2025 Timberwolves Summer League Preview

Minnesota is still on the hunt for their first championship. That hunt continues on Wednesday. Who cares if it’s in Las Vegas?

We’re just one day away from Minnesota Timberwolves basketball! Well, it’s technically the Las Vegas Timberwolves, but still. This is the time for unbridled optimism in young guys, pouring in hope towards undrafted vagrants, and believing every bad box score is the final chapter of a player’s developmental arc.

It’s time for the NBA 2K25 Las Vegas Summer League!

If you want a quick primer on what and who you’ll be watching the next two weeks, then you’ve come to the right corner of the internet.

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Summer League Schedule

If you are new to this yearly tradition, than you may be unfamiliar with the format. Each team plays four games from July 12-19 to determine the top four teams. These teams, determined by win-loss record and point differentials, will move on to a single-elimination tournament to crown a champion. The teams that miss out on the bracket will get a fifth and final exhibition game.

The Timberwolves have made it to the finals twice, but fallen just short. In 2016, Tyus Jones lost to the Chicago Bulls thanks to a Denzel Valentine buzzer beater in overtime. Then in 2019, Naz Reid and Jordan McLaughlin nearly overcame a 10-point deficit with less than two minutes left, but fell to the Memphis Grizzlies by just three points.

Here is a look at Minnesota’s schedule this year:

• Thursday, July 10 @ 2:30pm CT vs New Orleans Pelicans (FDSNNOX & ESPN2)
• Saturday, July 12 @ 9:00pm CT vs Denver Nuggets (FanDuel Sports – North & NBA TV)
• Tuesday, July 15 @ 3:30pm CT vs Detroit Pistons (FanDuel Sports – North & NBA TV)
• Wednesday, July 16 @ 4:00pm CT vs Phoenix Suns (FanDuel Sports – North & NBA TV)

Canis Hoopus will have game threads and recaps of all the action to keep you posted!

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Minnesota Timberwolves / NBA

Timberwolves Roster

NBA.com

The final summer league roster came together after the wild seven team trade was completed. It secured Australian rookie, Rocco Zikarsky, for the Wolves in time so that he could round out the team.

Of the 15 players, 10 have appeared in an Iowa Wolves game last season. That team was not very good. They finished a league-worst 7-27, though players like Rob Dillingham, Terrence Shannon Jr., Jaylen Clark, and Leonard Miller appeared in just a couple games at most.

I detailed Iowa’s season progress at length in February here.

Here are some snippets from that piece where I wrote about the players that are on this Las Vegas roster. Most of you should already be familiar the main roster guys.

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Leonard Miller / Terrence Shannon Jr. / Rob Dillingham

Leonard Miller has seemingly “graduated” from Iowa in the way that Naz Reid, but more like Josh Minott and Luka Garza have. Too good for the G, not quite good enough for the NBA. Terrence Shannon Jr. (and Rob Dillingham to a lesser extent) has proven that he’s already way too good for the G, averaging 33.0 points and a +/- of +15.5 in his two games there.

Jaylen Clark

As mentioned earlier, 16 of Clark’s 20 games took place during the Tip-Off Tournament/Winter Showcase. He was a key starter for the great success that Iowa experienced during that time. Outside of his three-point percentage, his offensive numbers may not pop off the screen, but nearly half of his field goal attempts were from perimeter (5.1 3PA, 11.2 FGA). The only thing keeping “Crimestopper” from becoming a solid NBA 3&D player is a consistent jumper, so it was great to see him focus on that with good results.

Defensively, Clark is what he is. He’s built like a tank and plays with the motor of a lawnmower bat out of hell. Jaylen plays irritating point-of-attack defense, living in the jerseys of his opponents, but also plays passing lanes beautifully. His quick start-stop-ability helps him fly across the court whether it’s in the halfcourt or in transition.

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Jesse Edwards (Two-way)

“Netherlands Gobert” has come a long way. Edwards looked completely out of his element during Las Vegas Summer League. He didn’t know where to be either end of the court. Showed terrible hands. Exhibited bad energy and motor. Had a “bag” that would make Rudy look like Hakeem Olajuwon. However, his development has been quite surprising playing with Iowa.

Despite his limited availability because of minor injuries and his constant foul trouble, Jesse has found a new groove. Unlike summer league, he plays much more like he looks: The biggest guy on the floor. Edwards has been cleaning the glass and swatting shots very effectively. He has even certainly learned how to space the court effectively as a play finisher, but has also showed potential with his touch.

Tristen Newton (Two-way)

It’s easy to see why the Wolves front office saw potential in the big 23-year-old guard. His box score numbers are comparable to Daishen Nix, the player he was essentially replacing, but one of the main differences is the three-point shooting. A 34.4% mark from deep may be below league average numbers, but Nix shot just 30.0% in his 10 games and just 27.1% the season before.

Newton notched a triple-double in just his fourth game with Iowa, but nearly achieved that again twice in his last two games. He plays a smooth, controlled style of game, using his skill and craft to get to where he needs to get on the court. Tristen doesn’t make the flashy pass or churn out highlight reel buckets, but he plays a smart style of basketball that is worth tuning in for.

Photo by Julien Bacot/NBAE via Getty Images

Babacar Sané

At just 21 years of age, Babacar Sané has the size (6’8” height; 230 lbs; 7’3” wingspan) and explosive athleticism that’s hard to ignore.

The Sengalese forward is a walking highlight reel. He goes after every block and every dunk opportunity, for better or worse. Iowa recently traded one of their rotation players, Jaedon LeDee, for Sané and after just two games, he’s been promoted to their starting lineup. He was one of the main reasons the Wolves won their first game of the season without one of the Timberwolves rostered players.

He’s the definition of a raw talent though. The jump shot is far from consistent. The decision-making still has a long way to go, as he often goes screaming towards the rim with reckless abandon. That said, Sané’s only turned 21 years old five months ago and he’s already in his third G League season after spending the first two with the now defunct G League Ignite.

Sané has a ton of potential and has an interesting story. From an early age, he was on the NBA’s radar in Africa and is just such an easy young man to root for.

Nojel Eastern

The Iowa Wolves drafted Nojel Eastern in the 2023 G League draft with the 41st pick. The husky do-it-all swingman was billed as a “big guard” coming into college and the G League. He entered his second season with Iowa dealing with some injuries, but has played in 20 straight games.

Standing at 6’6” and listed as 220 pounds, Eastern has always been an intriguing player to watch on the court.

– Eastern has the size and look of Grant Williams
– Eastern usually dinks-and-dunks you to death ala Antawn Jamison
– Eastern has a jumper that is reminiscent of Kevin Duckworth
– Eastern makes surprising plays for others like Thaddeus Young

The 25-year-old has filled holes in the roster wherever needed. Need someone to crash the glass? Nojel will get you double-digit boards. Need someone to make a play? Nojel will score you an awkward bucket or find an open teammate. Need some defensive stops? Nojel will mix it up and get his hands dirty.

Eastern’s overall box score numbers suggest he’s a better player than he is. He shoots a low volume of triples (3.1 3PA) and takes the sixth most amount of field goals per game of active Iowa players.

Martez Brown

The only other player to have played every game for Iowa this season is the athletic 6’9” forward, Martez Brown. Tez was a rebounding machine in college, but didn’t show enough promise and skills to get drafted, catch on with a summer league team, nor get a training camp invite. Instead, Brown took fate into his own hands and showed up for an open tryout for the Iowa Wolves in October.

He made the team.

It’s hard not to notice Tez when he’s on the court. He’s plays with a frenetic energy that is reminiscent of a young Kenneth Faried. His lack of playing time has more to do with his knack for accumulating fouls in short periods of time than his lack of productivity. Brown doesn’t have a ton of ball skills nor is he blessed with a lot of height for his position. However, he has suited up as the makeshift center for the Wolves, paying them off with 13.0 rebounds in his past three games.

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Amari Bailey

Bailey is the the last player who suited up for Iowa last season. The former five-star recruit was most known for his time at Sierra Canyon playing ahead of Bronny James before spending a season with UCLA. Now, he’s had two seasons playing mostly in the G League. He split time with the team that drafted him, the Charlotte Hornets, before spending all of last season playing with the Brooklyn Nets and Timberwolves affiliates.

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Bailey is an explosive scoring guard who has really turned himself into quite a lead ball handler. In his first season in the G, he nearly averaged 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists on superb shooting splits. Since then, he seems to have traded in his three point shooting skill points for playmaking skill points. He dealt with some injuries last year before bouncing back to average 4.8 assists on his 2.1 turnovers per game in limited minutes with Iowa.

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Joan Beringer (Rookie) / Rocco Zikarsky (Two-way)

Then you have your international skyscrapers in Beringer and Zikarsky. They’ll likely be coming off the bench and gradually earning more playing time as summer league prolongs.

It will be intriguing to see just where the two of them are at against sub-NBA level competition. They’re both just teenagers with two different skillsets despite playing the same position. Is the game too fast for Beringer’s defense to keep up? How real is Zikarsky’s jump shot?

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Des Watson / CJ Fulton / Jamal Cain

These three are the wildcards of Summer League. It’s been rumored that Des Watson, an undrafted defensive minded wing out of Loyola Chicago, has fans in the front office. The 22-year-old averaged 12.9 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.4 steals per game in his fourth and final collegiate season.

CJ Fulton is a more traditional point guard who averaged 6.5 assists to just 1.3 turnovers in his final season as a Charleston Cougar. Fulton represents Ireland as one of their most successful basketball players from their country and remains hopeful to be the first to land in the NBA.

Lastly, there’s Jamal Cain. Cain is a true veteran as it pertains to Summer League participants. He’s the oldest of the bunch at 26 years old and has spent three seasons in the NBA. Two with the Miami HEAT and most recently with the New Orleans Pelicans.

The 6’7” forward played 25.1 minutes in the Pelicans final seven (tanking) games where he put up impressive averages of 14.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.4 steals on .487/.364/.708 splits. It’s likely he was brought in as an injection of competition. During media availability, Summer League Head Coach Kevin Hanson mentioned that Cain and Shannon have been going at it.

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Storylines to Watch

Dillingham’s Development

Coach Hanson has specifically mentioned that he’s looking for Dillingham to push pace and dig down on the defensive end. It’s no secret that the Wolves are expecting big things from the point guard in his sophomore campaign. It’s likely that he may not play in every game in Las Vegas, but it’ll be crucial to see if or how he’s improved.

How do his legs look in his jump shot? Is he more decisive going North-South instead of East-West? How’s the point-of-attack defense? Has he curbed his turnover issues?

The Baby Bigs

The two youngest players on the roster are two of the tallest ones. Both Beringer and Zikarsky are just 18 years old (the latter soon to be 19) and have limited experience playing at higher levels. They were both considered two of the biggest projects in the 2025 NBA draft, yet Tim Connelly felt comfortable enough to take a swing on them.

It’ll be fun to see not only how much they play, but what level they’re able to perform at. Dillingham shared that Beringer has impressed him a lot during mini camp so far. Fans will surely pop-off if the pair of them are able to connect on some lobs. Or maybe we’ll see a summer triple or standing dunk from Zikarsky.

Who are you most excited to see?