If you’ve watched Timberwolves preseason, you’ve watched rookie Jarrett Culver get more and more comfortable.
Of course, it seems obvious that a player would be more comfortable with more playing time in a new league with new teammates and new coaches. But as we’ve seen with rookies throughout the years, every transition is different. Culver seems to be catching on pretty quickly.
He's looked more comfortable as a playmaker and it’s easy to tell he just has that natural feel to the game that not all players have.
“The more reps I get the more comfortable I get,” Culver said in Indianapolis. “The coaches have helped me out and some of the older guys and vets helping me understand what to do with the ball when I have it and plays to make.”
It helps that the Wolves literally have to kick Culver out of the gym sometimes.
We’ll see Culver more at point guard than we saw at Texas Tech. That doesn’t mean he can’t share the court with Shabazz Napier or Jeff Teague, it just means the Wolves have confident in having Culver act as another ball handler who can initiate their offense.
Teague has actually helped Culver learn the point guard position quite a bit over the last month or so.
“He’s been helping me out a lot,” Culver said. “. . . He’s been taken me, helping me out a lot, learning the point guard spot.”
Teague, who enters his third season with the Wolves, had a different kind of energy around him during media day, and that’s extended into training camp and preseason. He feels healthy, and he’s a huge fan of the style of basketball the Wolves are going to play this season.
“He’s a person you want to be around,” Wolves coach Ryan Saunders said. “Especially off the court, he’s more talkative and he’s a funny guy. Leadership wise, guys want to learn from guys they want to be around in a lot of ways. Jeff’s been an All-Star in this league, and he’s been here for a long time. He’s always wanted to play up-tempo and fast and be able to push the ball and he’s going to have that freedom.”
Making Moves
On Monday, the team announced it had signed Barry Brown Jr. and Tyus Battle to deals. These are two players who excelled in Summer League and made a good-enough impression with the team for them to get an opportunity with the team in the final two preseason games.
“We like what they did in Summer League, so seeing what those guys can be in terms of shooting the ball. . . We like what they can do and being able to work them right now,” Saunders said.
They probably won’t make a roster spot, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see them with the Iowa Wolves when the season starts.