The Timberwolves followed up Tuesday’s preseason win with another commanding performance against the Lakers on Thursday. The 15-point win in the exhibition game isn’t meaningful other than what we were able to learn about the 2022-23 Wolves squad.
While the Lakers rested all of their stars the Wolves gave preseason debuts to Rudy Gobert and D’Angelo Russell. Karl-Anthony Towns was rested for another preseason game as he recovers from an illness that put him in the hospital. Head Coach Chris Finch added Gobert and Russell to the starting lineup alongside Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, and Naz Reid.
Here are five impressions from the win.
1. Rudy Gobert screen game
Rudy Gobert only played in the first half but was deployed early and often in the screen and roll game. He set numerous high screens to create space for both D’Angelo Russell and Anthony Edwards.
As Edwards said after the game, Gobert effectively paves a “highway to the rim.”
2. Gobert cleaning up
Gobert, who led the NBA with 14.7 rebounds per game last season, grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds in just 17 minutes. He wasn’t pulling down boards against Anthony Davis and LeBron, but it’s still another reason he’s one of the best defenders in the game – he eliminates a ton of second-chance opportunities.
3. Jaden McDaniels early foul trouble
It only took 2 minutes, 11 seconds for Jaden McDaniels to rack up three fouls. McDaniels, who was among the highest foul volume players in the league last year, was pulled early in the first and didn’t return until the second quarter.
McDaniels is going to be tasked with matching up against elite wing players on a nightly basis, so staying out of foul trouble will be key to maximize is ability. He was ninth in the NBA in fouls per game (3.21) last season. Karl-Anthony Towns was No. 1 at 3.68 fouls per game, though with Gobert manning the paint that should eliminate some of his foul trouble.
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McDaniels did not draw another foul the rest of the game and he finished with 8 points and 7 boards in 20 minutes.
4. McDaniels spin and dunk
McDaniels flashed his improved offensive game and ball-handling when he caught the ball in the left corner and took matters into his own hands, crossing over, spinning and freeing himself for a two-handed dunk.
With KAT, Ant, D’Lo and Gobert on the floor with him, McDaniels’ primary role on offense will be burying corner 3s. But if he’s able to put the ball on the floor and attack, defenders will have no choice but to give him a little space or risk getting burned.
5. Anthony Edwards is ready for the season
We don’t really need to see anymore from Edwards from here on out. Just save him for the regular season. It wasn’t as explosive of a game as Tuesday’s win over Miami but Edwards again showed out.
He scored driving to the rim several times, pulled up for a long-range two, as well as scoring from beyond the arc to finish tied for a team-high 13 points on 5-of-12 shooting.
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