Brady Heslip

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Throughout the 2015 Summer League in Las Vegas, we'll be introducing you to a few faces on the team's roster that you might not know. Today, we'll continue with Brady Heslip.

Brady Heslip (Hes-lip… Literally just how it’s spelled).

Heslip is from Canada. There’s a good chance when Andrew Wiggins grew up, he had Brady Heslip posters around his room. He attended Nelson High School in Burlington, Canada.

After high school, Heslip took his talents to Baylor. During his career there, he became a baby-face assassin, hitting 43.7 percent of his three-pointers (2.7 per game). He averaged 10.2 points per game during his career. So yeah, basically all of his points came from the three-point line, but that’s kind of what makes him so awesome. 

If you didn’t know Heslip from his time at Baylor, well, you don’t like basketball enough. But you might have heard about him because he played for the Wolves in Summer League last season and actually was invited to Training Camp. He didn’t make the roster, but he just went to go average 24.5 points in 20 D-League games after he was cut. No big deal.

Oh yeah, you’ve definitely heard about his hair.

I mean, seriously. That’s fantastic.  The flip. Perfection.

Heslip probably loved watching the NBA playoffs. Just constant three-point shooting. That’s what Heslip brings to the table. He’s a fantastic catch-and-shoot player, but he’s not going to create anything for himself offensively. He was a bit offended last season when someone labeled him as just a three-point shooter and by all indications, he’s working hard to shed that label.

But then again, shooting is what got Heslip, a player who is generously listed at 6’2”, recognized in the first place. Keep doing what you do, Brady. 

He normally just retweets other people, so that’s kind of boring.

His last real tweet came on June 12 and if you like Friday Night Lights, you’ll love it.

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Get To Know Him | Brady Heslip

The Wolves just got home from a 13-day road trip, and really, things went about has bad as they could have gone as far as health goes. I’m not even really talking about the five-game losing streak and defensive collapses to the Pelicans and Mavericks over the weekend.

The Ricky Rubio injury during the Orlando game hurt pretty badly, although the team is grateful it wasn't a fracture.

The timing reminds me a bit of the ACL tear Rubio suffered during his rookie season against the Lakers back in 2012. Right when Rubio started playing well and with tons of confidence, this happens. Watching Rubio in that Brooklyn win was spectacular.

It looks like Rubio will be back with the team this season, although we’re not really sure when. Expect head trainer Gregg Farnam and the medical team to get a look at the ankle this week or early next week to make another prognosis on it. Right now it’s listed as a sprain and that he’s out indefinitely. That’s the truth. We’ll know more when the swelling goes down.

Then there’s the Nikola Pekovic ankle issue that’s been a recurring theme for the last two seasons. Pekovic looked like he aggravated the same foot injury on Saturday that caused him to miss 28 games last season. Pekovic has struggled throughout his career early in the season and this season was no different, but for some reason he didn’t look the same at all this season. Maybe it had to do with pain in that ankle.

We’ll know more after Tuesday’s practice this week on his status moving forward, I would imagine.

There are some silver linings here, sure. This means more time for rookie Zach LaVine who has looked better than most thought, playing point guard for the first time in his career. It also means more playing time for Gorgui Dieng, who came on strong last season when Pekovic was out.

But if you’re a Wolves fan, it kind of stinks to have two of your best offensive players out this early in the season.

Make sure to stay tuned in on the site for updates on Pekovic and Rubio.

UPDATE: Rubio attended Monday's practice. He was on crutches, but appeared to be in good spirits. Pekovic was out for personal reasons, according to head coach Flip Saunders.

Speaking of injuries… Oh my, Derrick Rose.

Rose, of course, has missed the better part of the last two seasons due to knee injuries.He’s still trying to get his feet underneath him and has yet to look completely comfortable on the court, which is completely understandable. For a guy who relies so much on his athleticism, two major knee injuries will do that to you.

The former MVP has already tweaked his hamstring and his ankle(s) this season causing him to miss time. When he has been on the court, though, he’s been solid, though not to his standards. In five games, Rose is playing 28 minutes (8.5 below his career-average) to go with 18 points (2.8 below), 5.4 assists (1.3 below) and 2.8 rebounds (1 below) per game. He’s shooting 43.3 percent from the field and 29.2 percent from the three-point line.

It’s a frustrating thing. Fantasy owners and fans are calling for Rose’s head. 

He’s not tough enough. Doesn’t he want to play?

Is that the smartest thing to say to fans who haven't seen you for the better part of two seasons? Probably not, but at the same time, you can't really blame Rose. Listening to his body is more important than listening to fans. That rule should always hold true. Right now a lot of what he's doing with is probably mental. It looks like he's going to miss tonight's game with a hamstring injury.

Let's hope we see Rose back sooner rather than later. It doesn't have to be and likely won't be the old Rose, but for a guy who has gone through so much, it would just be nice seeing him healthy for the majority of a season.

Brady Heslip might not look like your prototypical NBA player. He’s not uber athletic. He's undersized for a guard.

But there’s one thing Heslip does about as good as anyone: Shoot.

You might remember Heslip from playing with the Wolves in Summer League and Training Camp. Actually, we hope you remember. That was only a few months ago.

Heslip didn’t make the team’s final roster, but he’s doing everything he can to get another crack in the NBA. I received an email from Paul Swanson, our stats guru here with the Wolves, last night at 9:36 p.m. Normally he emails at 4 a.m. because I’m convinced he never sleeps, but that’s another story.

Last night Heslip finished with 38 points with 15 of his 18 three-point attempts coming from either the left (2-of-7) or the right (4-of-8) angles. He finished with 38 points, going 11-of-23 from the field, 9-of-18 from deep and 7-of-9 from the free-throw line. His Reno squad beat Grand Rapids 127-116.

Not so fast… During his D-League Debut on Nov. 15, Heslip finished with a game-high 40 points off the bench in just 24 minutes of play. He shot 13-of-24 from the field, 11-of-18 from deep and 3-of-3 from the free-throw line.

We know from his Baylor days that Heslip can shoot. It’s no secret. If you can’t do a little bit of everything in the NBA, it helps to be really, really good at one thing. Shooting is Heslip’s thing – along with having fantastic hair.

I talked to him during Training Camp and asked him about his ability to hit three-point shots and just how important it was for an undrafted player to have a quality that is wanted and needed so much at the NBA level.

When I asked him that, he almost sounded offended. He wants teams to know that he’s more than just a three-point specialist, or he wants to be at least. It’s something that Heslip has been, fair or unfair, pigeon-holed into.

The Timberwolves, more than most teams, know that crazy things can happen when it comes to injuries. If Heslip keeps up his hot play (obviously 40 points per game is not realistic… we don’t think), he could get a call from the Wolves if anything does happen.

I know he impressed Saunders with his work ethic and attitude during Camp. Something to keep an eye on.

As always, thanks for reading. Enjoy your week. 

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Reminiscing With Ratke: Back From The Road, Rose's Health And Heslip's D-League Debut

Brady Heslip and Kyrylo Fesenko both played on the Timberwolves Summer League squad and also signed Training Camp contracts with the Wolves.

After that, though, their similarities end.

Heslip is a spot-up shooter who made a career of it at Baylor.

Fesenko on the other hand, looks like a gentle giant on the court. Physical when he needs to be, but seemingly always with a smile on his face.

To be brutally honest, when you look at this team’s roster, it doesn’t look exactly favorable for either player to make the final 15. But for Heslip (24) and Fesenko (27), they are thinking of it more as an opportunity to prove themselves. While their ages aren’t old to the common folk, it is indeed old for a basketball player.

Most NBA fans are more acquainted with Heslip. Heslip played four years at Baylor and is probably known for his hair as much as his skill set.

 In his senior season, he connected on 118 three-pointers (tied for second in Big 12 history), while shooting 46.5 percent from the field. In four years at Baylor, he nailed 301 three-pointers, second in school history.

If there’s anything we know about the NBA in 2014, it’s that the three-point shot is becoming more and more significant every second. The league average for made three-pointers per team last season was 635 (the Wolves were 35 below that mark). If we go back just five years ago to 2009-10, the league average stood at just 527. That’s quite the difference.

“I think (the three-point shot) is my strongest attribute as a player, absolutely,” Heslip said after Tuesday’s practice. “I feel like I can do other things like run the team, get them into the offense, be a smart player out there and not turn the ball over. But my shooting is obviously the thing I do best.”

Heslip has a very valuable tool, much like Robbie Hummel, despite being an undersized guard. At the “Dunks After Dark” event, he noticeable had trouble guarding Ricky Rubio. If/when Heslip does indeed make an NBA roster, whether it’s with the Wolves or another team, it will likely be because of his outside shooting ability.

Overall, though, he’s treating this Training Camp to improve as a player, something many players at home wish they had.

“This is a great opportunity for me, number one to get better as a player and number two just move closer to my dream of playing in the NBA,” Heslip said. “Learning from the coaches and these guys. It’s just a great opportunity.”

The 7’1” center has already had his opportunity in the NBA. He was a second-round selection in the 2007 NBA Draft via the Philadelphia 76ers. He’s played a total of five seasons in the NBA and has averaged 2.3 points and 2.0 rebounds per game. While playing for the Wolves in the 2014 Summer League, he averaged 8.4 points and 5.2 rebounds in five games.

Fesenko knew that he probably had a spot on the team’s Training Camp roster, especially after staying in Minneapolis and working with the team’s trainers. Since Summer League, the big man has lost 20 pounds and has stepped up his conditioning game. Still, he thinks there’s another layer to his game that he hasn’t shown the coaches.

“I know I played decent in the Summer League. I still think I didn’t show what I can do,” Fesenko said. “I didn’t show my full potential.”

“I got much more of an offensive game that everybody can expect. I’m just ready to get out there and show everybody what I’ve got.”

Basketball is a crazy sport. Injuries happen. Players rise up to the occasion while others do not. It seems as if Heslip and Fesenko are happy to be with the Wolves Training Camp squad, but their ultimate goal is beyond that.  It seems like they are doing everything they can do get to that spot.

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Heslip, Fesenko Try To Make Most Of Opportunity

Minneapolis/St. Paul – The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced the team has signed center Kyrylo Fesenko and guard Brady Heslip. Per team policy, terms of the contracts were not released.Fesenko, 27, appeared in five games (three starts) for the Wolves entry in 2014 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, averaging 8.4 points and 5.2 rebounds in 17.6 minutes per game. The 7-1 center's best game came in Minnesota's win over the Phoenix Suns, a 17-point, 8-rebound performance in 26 minutes. Fesenko, originally drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round (38th overall pick) of the 2007 NBA Draft, has averaged 2.3 points and 2.0 rebounds per game over his five-year NBA career.Heslip, 24, appeared in five games (two starts) for the Wolves entry in the 2014 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. The 6-2 guard averaged 6.2 points per game in Vegas, including connecting on 61.1% of his shots and 70.0% from three-point range (7-for-10). As a senior with Baylor this past season, Heslip connected on 118 three-pointers (T-2nd in Big 12 history) at a 46.5% clip, the ninth-best single-season three-point percentage in Big 12 history. He finished his four-year career at Baylor first in school history in three-point percentage (.437) and second in made three-pointers (301).

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Timberwolves Sign Kyrylo Fesenko and Brady Heslip

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Zachary BennettContributing WriterEmail / Twitter

Editor’s Note: Brady Heslip, a member of the Timberwolves’ Summer League squad, had an illustrious career at Baylor University and today plays in the North of the Border Basketball League in Canada. Here’s a bit more about Heslip’s basketball journey and how he came to be a member of the Wolves for Summer League.

Brady Heslip is arguably the greatest 3-point shooter in Baylor University history, and a pioneer in helping to bring popularity to the sport of basketball in Canada. Heslip was born in Ontario, and today he’s a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves Summer League roster.

Starting 73 of 75 games during his sophomore and junior seasons, Heslip was accustomed to starting for the Bears. In his senior season, though, he appeared mostly off the bench. Despite this new sixth-man role, Heslip averaged more points and minutes during his appearances as a senior, and was able to finish a three-year career as a Bear with 1140 points (20th in school history). Heslip’s 301 made-threes is second in program history, fifth all-time among the stoic Big 12 conference, and his lifetime 42.1 3-point shooting percentage is the best in school history (third all-time in the conference).

As a senior, Heslip recorded the highest 3-point shooting percentage of his career, connecting on 118 of 254 (46%) attempts from beyond the arc. Prior to start of his senior season, Heslip participated in FIBA’s Tournament of Americas, hoping to help Canada qualify for the 2014 World Cup of Basketball.

Competing against some of the toughest internationally-born competition, Heslip scored 70 of Canada’s 625 points and made 17 of 33 3-point attempts during the tournament. Although his country failed to qualify for the upcoming World Cup, Heslip attained invaluable experience playing against international stars, such as Luis Scola of the Indiana Pacers and the Timberwolves’ own J.J. Barea.

His family is deeply rooted within the Canadian basketball-culture, and Heslip is also on the forefront of basketball and it’s overall growth. His father, Tom, was an All-Canadian player at University of Guelph in 1980, and Heslip’s Uncle, Jay Triano, was head coach of the Toronto Raptors from 2008-2011. Now, Triano is an assistant coach with the Portland Trail Blazers and is also coach of the Canadian national team.

Basketball is a sport growing in popularity among Canadians because of players like Heslip. For two consecutive years, a Canadian born player has been selected first overall in the NBA Draft. Last summer, Anthony Bennett was the first Canadian selected first overall, and this year, it was Andrew Wiggins—both were taken by the Cleveland Cavaliers.

When Josh Sheriff and Justin Avery founded the North of the Border Basketball League (NBBL), they made it their mission to foster the growth of the game of basketball in Canada.

Sheriff and Avery had a vision: gather elite Canadian basketball players and have them compete within a league during their respective off-seasons. They reached out to Heslip, who was receptive to this vision and the overall concept of the NBBL, and he joined Blessed Sacrament Nation (BSN). The NBBL gave Heslip opportunities to interact with the younger generations of athletes, to inspire those athletes and to prove how talented he really is.

In addition to being a role model, Heslip continued to shine on the court, averaging over 30 points in three appearances with BSN. In his most memorable performance, Heslip scored 50 points (45 in the second half), spearheading a 107-63 victory over the Hamilton Huskies. Canadian youth players could see, talk and watch Heslip in play ball in person.

“Heslip was great interacting with the younger basketball community,” says Sheriff, who serves as Vice President of the NBBL, “as so many look up and aspire to reach the levels he has reached and continues to strive for.”

At 6-foot, 2-inches tall and only 180 pounds, Heslip went undrafted. His short, skinny build just wasn’t what teams were looking for on draft night. Still, teams around the NBA value players who have an ability to consistently knock down the 3-point shot, and Heslip can do that in his sleep. Perhaps he’ll have a chance to show this skill for the Timberwolves playing in Las Vegas.

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Heslip's Baylor Career Helped Earn Him a Spot on Wolves' Summer League Team

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