On Sunday, after the first day of Summer League practice, Minnesota Timberwolves assistant coach Kevin Hanson spoke on the level of talent Minnesota’s Summer League roster will have.
“Yeah, it’s a little better, but there’s some talented teams out there. But it’s definitely one of the better ones we had here,” said Hanson, who will coach Minnesota’s Summer League team. “I was in New Orleans for 8 years, and it’s better than most of those.”
The Wolves will head down to Vegas with a roster full of players looking to make an impression on the coaching staff. For some players, it will be proving they are deserving of minutes in the rotation. For others, it will be a spot on the main roster. And for the rest, it will be an opportunity to showcase that they belong in the NBA.
Players with something to prove
Rob Dillingham
Dillingham enters his second Summer League with clear directions.
“We need him to run the team, and he did a great job of that today. He wasn’t forcing a lot,” Hanson said. “I think he learned a lot this season under Mike’s tutelage. We want him to defend at a high rate.”
Summer League will have heightened importance for Dillingham because he appears to be the heir apparent to Mike Conley. It may also be harder to evaluate his minutes due to the Wolves looking to see the improvement in his control and ability to run the point. That means counting stats may not indicate whether Dillingham has success in Vegas.
Terrence Shannon Jr.
Shannon is more of a known commodity, and he’s looking to showcase himself.
“I ain’t really proved nothing to nobody, man,” Shannon said after practice. “I’m just looking to dominate, showcase my talent, win these games, be the best version of myself.”
The Wolves will expect Shannon to be their leading scorer in Vegas and pick up the best opposing wing or guard. They want him to dominate games.
Jaylen Clark
Clark enters his second Summer League, having been a pleasant surprise for the Wolves last season. Coming off an Achilles injury, he showed an elite ability to defend multiple positions and an energy on offense that often led to easy baskets.
His Summer League expectations are relatively straightforward. Hanson will trust Clark to guard multiple different positions, including center, while looking for him to knock down open shots.
Leonard Miller
Miller comes into his third Summer League with a chance to capture a role on the Wolves after Luka Garza and Josh Minott departed. Experts projected Miller to be an athletic big who can defend multiple positions while also stretching the floor on offense with his shooting ability after one season with the G league ignite back in 2022-23.
In Summer League last year, Miller shone on the defensive end and rebounding. However, the Wolves will likely be looking for him to take a step with his offensive consistency and decision-making.
Joan Beringer
Beringer rounds out the players on the Summer League roster who realistically could see playing time. The 19-year-old rookie from France is exceptionally raw, having only played basketball for three full seasons.
However, Beringer’s defensive instincts pop. He routinely finds himself in the right spots on defense by trusting his instincts. He has the potential to be a lob threat and has worked hard on developing a mid-range jump shot.
Joan Beringer is raw, he’s toolsy, and he might just be the most intriguing defensive prospect in the 2025 NBA Draft class.
At 7’0” in shoes with a stupid 7’4.5” wingspan, Beringer swallows up space like a vacuum—fluid, long, and annoying to deal with on the perimeter. The… pic.twitter.com/8WCyzYzk2m
— NBA Draft Dude
(@CoreyTulaba) June 22, 2025
Like Dillingham, Shannon, Clark, and Miller before him, Beringer will be a rookie on a contending team this season. Therefore, the Wolves will likely be keeping a close eye on his decision-making and ability to follow a game plan.
Players fighting for a spot
Jesse Edwards makes his return to the Wolves Summer League team after signing a second two-way contract with Minnesota. He’s a relative unknown, having only played 5 minutes with the team last season. Like Miller, he’s trying to earn a role. However, due to his limited play, it isn’t a lock that he stays in Minnesota.
Tristen Newton is in a similar place to Edwards. The Timberwolves signed his qualifying offer, making him a restricted free agent. However, Newton played only 8 mins for the Wolves last season after he won the national championship with Connecticut. His biggest growth point is still developing a three-point shot.
Rocco Zikarsky rounds out the likely to make the roster but not the locks section. The Australian rookie was signed to a two-way contract, meaning he will likely spend time in Minnesota and Iowa during the 2025-26 season. Zikarsky, 19, is already towering at 7’3”, and views himself as a defense-first center who would like to develop a three-point shot.
Players looking for a home
Some have NBA experience
Amari Bailey joins the Wolves summer league a year after the Charlotte Hornets drafted him with the 41st overall pick. He logged just 65 minutes last year for the Hornets and only shot 33.3% from the field and 1 of 8 from three.
Jamal Cain played with the New Orleans Pelicans last season after his first two seasons in Miami. In his 81 NBA games, he’s averaged 12.4 minutes. The 6’7” wingman like Bailey is looking to prove that he has solidified a jump shot after shooting 33.6% from three in his career.
Others are G League veterans
Martez Brown played for the Iowa Wolves last season and averaged 7.6 points and 6.9 rebounds in 33 games. Brown went undrafted in 2023-24 and has upside as a rim-running power forward.
Nojel Eastern is another Iowa Wolves player making the squad. He averaged 13.3 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 2.9 assists last season in Iowa over 26 games. Eastern has been with the Iowa Wolves for two seasons after going undrafted out of Purdue in 2020-21. He’s a two-time Big Ten All-Defensive team player who has steadily developed his offensive game and is looking to make his NBA debut.
Babacar Sane is the third Iowa Wolves player looking to showcase his talents in Summer League. He’s been in the G League for three seasons before finishing the 2024-25 season in Iowa. His 8.7 points per game and 3.9 rebounds popped for Iowa, but he is also looking to prove he has a consistent jumper after shooting 31.1% from distance last year.
Overlooked rookies trying to break into the league
CJ Fulton was one of the first undrafted signings of the Wolves. The Irish point guard appears to be a Chris Finch-type player, though. His 5-1 assist-to-turnover ratio from his last year at the College of Charleston fits the backup point guard model the Wolves have favored in the past. Fulton is likely a long shot to make the team, but he could become a true point guard.
Des Watson was the second undrafted Wolves signing and is looking to show that his junior season (2023-24) is more representative of his talents, in which he shot 38.6% from three-point range for Loyola Chicago. In his senior season, he became a less efficient player. His three-point percentage dropped to 33.5%, and his rebounding decreased from 4.6 rebounds per game in his junior season to 3.7 rebounds last year. The hope is that Watson’s senior season was just an outlier and not a step backward.
The Wolves could win it all in Vegas
Minnesota’s Summer League roster will be loaded with players who have taken various paths to get to the NBA. There will be plenty of competition, from players vying for a spot in the rotation to those seeking a roster spot.
The Wolves will have plenty to evaluate and decisions to make; they still have a two-way contract and a full-time roster spot to fill. That means the Wolves Summer League team, from top to bottom, will have a lot at stake.