.8 points per game while shooting 43.4 percent from the field and 34.5 percent from the 3-point line.

But after the break, LaVine was even better. The second-year guard averaged 16.4 points and shot 48 percent from the field and an impressive 43.7 percent from the 3-point line.

Why the reason for the jump? Was it LaVine winning his second-straight dunk contest?

“To tell the truth the main thing was just consistency,” LaVine said after Sunday’s practice. “On and off the court and then consistency with the coaches as well. Last year, I was getting flipped from being point guard starting, not starting. That takes a toll if you take it from my perspective. That takes a toll on you sometimes.”

We don’t know yet what the team’s starting lineup will be. Chances are head coach Tom Thibodeau will toy with that over the next few weeks leading into the regular season. What we do know is that LaVine will primarily play on the wing and won't be bounced back from point to shooting guard.

Offense will never be an issue for LaVine. He can shoot and he runs the floor with the best of them. Going into this training camp, the goal is for LaVine to improve on the other side of the ball.

According to LaVine’s new coach Tom Thibodeau, so far, so good.

“Good,” Thibodeau said on how LaVine is picking up his defensive schemes. “Day after day, there’s a lot of work to be done. As long as he’s doing the right things each and every day, he’ll improve.”

How many power forwards does the team have?

Thibodeau has been preaching versatility so far throughout training camp. He likes when players can play more than one position and there’s no coincidence that the majority of the players on this roster can do exactly that.

When asked who could all see time at power forward this season, Thibodeau named the traditional names such as Karl-Anthony Towns, Gorgui Dieng and Nemanja Bjelica. But he also hinted to some small-ball lineups, naming Andrew Wiggins, Shabazz Muhammad and Brandon Rush as candidates to see some time at the four.

“It all depends on what you need,” Thibodeau said. “The key to that is if you do go small, to make sure you’re not sacrificing your defense. The teams that do it effectively, when then go small, they don’t sacrifice that.”

practice-report-lavine-is-poised-to-start-season-off-hot

Practice Report | LaVine Is Poised To Start Season Off Hot

All eyes are on Karl-Anthony Towns heading into his second NBA season.

And he’s not hiding. He’s embracing it.

In his rookie season, Towns averaged 18.3 points and 10.5 rebounds on his way to being named the Rookie of the Year.

Expectations are high for Towns and he’s aware. But his expectations for himself are higher than the ones everyone else has put on him. And he has no plan of falling short. That’s why he reached out to some of the best in the business, past and present, to prepare for the 2016-17 season.

“I’ve talked to a lot of NBA superstars and legends about how I can improve my IQ offensively and defensively,” Towns said after Thursday’s practice. “I feel very prepared.”

Towns is confident, not cocky. He knows he’s good. He’s in the NBA and set rookie records, but he knows the job isn’t even close to being done and that’s obvious from just listening to him talk.

Remember, when you read this that he’s 20 years old.

“If you want to be great, there are so many talented players who have come in and out the league,” Towns said. “But only a few of them are remembered as being great. It’s because they were willing to say they don’t know. And I’m willing to say that I don’t know everything. I do not know how it is to be a great player, to be a Hall of Famer. I want to learn.��

Towns said that he’s talked to some former greats about things he can do better on the court, as a player and as the face of the team.

“I think the biggest thing is just leadership,” Towns said. “Different things like how they led… Taking little skills and little trademarks.”

This is going to be a big year for Towns. He’s been working hard all offseason. It looks like he’s incredible shape and he's willing to do whatever head coach Tom Thibodeau wants out of him on both ends of the court.

Wing Brandon Rush left the Golden State Warriors after winning the title in 2015 and helping the team win 73 games in 2016.

The 31-year-old shooter came to Minnesota because he saw opportunity, as the team needed a 3-point shooter. But he also saw how good this team could be.

“I definitely can see what we’re trying to build right now and how far we can go once we push ourselves,” the former Jayhawk said.

Rush is a veteran presence on this team, but he can also play and figures to be in the team’s rotation. He shot 41.4 percent from the 3-point line last season and according to Thibodeau, he knows how to play the right way and is a good example for the up-and-coming Wolves. And despite tearing his ACL twice and breaking his arm once, he’s always bounced back.

“He’s a great pro. He understands when to shoot, when to pass. He has a defensive mindset,” Thibodeau said. “He’s been through a lot of things. It’s good veteran leadership. He does the right things, how he prepares each day, his concentration. I think all those things help us.”

Rush will primarily play the wing for the Wolves this season, but don’t be surprised if you also see him in some small-ball situations at power forward.

practice-report-karl-anthony-towns-isnt-afraid-of-expectations

Practice Report | Karl-Anthony Towns Isn't Afraid Of Expectations

When Timberwolves head coach Tom Thibodeau was bringing in the final players to round out the roster going into his first training camp with the Wolves, he had a certain mold of a player in mind.

It’s not a coincidence that both point guard John Lucas III and forward Rasual Butler both spent time with Thibodeau during their careers.

Lucas played with the Rockets from 2005-2007 when Thibodeau was an assistant for Jeff Van Gundy. He also played for the Bulls from 2010-12 when Thibodeau was head coach.

Butler, on the other hand, spent a half season with the Bulls in 2011, a season in which the Bulls advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals.

“I’ve had a relationship with him,” Butler said on what attracted him to Minnesota after Wednesday’s practice. “One of my favorite coaches to play for. He’s a winner and I believe he can turn this organization in a hurry.”

Butler, 37, is a guy who has grinded out a very successful NBA career. He has been in the league every year since 2002 besides the 2012-13 season. In 46 games for the Spurs last season, he averaged 2.7 points per game.

Most importantly for Thibodeau, it's that Butler knows how to play the right way and is a good teammate.

“He’s had a great career. He’ll make training camp good. He knows how to execute; he can shoot the ball,” Thibodeau said. “You always feel like you can never have enough shooting. I think he compliments our best players very well. He knows when to shoot, he knows when to pass. Those things are important. Playing smart is important.”

Butler is a career 36.2 3-point shooter, something the Wolves could use heading into the 2016-17 season.

Lucas, on the other hand, did not play last season, but his best season came under Thibodeau during the 2011-12 season, when he averaged a career-high 7.5 points per game.

With both players having played for Thibodeau at one point, some of the players who weren’t quite familiar with what Thibodeau was asking of them or what kind of scheme they should be in, asked for advice from the vets. Lucas was impressed by the improvements that were made in the first two practices.

“They’re buying into it already,” Lucas said. “Like today was so much better. Yesterday was great, but today, so much better… They’re buying in and getting mad at themselves when they’re not doing it right and they’re recognizing it.”

These two bring plenty to the table in terms of play. Butler can shoot and Lucas is a gritty point guard. But they also have tons of value in teaching the rest of the team the ways of Thibodeau.

Timberwolves wing Shabazz Muhammad said his main focus this offseason was improving his defense and that’s carried over into training camp. And that’s certainly no surprise with a coach like Thibodeau.

“That’s the main thing, about defense,” Muhammad said. “It’s crazy. I feel like I’ve already gotten way smarter on defense, just the things coach is explaining to us and attention to detail and his defensive schemes. I feel like we’re getting them pretty quick.”

Muhammad said that he’s watched plays defensively from last season where he knew he wasn’t doing something exactly right. Thibodeau has faith that the fourth-year player can improve on those mistakes and become one of the team's better defenders.

“The first step is to know what you have to do,” Thibodeau said. “He’s done a good job with that… He’s a terrific athlete. He’s strong. There’s no reason why he can’t be a great defender.”

Thibodeau also hinted that we could see Muhammad at the two, three and four this season. He likes guys to be versatile.

practice-report-new-guys-are-lending-a-helping-hand

Practice Report | New Guys Are Lending A Helping Hand

none

Protected by

Aura

<a href="https://www.nba.com/timberwolves/live">Now Streaming: Rudy Gobert's DPOY Press Conference</a>

2016‑17 Training Camp