Minnesota Timberwolves: Takeaways From Game 1 Of Summer League

The 2015 Las Vegas Summer League officially began this past Friday. To kick things off, the marquee matchup of the day featured the No. 1 overall pick of the Minnesota Timberwolves, Karl-Anthony Towns, going head-to-head against the No. 2 overall selection of the Los Angeles Lakers, D’Angelo Russell.

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The highly-anticipated game of the day got off to an electric start, with both teams — specifically, Russell and Jordan Clarkson for the Lakers, and Zach LaVine for the Wolves — exchanging a flurry of 3s.

You could tell through the excitement of the crowd, and the euphoric reactions with each dexterous basket, that both respective fanbases are predictably high on their contingent of young prospects.

In one corner, you have the Lakers — a storied franchise in the midst of a rare rebuild. Their Summer League team features the aforementioned slithery combo guard, Russell, alongside a ball-dominant guard of a similar ilk in Clarkson — an explosive slasher who surprised many with his thrilling play en route to earning a spot on the first team All-Rookie squad last season.

The game also marked the return of Julius Randle, L.A.’s  highly-touted first-round pick (seventh overall) of the 2014 NBA Draft, from a broken right tibia he suffered on opening night in October.

For the Wolves, in addition to housing the latest top pick of the draft in Towns, Minnesota’s Summer League team also includes LaVine — the 6-foot-6 jumping jack who, after struggling initially to adapt to the NBA game and playing out of position at the point, finished the season in an impressive fashion over the last 15 games of the 2014-15 campaign — as well as the reigning Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Final Four and the 24th selection of the 2015 draft, Tyus Jones.

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In the end, in a game where who ultimately wins or loses does not matter as much as the first impressions established by the above-referenced young guns, the Timberwolves managed to prevail — defeating the Lakers 81-68.

Even though it was just one game, in contemporary exigent analysis fashion, an avalanche of premature overreactions are bound to arise. Here are some initial takeaways from Minnesota’s first game of the Vegas Summer League:

Young Wolves Crave The Spotlight

You can tell — even with the way they carry themselves off the court and in interviews — that Towns and LaVine are cut from the same cloth.

More explicitly, both players are never shy when the spotlight is thrust upon them and will never hesitate to showcase their immense talents. In addition, both young pups possess an unwavering aura of confidence; which should, in theory, compliment the franchise’s prized commodity, Andrew Wiggins‘, inherent reserved and mild-mannered demeanor.

https://twitter.com/MNTimberwolves/status/619895666714652672

In particular, Towns looked to make a statement immediately, launching and air-balling an ill-advised 3 — an attempt which KAT later claimed he did not want to take.  Even though his shaky start affected his mental mindset early on (see his over-anxious inbound violation), he quickly shook off his early-game jitters and delivered a fine game thereafter.

In the case of LaVine, right from the outset, he and fellow sophomore, Jordan Clarkson, were determined to outdo the other in their juicy individual matchup. With each basket Clarkson poured in on Zach, the reigning Slam Dunk Champion was dead-set on settling the score the very next possession.

Sure enough, with Clarkson dominating the 3rd quarter, even with a lacerated finger, LaVine was determined to finish the game.

It is both KAT`s and LaVine`s unremitting competitiveness, and their — by all accounts — relentless work ethic that has Wolves fans everywhere optimistic that the duo will fulfill their ceiling and become the best versions of their respective selves.

Towns Is A Natural Rim Protector

We’re working with a limited sample, but big KAT has already shown enough to merit his reputation as a future defensive anchor.

His timing as the weakside intimidator is uncanny; and although he might be a little overzealous to contest every shot — hence, collecting an unfathomable nine fouls in his professional debut — and his aggressiveness hinders his defensive rebounding responsibilities, Towns should serve as the tower of power for the Timberwolves as soon as next season.

All in all, the long-armed 6-foot-11 big man looks to be a center through and through.  As of now, he looks a little heavy-footed to play the power forward position for extended periods — especially with the way the league is downsizing.

Distance Is Not A Factor For Zach, Pick-And-Roll D Still Is

LaVine stated in his post-game interview that he made a concerted commitment to not just be a dunker, but alternatively, to evolve himself into an overall scorer. Not surprisingly, right from the tip, Zach was extremely aggressive in exploring his ambitious pursuits.

At first glance, the former UCLA Bruin looks noticeably bigger. When compared to this time last year, LaVine looked like a mere teenager the summer prior. Conversely, this year, everything — from his facial features to his overall body structure — has matured.

He might have even grown; measured in at 6’6″ in shoes as a 19 year-old, Zach looked to have at least a two-inch advantage on, both Russell and Clarkson, both of whom measured 6’5″ in shoes, respectively.

As a result to his added strength, LaVine was able to showcase his ability to launch 30-footers — off-the-bounce no less — with effortless ease. In many ways, he picked up where he left off in April; shooting with confidence off-the-catch and pulling up off of the pick-and-roll without any hesitation. For the contest, he shot 4-of-8 from beyond the arc, and finished the game with an eFG%* (effective field percentage) of 52.9 percent.

*eFG% = (FGM + 0.5 * 3PM) / FGA

Defensively, however, Zach continues to struggle to contain the handler in screen-and-roll situations. Although he did show a much prompter aptitude in fighting over screens, too often did LaVine still take befuddling angles when approaching the screener — thereby, allowing his man, Clarkson, an unimpeded avenue to snake the PNR and create havoc in the lane.

It should be noted, though, the Wolves’ scheme of dropping back with the screener’s man did not help LaVine’s cause, but with his athletic ability, he can still be much more veracious in staying in front of his man.

Adreian Still Payne-fully Oblivious

You have to appreciate the motor in which Adreian Payne plays with.

But the severe lack of awareness — on both ends of the floor — Payne routinely displays makes you question his future standing with the organization.

To start the game, Minnesota perplexingly force-fed the ball down low to the former Michigan State Spartan for two consecutive possessions. Both times, Payne failed miserably to read the Lakers’ overt — albeit soft double — and ran straight into their collapsing D.

The bonehead plays counter usually catapult to its undefined limits every time Payne steps onto the floor — from his long 2s to his untimely, lackadaisical outlet passes. For that, the Wolves better hope Nemanja Bjelica pans out next season at the 4.

His athleticism and activity does lend some hope that he can one day develop into a defensive and rebounding specialist, however.

The Offense Will Be Ran Through KAT Down The Line

His anecdotal production may not have jumped off of the page — finishing the game with a modest 12 points, while grabbing three rebounds and dishing out four assists — but Towns flashed his complete offensive repertoire throughout the much ballyhooed contest.

Specifically, after a jittery start, KAT shook off his nerves by wiggling loose in the pick-and-pop game by working in conjunction with LaVine. He first flared free and nailed an uncontested 18-footer; shortly thereafter, he slipped the hard trap the Lakers delivered on Zach, caught the pocket pass, before dropping a gorgeous dime for Payne as the interior D collapsed.

Once he found his rhythm, the former Kentucky Wildcat began to do work on the block — particularly, ambushing L.A. with his patented baby hook over his left shoulder. When the Lakers decided to full out hard double the No. 1 overall pick, he proceeded to pick apart their D with a series of pinpoint passes to his hard-cutting wings.

With his unique set of inside-outside skills, it is easy to envision the Wolves running their entire offense through KAT, similar to the way the Memphis Grizzlies funnel their attack through Marc Gasol — explicitly, by utilizing him in a multitude ways.

His passing, shooting, and low post skills will be effective whether serving as the screener in the PNR game, acting the hi-post hub in horn sets, or simply punishing the opposition with his back to the basket.

Down the line, look for Towns to develop a fearsome synergy with Shabazz Muhammad and Andrew Wiggins, as the two high-motor power wings should abuse the rim by capitalizing on the attention Karl-Anthony (it’s not Anthony-Towns, Reggie) draws.

Initially, however, Towns will undoubtedly commit a high volume of turnovers. As with every great passer with elite vision, KAT is prone to attempting the “home-run,” thread-the-needle pass at every opportunity. But with experience, he will learn that the simple play is most often times the most efficient play.

Game Slowing Down For LaVine At SG

Clearly, Zach is much more comfortable playing as a scoring combo guard, and the secondary ballhandler, as oppose to running the entire offense. In fact, without the burden of having to initiate the Wolves attack, LaVine averaged 18.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 5.3 assists a contest on 49.5 percentage eFG% over the last 18 games of 2014-15 season.

On Friday night, the charismatic high-flyer looked to continue his progression, picking his spots and attacking judiciously.

Let’s face it, for those who experienced the full 82-game bittersweet agony that was the Timberwolves regular season, knows that Zach was an absolute mess for the betterment of the year.

His fundamentals and on-court awareness were especially poor — picking up his dribble at the most inopportune times, launching  a bevy long 2s a step inside the 3-point line, and carelessly telegraphing his passes.

However, with each passing month, LaVine would improve his mental acuity and tightened up his deliveries. Sure enough, he was extremely decisive with everything he did during the game — whether throwing a precise post entry bounce pass, or catching-and-shooting a 3-point attempt with conviction.

Moreover, Zach was outwardly vocal throughout the match; often seen barking out defensive instructions and letting big KAT know when the shot clock wound down. It may be strange to say since he just turned 20, but LaVine looks to be the leader of this Summer League team.

Tyus Will Have A Tough Time Creating His Own Shot

To put it bluntly, Jones was lousy in his pro debut. He did show glimpses of his trademark heady play and delivered a couple of nifty passes; but for the most part, Tyus struggled to create.

Most notably, the former Duke Blue Devil looked tiny out there. He is going to have a hard time learning how to curate his own shot at the next level. Step one, however, for Jones is to develop a floater — an essential skill for every diminutive guard without the mind-numbing quickness of a John Wall.

At first glance, it looks as though Lorenzo Brown will snatch up the 15th, and final, roster spot, as the Wolves need a steady insurance at the backup point slot — just in case Tyus’ struggles trickles into the month of November.

Zach Still Not Fully Utilizing His Athleticism

LaVine`s final stat-line will lead you to believe that he was the best player on the court — finishing the contest with a game-high 24 points, six rebounds, and three assists. Although he did play well, contrary to popular belief, he was outplayed by his counterpart, Clarkson.

While both second-year guards exchanged blows throughout the contest, Clarkson broke and bent the Wolves’ D time after time through his penetration. When the ball wasn’t in his hands, he used his explosiveness to make an impact off-the-ball through his cuts and offensive rebounds.

On the other hand, Zach still remains relatively sedentary when the ball is out of his hands. If he’s not directly involved in the play, i.e. flaring off of a rub screen or negotiating the PNR, he usually just stands nonchalantly 28-feet away from the hoop.

With a gifted interior passer like Towns, combined with LaVine’s jaw-dropping athleticism, the twosome should connect regularly if the Seattle, Washington-native recognizes the free lanes to cut. However, whether it’s a lack of effort or awareness, rarely does he slash hard down the middle of the lane or initiate a backdoor cut.

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Dunking with Wolves

At this point, Clarkson is, functionally, more athletic than Zach. He may not sky as high as LaVine, but he understands how to use his body to finish in the paint, run down loose balls in the open court, and split the spread PNR at the top of the key.

LaVine`s pull-up game is unequivocally a thing of beauty — the elevation he gets combined with his cat-quick release will make every shot enthusiast aroused  — but he is still struggling to get all the way to the rim and finish around the basket.

For such reasons, after a scorching start to the game, in which Zach poured in 18 first-half points, he failed to replicate his fine play in second half when the game slowed down and L.A. took away his outside shot.

However, with that being said, from his workout videos, Zach does look like a much more vivacious two-foot leaper — an avenue of jumping more applicable in a half-court setting when compared to his preferred dynamite one-foot takeoff. Additionally, as mentioned, LaVine’s body is noticeably stouter.

But at this point, if his outside J is not falling, LaVine will remain a net negative on the floor. On a positive note, though, on-court motor and off-ball movement are two aspects of the game you can teach. His unrivaled athleticism and pure stroke? Those are god-given gifts.

It’s Summer League

While its fun making drastic prognostications and giving your own “hot take” after every Summer League game, here’s a friendly reminder: Anthony Randolph and Glen Rice Jr. were untouchable Gods in this setting.

All takeaways should be digested with a grain of salt. For now, just enjoy the progression guys like LaVine and Brown are making, and appreciate the combination of size, fluidity, and skill that Towns will routinely display for the rest of the Timberwolves’ games.

Next: Orlando Magic: Youth Gives Glimpse Into Future At Summer League

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