It felt like preseason. It felt like slop and rust and sea legs being found. It was the kind of night where some players were in cruise control, some were in prove-it mode, and others were already reminiscing it to their grandkids in their heads. Overall, however, it felt exciting. The pieces — although not all of them — of the Minnesota Timberwolves roster that we’ve mashed together in our heads were actual tangible beings playing a tangible game. And, for all the caveats that the first game of preseason rightfully deserves, it was fucking glorious.
The game ends 121-111. All things considered, a meaningless mishmash of numbers for a meaningless outing. There were things within that scoreline that did matter, though.
The way the Timberwolves remained a unified terror squad defensively, one that hunted in packs — forcing 15 turnovers and turning them into 30 points — stood out in big bold letters. The offensive rhythm was far from mid-season form, but it was obvious that Chris Finch hasn’t lost the ability to manipulate his chess pieces in an uber-effective way, evidenced by the 119.9 offensive rating the team posted despite their rust. And, finally, the Wolves looked assured. Even without Karl-Anthony Towns, Rudy Gobert and D’Angelo Russell, they waltzed through the night with the bulging swagger that seemed positive they would roll over the similarly strip-mined Miami Heat. Wolves Back.
*Garbage time minutes/players excluded from Ratings*
Jaylen Nowell: 8/10
If there were ever any doubts that he had stopped being a bucket they were swiftly put in a chokehold and fucking eviscerated. Never to be heard from again. It’s what he has done, it’s what he will do, and it’s what he did in preseason game one. And this season we better get used to seeing avalanches of it.
He lived and thrived and fucking reveled at every scoring level in this one. When the defenders closed out too hard, he skipped past them and used a seemingly upgraded level of strength to finish at the cup. When they flew past him, hit stepped inside and sauced home a few of his patented mid-range beauties. When they weren’t out quick enough, he nailed a pair of catch-and-shoot triples. Buckets on buckets on buckets.
Defensively he was a little more of a wildcard. He had a few lightbulb moments but just as many where he was overpowered, out of position, or simply beaten. We know Finch has historically had him on a choker chain and the Wolves have tons of depth gnawing at his heels, so he will probably need to clean that up heading forward.
Finished with 14 points (61.2% TS) and 3 rebounds in 23 minutes — +19.7 net rating.
Anthony Edwards: 10/10
Like the coolest fucking volcano you’ve ever laid eyes on. Erupted violently and smothered the Heat in scolding-hot magma without even breaking a fucking sweat. It seemed like he was going to spend the evening shedding the offseason corrosion, but then he did that thing where he finds his superpower, harnesses it, and sprays it in every direction.
He missed just six shots (9-of-15) for the night and three of them came in the opening quarter. Once he got going, though, it was a mixed bag of dominance. His snaking mid-range mastery looks like it has leveled up big time, while the hilariously unfair shot-making from deep remains intact. The playmaking was deliberate and effective. The defense was alert and willing. And, perhaps most importantly, he was getting to and finishing at the rim with the grace of a ballerina and the power of a fucking pit bull.
All hail the king, for he has returned.
Finished with 24 points (71.6% TS), 3 rebounds and 3 assists in 23 minutes — +12.2 net rating.
Jaden McDaniels: 9/10
Now that we know he is okay after his knee-to-knee collision with Tyler Herro, we can talk about how unbelievably exciting he is without it sounding like a grim eulogy. And, boy, is this kid fucking unbelievably exciting. A free-swinging collection of limbs that seems to be forming into a synthesized weapon of chaos by the minute. A giraffe with fucking laser beams shooting from its eyes and machetes tied to its hooves. Something like that.
His calling card has been his defensive versatility and efficacy thus far in his career and, while he was still very much a spidery menace who kept Tyler Herro relatively quiet when the pair matched up, it was his offense that stood out early in this game. He looks like he is finally comfortable bouncing the basketball more than three times and that parlayed itself into a number of swooping drives and tasty finishes at the rim. Combine that with a 3-point stroke that looks way less mechanical and way more confident and that shadowy offensive potential begins to look clear and dazzling with brilliance.
Finished with 10 points (100% TS) and 3 rebounds in 19 minutes — +7.3 net rating.
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