2017 Summer League

admin

In case you haven’t heard, the Minnesota Timberwolves have purchased a G-League team this offseason: The Iowa Wolves.

Matt Costello played for the Timberwolves Summer League team in Las Vegas and averaged 11.3 points and led the tournament with 12 rebounds over four games.

The power forward/center also played for the then Iowa Energy last season, averaging 9.5 points, 10.2 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.7 blocks per game while shooting 51.2 percent from the field and 77.4 percent from the free-throw line.

“Being in Des Moines last year was a lot of fun, made a lot of friends. It’d be cool to be back there,” Costello said.

Despite the Energy finishing just 12-38, Costello said the fans were committed every night.

“Those fans were awesome . . . They came out every single night cheering their hearts out. Made it great to be there. . . Going to Des Moines was a lot of fun, really good people.”

Minnesota Timberwolves will get to feel that Iowa love firsthand this season. 

matt-costello-on-iowa-fans-those-fans-were-awesome

Matt Costello On Iowa Fans: 'Those Fans Were Awesome'

1.    Matt Costello Was The Team’s Summer League MVP

In four Summer League games, power forward/center Matt Costello averaged 11.3 points and a tournament-high 12 rebounds per game. He missed one game due to food poisoning.

As far as effort was concerned, Costello’s was obvious throughout the entire time in Las Vegas. Costello, a former Michigan State standout, played 23 games for the Iowa Energy last season and averaged 9.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. With the Timberwolves now owning the Iowa squad, we’ll see if Costello earned himself a possible two-way contract or a roster spot with the Iowa Wolves.

“I’m just trying to prove out there that I can be  team guy,” Costello said. “I know anywhere I’m going, I’m not going to be Jimmy Butler . . . But I can come in and do my role.”

Speaking of guys who played well in Vegas . . . Cooke was a guy who looked completely natural for the Wolves and didn’t force anything, something that’s quite common for a bunch of players trying to prove their worth. The wing averaged 10 points per game and had Timberwolves Summer League head coach Ryan Saunders praising him after the team’s win over the Denver Nuggets.

“He has a good way about him,” Saunders said. “He’s just kind of smooth and he’s able to put the ball on the floor but he’s also able to shoot the ball. He’s an intelligent player.”

Former Kansas star Perry Ellis showed off his range throughout the tournament. There were times when Saunders would line Ellis up in the corner and if his man left to double the penetrator, Ellis would be open for three.

I guess maybe that shouldn’t be a huge surprise considering Ellis shot 43.8 percent from deep during his senior year in college, but that was on just 1.7 attempts per game. Ellis knows that if he wants a chance in the NBA, the ability to hit from deep is huge.

Saunders won the fashion game among coaches at Summer League. Maybe among all of humans, too. Then again, winning a fashion contest in Vegas isn’t the hardest thing to do.

But Saunders was rocking joggers, no socks, some crisp shoes and a tucked in polo buttoned up to the top. Real recognize real.

5.    The NBA Game Is So Much Different

Obviously college to Summer League is a huge difference. But it’s apparent at Summer League just how different it is from the NBA. That seems obvious, but it’s always worth a reminder to pump the brakes on when a young player tears up Summer League. We saw it last season with Kris Dunn and while Dunn was solid defensively in his rookie season, the offensive success didn’t translate. While there is plenty to take away from Summer League, it’s always best to take its happenings with a grain of salt.

5-things-we-learned-at-las-vegas-summer-league

5 Things We Learned At Las Vegas Summer League

summer-league-gallery-timberwolves-vs-wizards

Summer League Gallery | Timberwolves vs. Wizards

3:30 p.m., Thomas &amp; Mack Center, Las VegasWhere to Watch: NBATV

The Timberwolves will wrap up 2017 Summer League on Friday afternoon against the Washington Wizards.

The Wolves go into the game with a 2-2 record in Summer League, while the Wizards are 0-4.

A few things to keep an eye on in Friday’s game:

The Wolves are coming off of a 77-69 loss to the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday. C.J. Williams led the Wolves with 19 points. Jack Gibbs and Perry Ellis scored 12 each.

The Wizards are coming off an 89-88 loss to the Miami Heat on Wednesday. Marcus Keene led Washington with 25 points off the bench. Ike Diogu added 15 points, while Shelden McClellan added 13. Michael Young and Cunningham scored 13 and 11 points, respectively.

Washington: PG – Wayns, SG – McClellan, SF – Pangos, PF – McCullough, C - Ochefu

Minnesota: PG – Paige, SG – Randolph, SF – Williams, PF – Costello, C - Putney

summer-league-scouting-report-timberwolves-vs-wizards

Summer League Scouting Report | Timberwolves vs. Wizards

summer-league-gallery-wolves-vs-warriors

Summer League Gallery | Wolves vs. Warriors

Sometimes you win money when you gamble. Sometimes you lose. Sometimes you try to gamble and you get your ID checked four times in eight minutes and it isn’t fun anymore.

Hi there. We are heading over to the Thomas &amp; Mack Center in about 20 minutes to cover the Wolves and Warriors game which tips off at 7:30 CT on ESPN 2.

I have 44 steps right now, so things are really moving along here.

Did I just have a handful of Goldfish for breakfast? You’ll never know.

The Wolves play the Warriors tonight to wrap up preliminary play here in Vegas. The Wolves are currently 1-1, while the Warriors are 0-2.

I’ll probably roll to the gym at some point to take a nap on the treadmill. I have a few more things to write for this website, including short pieces on the signings of Taj Gibson and Jeff Teague. There’s also a 77 percent chance I go to Casino Royale because they have $3 craps and that’s all a boy can ask for.

Any recommendations for lunch today? Holla at your boy. I’ll check in around lunch time, good friends. 

What a day. Not much as far as Summer League content goes considering the real news today was the Wolves introducing Taj Gibson and Jeff Teague to the team. 

We have plenty of content up from that and we'll have more tomorrow. As far as Summer League goes, the Wolves are back at it at 7:30 p.m. CT tomorrow against the Warriors of Golden State. I'm kind of tired and want to go watch Miguel Sano win the Home Run Derby, so I think I'm going to do that now. Until tomorrow morning, good friends.

Remember how I said I was going to take 20,000 steps yesterday? I’m not one to brag, but . . . I took 20, 304. So booo ya! 

What did I do last night? Walked the strip. Came to hotel. Got a pizza. Ate the pizza. Watched ESPN. Went to bed. Things are getting rather crazy here in Las Vegas. Since Fitbit tracks my sleep, too, I know that I slept seven hours and 41 minutes last night, or more than 90 percent of Las Vegas. So I'm good with that.

No game for the Wolves. But that doesn’t mean we won’t be busy. The team is having a press conference back in Minneapolis starting at 1 p.m. CT, so we’ll be all over that coverage because technology allows us to.

In the meantime, I’m going to lay in my bed, write some stuff and hoping to see Adam Silver at the gym so I can make up for my very awkward elevator experience.

The Wolves beat the Nuggets tonight in pretty much what was the opposite from last night’s game against the Raptors.

Minnesota started out solid and didn’t look back.

Matt Costello is probably my favorite player on this Summer League team because the dude gives 100 percent. We talked to him after the game and he’s looking for a roster spot, and if he plays like he did tonight (15 rebounds), he just might get one.

My work tonight is done. All of our postgame work is done. It’s only 7:20 p.m. but I am fairly certain I could sleep for 12 hours right now.

Instead, I’ll probably walk around the town and lose all of my money. This seems promising.

About two hours before the Wolves play the Nuggets in their second Summer League game.

Wrote a few articles that you can find on this site.

Realized I was out of toothpaste so I went to buy a mini tube for $8. Stay woke. Vegas will get you.

That's all I've got. I'll check back in when we get back from tonight's game. 

Good morning, peeps. Sorry on only two posts yesterday. After landing, I was pretty rushed to get to the Timberwolves Summer League game, which wasn’t the best showing from the Wolves, but it’s Summer League. It’s supposed to be filled with learning experiences.

Two bright spots for the Wolves: Marcus Paige and Jack Gibbs. For a team that could use some wing help, they could make a push for a two-way contract.

Here are a few other random thoughts from the last 15 hours or so:

I went grocery shopping at CVS which consisted of me getting Chex Mix and Cheetos. I’m the type of person who beats himself up on not working out (which probably is weird considering I'm not the best eater), but according to my Fitbit, I hit 13,613 steps. That’s not bad! I’m aiming for 20,000 today.

I saw NBA Commissioner Adam Silver in the elevator last night. It was just us two. I told him “I’m a big fan of yours.” He said, “thanks.”

I’m stupid and awkward. Of all the things I could have possibly said, that’s all I got? I’ve let you all down. My parents are probably photoshopping me out of family albums now.

I stuck around a little bit to watch the Lakers and Celtics game which included Lonzo Ball and Jayson Tatum.

I’ve watched all of the highlights and I get that Ball has the media’s attention with his dad and all of that. And he had a solid game with an 11-point, 11-assist and 11-rebound triple-double. But Tatum finished with 27 points and 11 rebounds to lead Boston. In my mind, that’s the story. If Tatum can contribute from Day 1 to the Celtics, who were already a contender, that’s freaking scary.

What are my plans for the rest of the day, you ask? (You didn’t ask this because you don’t care but I’m going to answer regardless.)

I have another “Get-To-Know” piece going up, a feature on Tom Thibodeau’s media availability yesterday and I need to go get more tooth paste.

The Wolves play at 3:30 Vegas time tonight. We’ll be there.

We'll make this short and sweet. Arrived in Vegas. It's like 111 degrees here, so that's great. 

Noah, our video dude, is here and we are ready go to cover the Wolves and Raptors game at the Thomas &amp; Mack Center. 

I’m currently at the Minneapolis airport waiting for my flight to take off to Las Vegas.

The Timberwolves kick off their 2017 Summer League tonight in the City of Brotherly Love against the Raptors of Toronto.

So far, I’ve had two pieces of toast and a coffee that my waiter was very eager to take from me. There’s an 84 percent chance I get Peanut M&amp;Ms before my flight takes off. Mustard pretzels are also under consideration.

Fun fact: There is no gate G27. I looked for it for about an hour. There is, however, a G20, where I was supposed to go. That has resulted in me taking 4,600 steps so far this morning. Did I count all of my steps? While I tried, I lost track after step 818. My Fitbit did the rest of the work.

I’m pretty sure I saw former Yankees player Aaron Boone here. And while I thought about getting a picture with him, I then remembered that I’m 27 and I don’t need to do that.

I arrive in Vegas around noon. I’ll head to my hotel, drop off my stuff and ground transport to the Thomas &amp; Mack Center to watch the Wolves play.

Summer League is weird because these guys don’t really practice at all together so you really have no idea what to expect. I am looking forward to see former Notre Dame forward V.J. Beachem. He’s a guy who could make a run at a roster spot.

We’ll have plenty of content up from this trip, so you should pay attention to this website. I’ll check back in when I land.

ratke-on-the-road-2017-summer-league

Ratke On The Road | 2017 Summer League

7:30 p.m., Thomas &amp; Mack Center, Las VegasWhere to Watch: ESPN 2

The Minnesota Timberwolves are hoping to wrap up preliminary play at 2017 Summer League with a win against the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night.

The Wolves go into the game with a 1-1 record while the Warriors are 0-2.

A few things to keep an eye on heading into Tuesday night’s game:

The Wolves are coming off of a 90-71 win over the Denver Nuggets on Sunday. Perry Ellis led the Wolves with 19 points, while Charles Cooke added 15 off the bench. Levi Randolph scored 13, shooting 2-for-3 from deep. Paige scored 12 and dished out six assists. Costello had a 12-point, 15-rebound double-double.

The Warriors are coming off of a 91-74 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday. Alex Hamilton led Golden State with 11 points, while Jabari Brown added 10. Looney and Jones had nine rebounds each. The Warriors shot 5-for-24 (20.8 percent) from deep.

Golden State: PG – Munford, SF – McCaw, SF – Brown, PF – Looney, C - Jones

summer-league-scouting-report-timberwolves-vs-warriors

Summer League Scouting Report | Timberwolves vs. Warriors

summer-league-gallery-timberwolves-vs-nuggets

Summer League Gallery | Timberwolves vs. Nuggets

Protected by

Aura

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