Guys, this is going to be the Joan experience. He’s ridiculously talented but is still raw. He needs game reps, and it’s going to be incredible one night and tear your eyes out bad the next. Take a deep breath and enjoy the ride. It’s all about those flashes of good becoming more and more frequent. It’s about what he can be on a night to night basis come April, not October.

I would've only noticed Julius because it wouldn't have even crossed my mind that Naz was the Hornets player guarding him. Once I realized it, I'd take it to my grave that the video was AI-generated.

There’s an NBA player in there. He needs to get stronger and the shooting is bad… but he moves like an NBA player and he sees the court so well. He’s got a lot of work to do to make it on the Timberwolves, but he’s someone I’m intrigued by.

I still look at Cody as a worth it flier to bring in the building. We’ll have genuine insight to the Timberwolves thoughts on him by November 2nd when his $7.7m team option decision for the 2027-28 season is due. I’d be surprised if the Wolves picked it up, as they’ll need every cent next offseason to resign Donte and/or potentially make a run at keeping Kuminga. If they do pick it up, it’s a sign of a very high opinion of him in house and I would go as far as saying he could be a surprise rotation player at some point this season. Because that feels far fetched, I’d expect them to decline that option by 11/2 and reap the $7.7m in space next summer. They’d still have his bird rights to sign him to a prove it deal similar to Jaylen Clark if does leave a great impression this season. You really can’t afford to pay a non rotation player $7.7m in the 2nd apron era.

A few takeaways from the Wolves first preseason game in Milwaukee: 1.) LaMelo’s decisiveness. He rarely over dribbled and kept the ball moving. He truly embodies the shoot, pass, drive .5 mentality, and it’s easy to see why the Wolves were so ecstatic to bring him into Finch’s flow philosophy. I understand why the turnover volume is so high after half of a preseason game. He plays so fast and is so willing to get creative with passes that sometimes it just doesn’t workout. If Minnesota can refine Ball some, this is going to be electric. 2.) Christmas for Rudy. Rudy has always reached another gear when he’s involved in the offense. Minnesota has personnel to keep him in the loop, and Rudy is running the court with intention as he knows he’ll get paid if he beats his man down the court. The Timberwolves could easily claim the title of Lob City this year. 3.) Off-Ball Ant As expected, the biggest beneficiary of LaMelo’s playmaking, ball movement, and gravity is Ant. Minnesota was able to manufacture easier scoring situations early and often. That’s an exciting proposition for the Timberwolves moving forward. The Timberwolves also have something here with the LaMelo and Ant two man game. The small-small pick and roll feels like it’ll be a staple. Some things to clean up as there were plenty of illegal screen calls, but that’s what the preseason is for. 4.) Bench unit chaos Thankful for Ayo, as the 2nd unit will have some kinks to work out. I’m curious to watch TJ’s role on a team with so many capable scoring ball handlers, but him and Beringer could average a combined 10 fouls a night. Fortunately there’s plenty of depth at guard and the wing, but Minnesota feels like they could use another big. That said, this unit has a ton of potential. It’ll be interesting to see who wins that 9th man spot between Lyles and Clark, but this unit feels like a weakness that has legitimate potential to turn into a strength come spring. TJ and Beringer just need every night game reps. There are going to be ups and downs, but the end destination is very tantalizing to think about. It’s also never that bad of a unit when a player the caliber of Ayo is your 6th man. 5.) Jaden is automatic Shot volume will be limited for Jaden, but despite the limited attempts, Jaden flashed steady efficiency. His midrange game is such a weapon, especially in a broken floor end of shot clock situations he can bail Minnesota out with two points. Even with Kuminga on the roster, Jaden will firmly establish himself as the teams third option. 6.) Kuminga compliments this roster and philosophy It was a solid showing, I liked how he was woven into the offense. He had a screen for an Ant 3 so well executed it surprised me. He’s such a danger as a roll man too where if the defense is late or lazy on a screen/switch he’s going to get grade A looks. I just hope that if Jaden does take a leap and is getting a higher amount of looks than expected Kuminga can stay locked in. 7.) The defensive potential is evident. Minnesota has so many big strong athletes on the wing. While there were mistakes and breakdowns, the overall commitment to making rotations was great. The mistake are fixable as guys better understand scheme and how to play off personnel.

Phil’s right here. There’s also meat on the bone for this offense. If you’re arguing in good faith (hard bar to reach on here I know), you have to at least acknowledge injuries have played a role in the slow offensive start. Kyler started to find a rhythm despite it in the second half. I’m not going to hand-waive away the bad because of it, but my point is that there is a real possibility the offense can start stacking on that rhythm. If they do, especially as JJ, Darrisaw, and Mason get back, there’s no reason the Vikings offense can’t settle into being an average-above average offense. So if there is incremental improvement week to week as guys get healthy, then yeah… this now not only becomes a sustainable formula with this defense, but they still have the potential to round into a very, very competitive football team.

Yeah… no matter what happens, it’s going to be highly entertaining to watch unfold.

Donte DiVincenzo is going to slide into this Timberwolves rotation seamlessly when he’s healthy.

There’s already more two man synergy between LaMelo and Ant than there was between Julius and KAT with Ant.

Jaden McDaniels looks poised for a major leap.

This Timberwolves second unit is going to be chaotic, but the raw talent is off the charts. Really looking forward to seeing if that trio of Ayo, TJ, and Beringer can gel together.

This is it. The Vikings are still 4-0, so you’re looking to see if you can begin stacking positive possessions from the 2nd half. Can the budding rapport with Hockenson not only continue, but extend to JJ when he’s back or even Addison? Once Mason gets back, can you be more effective on the ground and allow the offense the entirety of the playbook? If you can figure a few things out and become an above average offense with this defense, it’s going to net out as a good team capable of beating anyone on a given night.

I get it, the Vikings haven’t looked great offensively, but what are we doing here? I’m personally looking for that rhythm Kyler caught in the second half to translate over to the next one and see if you can start stacking on a rapport with a healthy JJ. Maybe the ground game starts to approach respectable with Mason back and you can start opening up the entire playbook. The Vikings are 4-0. It’s not been pretty but the one stat that matters at the end of the day is the score. Minnesota now has some breathing room to figure things out and remain in the playoff hunt. I’m excited to see what they can stack onto the 2nd half moving forward.