What We Learned from Wolves Summer League

Typically, the answer is “not much” – but the Vegas Wolves featured players that could play a bigger role for the top team this coming season. What did we see that actually matters?

“It’s just Summer League anyway.”

Sorry, I don’t know what that means! Do you really think that I’m not going to watch the Summer League version of the 48-win Phoenix Suns that missed the playoffs and NOT have any takeaways? You’re sorely mistaken.

The Minnesota Timberwolves are a little over two months away from the start of the preseason, and hopefully the last two weeks gave us an inkling or two on how they’ll go about reshaping the rotation for the coming season.

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Terrence Shannon Jr. Will Make The “Nickeil Role” His Own

As soon as Nickeil Alexander-Walker’s sign and trade to the Atlanta Hawks became official, or perhaps even before, a major question for the Wolves was, “how, and by who will his role be filled?”

The early favorite heading into Las Vegas was the second-year 24 year old, and I think it’s safe to say he locked up the lion’s share of those minutes up and threw away the key in his three games played.

Shannon was fifth amongst all Summer Leaguers in scoring averaging 22.7 points on 47 percent shooting. Most impressively, he did it at high volume (14 attempts per game).

Moreover than his impressive statlines game after game, Shannon continued to show can incredible explosiveness that wowed fans in the spurts that he played last season, and his fearlessness on the fastbreak was an immense asset, whether in Summer League or the Western Conference Finals.

All to say, I think it was a wake up call for me in that i’m looking at the “Nickeil role” being filled incorrectly. What made Alexander-Walker awesome in his development with Minnesota was how he came into his own as a player, identified what he did best, and did it over again. Shannon is going to do the same thing, and possibly change the makeup of this team in doing so.

What he lacks to NAW in spotting up and shooting can be made up in his superior ability to collapse defenses and push pace that this team desperately needs; in what he lacks in on-ball defensive instincts he can perhaps make up in size. You get what I mean.

By the way, the shot for Shannon looked to be improved (38 percent from three in Las Vegas).

Will he be as good Alexander-Walker? Possibly, not likely right away. Nickeil turned into a pretty good player. But the differences he can bring to the table with his skillset can perhaps shift this team’s strengths to be a new set of problems for other teams.

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Rob Dillingham Just Needs To Play More Basketball

The emotions you had watching Rob Dillingham’s Summer League could very well reflect them in watching him play this coming season.

Paired with the, “NO, STOP!”s were probably a few, “wow, play him tomorrow!”s, and I think that’s the reality that faces the second year guard as he tries to find his way into an extended role on this team. The cure to figuring out which side of that spectrum he ultimately heads down? He just has to play more.

The reality is that young guards, especially undersized ones, just take a little longer to develop. Whether Payton Pritchard, Jalen Brunson, or even Darius Garland, it took time and tons of game reps to round things out. It just remains to be seen if the Wolves can afford Dillingham that flexibility (and obviously if he can reach that level).

Vegas can be reflective of this for Dillingham. His first two games being stinkers, specifically a 4-14 performance from the field in game one, he got better in his last two, showing more control of the floor and pace of the game, while being decisive in getting to his spots inside the perimeter.

Two ways to be able to chisel his game with the main team are rounding out his finishing at the rim and building additional rapport with Rudy Gobert off of screens. Both things interconnected, the young guard’s life will become much easier, and perhaps Chris Finch can rest a bit easier giving a 38 year old Mike Conley some extended rest.

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Joan Beringer Will Play In Non-Garbage Time Spots

In writing about Beringer and how he could possibly fit with the Wolves before the draft, I talked about the lanky French Center as developmental project that likely wouldn’t touch the floor in any non-garage time way as a rookie unless something went very, very wrong.

At this point, I’m willing to say that I could be wrong in the latter. Still a developmental project, Beringer struggles mightily to defend without fouling, and that’s only going to become a bigger issue facing real NBA competition.

That said, he flashed his rim protection and athleticism enough to see him on the floor in short spells this season in which the Luka Garza “end of the bench” role is called upon. Especially this season with a 33 year old Rudy Gobert perhaps hovering around the 70 games played mark, there could be enough game action to be able to evaluate where Beringer is at in NBA competition. Though nowhere near ready for a rotation spot, it could be fun for the Wolves to dip their toe into the pool when appropriate.

But PLEASE, can we not do the “Beringer should get minutes!” thing when Gobert inevitably goes through a lull?

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Rocco Zikarsky Can Safely Look At Two-Year Leases in Des Moines

No disrespect, but the writing is on the wall simply with minutes played in Vegas for the Australian rookie.

Playing just under eight minutes per game and 40 in total, Zikarsky has a long way to go to sharpen up his tools. Not to get conflated with him not being good, the tools are clearly there, but Zikarsky is the definition of a project that needs time in Iowa to bring himself to be a role player.

Based on initial interviews and the press conference that took place, it’s clear Zikarsky has a refreshing self-awareness about his game and knowing what he can bring to an NBA team; half the battle. He has a lot of potential as a shot blocker and I was particularly surprised with his passing and ability to move up the floor.

But the frontcourt is crowded right now, and the Aussie finds himself in an ideal no-rush spot to find his groove against players in the G League currently in a similar spot as him (and you’d have to feel bad for any basketball in the paint if him and Beringer see the floor together in Des Moines).