Ryan Saunders has warned against reading too much into his lineup decisions all preseason.
Just because Jake Layman started the first preseason game of the year in Phoenix didn’t mean he would start the season opener Oct. 23 in Brooklyn. The same can be said for Treveon Graham, who’s started the Timberwolves’ past two preseason games and was running with the starters early in practice Monday.
The reality is, no decision has been made on Saunders’ end. Jeff Teague, Robert Covington, Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns will start. Who will join them remains a mystery.
The Wolves play an exhibition at Indiana on Tuesday before winding up the preseason Thursday in Milwaukee.
“These next two games are going to be big in terms of figuring that out,” Saunders said. “And once again, I’ll say don’t read into who that fifth starter is (Tuesday), or even in Milwaukee because we’re trying to see who’s best in certain situations, too.”
Saunders said there isn’t a “hard deadline” on making decisions about the fifth starting spot, or other parts of the rotation. And what he goes with for nex Wednesday’s regular-season opener in Brooklyn might not be what he goes with two nights later in Charlotte.
“It could be something where that fifth starter is fluid,” he said. “We’re still working through that.”
That would be fine with his players. There are those around the league who prefer to know when and for how long they’ll play in a game; Graham isn’t one of them. Start him or don’t, he said, “It doesn’t really make a difference to me.”
“Before the game, just let me know what my role is, whether it be the starting lineup or coming off the bench,” he said. “Wherever my role is for that game, I just want to do whatever it takes to help the team win.”
Graham noted when he is told what his role will be on a specific night, it can alter his film preparation. He studies up before a game regardless, but if he’s going to start, he’ll do added work diving into the specific player he’ll be guarding at the start of that night’s contest.
“Offensively,” he added, “I attack it all the same way.”
Saunders doesn’t think his team will struggle with any lineup fluidity, calling the Wolves’ roster “a professional group.” It would be different if he were swapping three or four players out of the starting lineup from one night to the next.
“Then that’s where guys are all, ‘OK, when am I coming in? Is this structured? What’s going on?’ ” Saunders said. “But if it’s something where it’s kind of fluid with one guy or one position, I think players can handle that.”
Specifically, these players. Many of the Wolves’ new additions — from Graham to Layman to Noah Vonleh, Jordan Bell and Shabazz Napier — have been in and out of the lineup at some point in their career, some as recently as last season.
“We’re not really worried too much about when we’re going to go in,” Layman said. “You’ve got to always stay ready, and I think the good thing is a lot of guys on our bench have been there before, when they haven’t known when they’re going to play in a game, and always being ready.”
BELL UPDATE
Bell has missed each of the Wolves’ first three preseason games with a left calf strain. Saunders wasn’t sure if Bell would make his team debut Tuesday in Indiana, noting the team would have to see how things went in Monday’s practice. “We want to make sure that we’re smart about things,” the coach said.
ROSTER MOVES
The Timberwolves waived former Gophers forward Jordan Murphy, as well as Lindell Wigginton on Monday to make room for Tyus Battle and Barry Brown Jr., signed Monday to the training camp roster. All four will likely play for the Iowa Wolves in the G-League this season.
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