Timberwolves Rumors

Wizards, Bucks, Wolves Among Teams Exploring Roster-Trimming Trades

October 19th, 2024 at 11:28am CST by Tristan Tucker

With teams finalizing rosters ahead of Monday’s cut-down deadline, there could be a flurry of activity from teams exploring avenues to keep players on crowded rosters. According to Spotrac’s Keith Smith (Twitter link), several luxury tax teams are exploring moving off salary in an effort to keep other players they like.

While the Wizards aren’t a luxury tax team, they’re one of the many teams looking to make a move before Monday’s roster deadline. As NBA insider Jake Fischer reports (Threads link), the Wizards want to keep Jared Butler around on the 15-man roster. Butler is on a non-guaranteed contract, which made him a release candidate, but he played well in the preseason, averaging 6.8 points and 4.2 assists in 14.3 minutes per game across five outings.

That could lead the Wizards to explore trading or even cutting former No. 10 overall pick Johnny Davis, according to Fischer. The Wizards aren’t expected to exercise Davis’ fourth-year option and while he hit a clutch shot in Friday’s preseason finale, he struggled this preseason and through his two NBA years with shooting efficiency.

However, outright cutting Davis would mean not being able to use his $5.3MM salary to help facilitate trades later down the road. It’s possible Washington agrees to a bigger trade before the beginning of the regular season or considers waiving another player.

As we outlined earlier today, it’s important to note that while most teams will make cuts Saturday, that’s not really an issue for the Wizards. The main wave of cuts today are mostly going to be non-guaranteed contracts and since teams like the Wizards cutting guaranteed salary would be eating dead money anyway, they have until Monday’s deadline to come to a decision.

We have more trade rumors from around the league:

The Bucks have informed rival teams of early interest in trading third-year wing MarJon Beauchamp, according to Fischer (Threads link). Beauchamp was the 24th overall pick in 2022 by the Bucks, so their willingness to move him is noteworthy. Across his first two seasons in the league, he’s averaged 4.8 points and 2.1 rebounds. While Fischer suggests the Bucks could be looking to acquire a defensive-minded wing, Smith notes via Twitter that Milwaukee has also expressed interest in re-signing Thanasis Antetokounmpo — moving Beauchamp without taking a player back would open up that opportunity. Antetokounmpo is expected to miss the season while recovering from an Achilles tear, so signing him would be for his locker room presence, which Smith says is “prized” by both the franchise and his brother Giannis.
The Timberwolves have looked into trade options for recently acquired forward Keita Bates-Diop, according to Fischer (Threads link). Bates-Diop was rerouted a couple of times this summer, going from the Nets to the Knicks in the Mikal Bridges trade before landing with Minnesota in the Karl-Anthony Towns blockbuster. Bates-Diop is set to make just under $2.7MM this season and with the Wolves already about $17MM over the second tax apron, they’d prefer to move off his salary rather than eating it. Moving Bates-Diop is also about finding a way to keep PJ Dozier on the roster. The Wolves have 15 players on guaranteed salaries, plus Dozier on a partially guaranteed deal. Dozier is a favorite of president of basketball operations Tim Connelly.
Celtics guard Lonnie Walker IV‘s Exhibit 10 status is noteworthy, as he was seen as a bargain signing by the reigning champions at the time, but they have tight finances as a team well over the second apron. Still, Walker’s impressive preseason puts Boston in an interesting position, and Fischer indicates the Celtics have considered keeping him around. If they retained Walker through the season and made no other changes, Boston would have to make approximately $9MM in projected tax payments on top of Walker’s minimum-salary contract due to their position against the second apron. However, that amount isn’t calculated until the end of the season, so the Celtics may explore trading Jaden Springer as late as February’s trade deadline so they can keep Walker, Fischer reports.
[UPDATE: The Celtics are waiving Walker.]
The Pistons may be the primary contact for any team looking to make salary- or roster-trimming trades, Smith notes (Twitter link). The Pistons have an open roster spot and $10.2MM in cap space, putting them in position to accommodate players like Davis, Beauchamp, Bates-Diop or Springer if their teams were willing to attach draft capital.

Timberwolves Notes: Garza, Minott, Edwards, Lloyd

October 19th, 2024 at 8:27am CST by Tristan Tucker

Timberwolves center Luka Garza had a dominant college career, but he’s had to take a more patient approach to his NBA tenure. After averaging 24.1 points and 8.7 rebounds during his AP Player of the Year senior season, Garza has only appeared in 85 NBA games, with modest averages of 5.5 points and 2.3 rebounds per contest.

After impressing in the G League and during limited NBA minutes, Garza signed a multiyear standard contract in July. According to The Athletic’s Jon Krawzynski, Garza is battling several players for the 11th spot in the Timberwolves’ rotation this fall. He got the chance to prove his worth against Nuggets superstar center Nikola Jokic in a recent preseason game and recorded 29 points and nine rebounds.

“I know how rare these kinds of opportunities come, especially like this. And a chance to play against the best player in the world and start against him,” Garza said. “It’s an awesome opportunity. So I wanted to go out there and do whatever I could do, stay present, stay in the moment and not let it pass by without taking advantage of it.”

Rudy Gobert, Anthony Edwards, Mike Conley, Jaden McDaniels, Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo, Naz Reid and Nickeil Alexander-Walker appear to be the top rotation options in Minnesota. That leaves Garza, third-year forward Josh Minott, veteran Joe Ingles and rookies Rob Dillingham and Terrence Shannon competing for minutes this year.

“Luka’s crazy because you watch Luka work every day and he comes in and he works the same,” Dillingham said. “He might not get a chance every game, but he always is ready. It just shows from the weight room to the gym to everybody. Just watching him makes you want to play with him because you know he’s been working.”

We have more Timberwolves notes:

Minott had an impressive offseason and preseason and is among the players pushing for a rotation role, according to Chris Hine of StarTribune. “I’d probably say three-fourths into last year I switched my mental. I used to fear a lot,” Minott said. “Coming into the league, I was scared of messing up, scared of making mistakes. I wanted to be the perfect player. I wanted to impress the coach and all this other stuff. And now it’s just like not only was that not healthy mentally but it wasn’t helping me to stress like that.” Head coach Chris Finch continues to refer to Minott, who averaged 13.0 points in his five preseason games, as an X-factor.
Edwards helped Team USA win the gold medal in this summer’s Olympics and his teammates feel that experience will have a major impact on his 2024/25 season. “I’m not trying to put him as a little bro, but it felt like that,” USA teammate Kevin Durant said, per Hine. “When you wake up in the morning and your little bro got the most energy. That was Ant. It was a joy to be around him.”
An insatiable thirst for knowledge contributed to Timberwolves general manager Matt Lloyd‘s rise up the ranks of NBA front offices, which helped him land his current position, Krawczynski writes. “He’s one of the most well-respected guys in our profession,” Wolves president of basketball operation Tim Connelly said. “He’s got the acumen and the work ethic and he’s got a wonderful emotional IQ. Someone really smart is going to hire him as their president.“

Wolves’ Omoruyi, Lakers’ Goodwin Among Latest Players Waived

October 18th, 2024 at 4:46pm CST by Luke Adams

The Timberwolves have waived forward Eugene Omoruyi, the team announced today (via Twitter). Omoruyi had been in training camp with Minnesota on a non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 contract.

While it initially looked like there might be a path for Omoruyi to compete for a roster spot, that became a more uphill battle following the Karl-Anthony Towns trade, which added two extra players on guaranteed contracts to Minnesota’s roster. The team now has 15 players with fully guaranteed salaries, plus PJ Dozier on a partially guaranteed deal, leaving no room for Omoruyi, who only got into one preseason game.

Omoruyi, 27, has played for the Mavericks, Thunder, Pistons, and Wizards since making his NBA debut in the fall of 2021. The 6’7″ forward made a career-high 43 appearances for Washington last season, averaging 4.8 PPG, 2.0 RPG, and 0.8 APG in 9.1 MPG. His contract with the Wizards covered the 2024/25 season, but his salary was non-guaranteed and Washington opted to waive him in August.

Since Omoruyi had an Exhibit 10 clause in his contract, he’d be able to earn a $77.5K bonus if he ends up spending at least 60 days with the Iowa Wolves, Minnesota’s G League affiliate. He also still has one year of two-way eligibility remaining, so he could get a look from teams with an open two-way slot.

Here are a few more of the latest minor moves from around the NBA:

The Lakers announced on Friday that they have waived guard Jordan Goodwin and center Kylor Kelley and signed Grayson Murphy to an Exhibit 10 deal (Twitter link via Dave McMenamin of ESPN). All three players will likely be headed to the South Bay Lakers to open 2024/25.
The Cavaliers have placed Darius Brown II and Elijah Hughes on waivers, according to NBA.com’s official transaction log. Both players will likely report to the Cleveland Charge, the Cavs’ G League affiliate, where their Exhibit 10 contracts will allow them to earn bonuses worth up to $77.5K apiece. Brown is eligible to be designated as an “affiliate player,” while Hughes’ returning rights were acquired by the Charge earlier this month.
About 24 hours after signing him to an Exhibit 10 contract, the Trail Blazers have waived center Nick Muszynski, per NBA.com. His next stop figures to be with the Rip City Remix, Portland’s NBAGL team.
The Kings have signed free agent forward Shareef O’Neal to a training camp deal and plan to waive him on Saturday, according to Jake Gadon of CBS Sacramento (Twitter link). O’Neal, the son of Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal, will head to the Stockton Kings and will be eligible for a bonus worth up to $77.5K if he spends at least 60 days with Stockton.

Rory Maher contributed to this post.

And-Ones: Neto, Rookie Scale Extensions, 15th Men, More

October 16th, 2024 at 2:10pm CST by Luke Adams

Veteran point guard Raul Neto has signed with Pinheiros Basquete in his home country of Brazil, the team announced in a press release.

Neto, the 47th overall pick in the 2013 draft, made his NBA debut in 2015 and spent eight seasons in the league, appearing in 435 regular season games with four teams. He signed with the Turkish club Fenerbahce during the 2023 offseason, then ruptured the patellar tendon in his right knee while representing Brazil during last year’s World Cup and missed the entire 2023/24 season.

Neto said in a statement that he’s in the “final stages” of his recovery from that knee injury.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

The contracts signed within the past year by Immanuel Quickley (five years, $162.5MM) and Jaden McDaniels (five years, $131MM) are the ones coming up most often in rookie scale extension negotiations this fall, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said on his Hoop Collective podcast (YouTube link). “Those are two contracts that are being referred to a lot and are looked at as sort of the break-even line for some of these agents,” Windhorst said. “Like, ‘I can’t have my guy get less than Quickly got’ or ‘I can’t have my guy get less than, you know, Devin Vassell,” (who) got a similar contract (five years, $135MM) to McDaniels as well. Those seem to be the ranges that we’re talking about.”
Keith Smith of Spotrac takes an interesting, in-depth look at the trend of teams becoming less inclined to fill their 15th roster spot – especially early in the season – and considers the factors that have pushed clubs in that direction.
The NBA is expected to update its policy on cell phone and social media use by players and coaches between the start and end of games, according to Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter link), who explains what the revised rules will look like and why they’re a priority for the league.
Fred Katz of The Athletic runs through some notable preseason developments from around the NBA that have caught his eye, including Isaiah Stewart‘s usage at center for the Pistons, the Timberwolves deploying Donte DiVincenzo as a ball-handler, and Julian Strawther‘s strong preseason for the Nuggets.
Diamond Sports Group is asking a judge to approve an agreement that will allow FanDuel to become the new naming sponsor of the Bally Sports networks for the 2024/25 season, reports Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic (Twitter links). The deal, which could become a longer-term arrangement if Diamond Sports exits bankruptcy, would give FanDuel a 5% stake in the company, Vorkunnov adds.

Injury Notes: Shamet, Randle, Bassey, Suns

October 16th, 2024 at 7:50am CST by Luke Adams

Knicks guard Landry Shamet injured his right shoulder during the third quarter of Tuesday’s preseason game against Charlotte, falling to the floor in pain after swiping at the ball on defense (Twitter video link). While the team has yet to offer a formal diagnosis on Shamet’s injury, it looked as if his shoulder was “dislodged from the socket,” writes Stefan Bondy of The New York Post.

The update on Shamet will be an important one, since the Knicks were counting on him to make the roster as the 13th man despite his non-guaranteed contract. The team is facing serious roster restrictions related to its hard cap and won’t be able to carry a full 15-man squad, so if Shamet is ruled out for an extended period, it may not make sense for New York to hang onto him for the start of the season due to depth concerns.

Shamet’s Exhibit 9 contract ensures he would receive $15K if he’s waived while still recovering from an injury he sustained in the preseason. If he’s cut, it would create a path for another veteran – possibly a camp invitee like T.J. Warren or Chuma Okeke – to make the roster. In that scenario, Shamet could sign a new contract with the Knicks later in the season, once he’s healthy.

Here are a few more injury-related updates from around the NBA:

Veteran forward Julius Randle will make his Timberwolves debut on Wednesday vs. Chicago, head coach Chris Finch confirmed on Tuesday (Twitter link via Ian Begley of SNY.tv). Besides being Randle’s first game as a member of his new team, it’ll also be his first game since he underwent season-ending shoulder surgery in April — he spent the offseason recovering from that procedure, so the Wolves will be keeping a close eye on how the should responds on Wednesday.
Spurs center Charles Bassey suited up and took the court on Tuesday for the first time since suffering an ACL tear last December, as Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News details. Bassey, who had four points and four rebounds in 10 second-half minutes vs. Miami, earned praise from head coach Gregg Popovich for his energy and said he was relieved that his knee wasn’t an issue. “I didn’t know how I would feel and I didn’t know if I was going to play,” Bassey said. “Overall, I felt good. I was moving well. It was great.”
Suns guard Devin Booker, who has missed the past two preseason games due to right ankle soreness, should be “ready to go” after scrimmaging on Tuesday, per head coach Mike Budenholzer (story via Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic). However, Jusuf Nurkic (finger) and Grayson Allen (Achilles) will likely need a little more time. “Nurkic, I think, hasn’t had any contact, hasn’t done any basketball,” Budenholzer said. “He’s been doing a great job with his conditioning, but there’s nothing like playing basketball. And really the same thing for Grayson. Really hasn’t done basketball things since (the first preseason game). I think those guys, it’s going to take them a little bit more, but (Tuesday) was a great first step.”

Skylar Mays Waived By Timberwolves, Close To Signing With Fenerbahce

October 15th, 2024 at 4:43pm CST by Luke Adams

4:43pm: Mays has been waived by Minnesota, the team’s PR department announced (via Twitter). That paves the way for him to sign with Fenerbahce.

8:35am: Timberwolves guard Skylar Mays is close to reaching a deal to join the Turkish club Fenerbahce, according to reports from Eurohoops and Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews. Arale Weisberg of Walla Sport (Twitter link) first reported that Fenerbahce was in talks with Mays.

Fenerbahce is on the lookout for backcourt help after veteran guard Scottie Wilbekin sustained a torn ACL that is expected to sideline him for the entire 2024/25 season.

Although Mays is technically under contract with the Timberwolves for now, he’s on a non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 deal, so the expectation is that he’ll be waived before the regular season tips off. The Iowa Wolves – Minnesota’s G League affiliate – acquired Mays’ returning rights last month, signaling that they hoped to have him on the roster this fall, but the 27-year-old will almost certainly earn more with Fenerbahce than he would in the NBAGL.

The 50th overall pick in the 2020 draft, Mays has appeared in 105 games across four seasons for the Hawks, Trail Blazers, and Lakers. The 6’3″ guard, who played his college ball at LSU, split his time between Portland and L.A. last season, appearing in 38 total NBA games and averaging 4.1 points, 2.2 assists, and 1.1 rebounds in 11.4 minutes per contest. He owns a career shooting line of .445/.345/.859.

Mays was rumored to be considering a move overseas earlier in the offseason — an August report indicated that he was drawing some interest from Olimpia Milano in Italy.

Knicks Notes: DiVincenzo, Bridges, Towns, Toughness

October 15th, 2024 at 1:26pm CST by Luke Adams

Before facing his former team in New York on Sunday, Donte DiVincenzo dismissed the notion that he was disgruntled by the possibility of a role reduction with the Knicks following their acquisition of Mikal Bridges.

Multiple reports in the wake of the trade sending DiVincenzo from the Knicks to the Timberwolves suggested he wasn’t thrilled about potentially moving to the bench after a career year, with one claiming he was “really unhappy” about the idea. DiVincenzo called that “completely untrue,” as Stefan Bondy of The New York Post relays.

“Obviously everyone wants to start coming off the season I had last year, but I also understand that there’s different lineups and different combinations that teams want to get to – I understand that. It was never a thing of, ‘Oh, we got Mikal, I’m pissed off.’ I was super excited,” DiVincenzo told Bondy. “Take the Villanova s–t out of it, I was super excited because we have a very good player coming back to the team. And you get OG (Anunoby) back, now you’re looking at, ‘Wow we’re going to be really good.’

“There was never a conversation of my role was going to be diminished. There was never a conversation that my minutes would be diminished. It was the outside assumption and ran with it and it was untrue.”

While DiVincenzo admitted that he was caught off guard when he first heard about his move to Minnesota, he said he got on board with the deal quickly and that he’s not holding any sort of grudge toward the Knicks for trading him away after a year in which he set the franchise’s single-season record for three-pointers.

“Initially, you never want to get traded. So I was kind of upset, I was kind of hurt,” DiVincenzo said. “… And my mind went right to (the Timberwolves). …. It was an easy transition. There were no angry feelings, no mad feelings, nothing like that. It was an initial, ‘Damn, I got traded.’ And you move on to the next thing. It was all love.”

Here’s more on the Knicks:

Having expressed enthusiasm about how his own roster looks after the Karl-Anthony Towns trade, Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch also heaped praise on the Knicks for the work they’ve done to upgrade their squad since last season ended, per Adam Zagoria of NJ.com. “I mean, how can you not like this team?” Finch asked rhetorically. “They got two-way players all over the place. That’s what you gotta you have in the game to win today at a high level. … They have great versatility, they’re gonna spread you out, they got toughness, they’re super well-coached. I think (Bridges and Towns) naturally fit into Tom (Thibodeau)‘s personality and system.”
After playing alongside a four-time Defensive Player of the Year center (Rudy Gobert) for the last two seasons, Towns will have to adjust to playing the five in New York and take on the defensive responsibilities that come along with his new role. As Peter Botte of The New York Post details, Towns is embracing that challenge. “It’s just accepting the responsibility of being the person who’s quarterbacking and anchoring the defense,” Towns said, adding that wings like Bridges, Anunoby, and Josh Hart will help make life easier for him.
The Knicks’ roster looks more talented than last season’s group, but will it be able to match the toughness of the 2023/24 squad after losing DiVincenzo, Julius Randle, and Isaiah Hartenstein? Steve Popper of Newsday considers that question.

Timberwolves Notes: DiVincenzo, Towns, Randle

October 14th, 2024 at 8:33am CST by Luke Adams

Timberwolves guard Donte DiVincenzo had a brief verbal altercation with Knicks assistant Rick Brunson in his return to New York on Sunday, as Chris Herring of ESPN and James L. Edwards III and Jon Krawczynski of the Athletic write. DiVincenzo and Brunson exchanged words after the game when players and coaches were shaking hands before exiting the court, but the former Knick downplayed the incident when speaking to reporters later.

“Just some words. I don’t fully know what was said. A lot of people there,” DiVincenzo said, per The Athletic. “But I really have no comment on the situation. We’re both grown men and can talk about it privately.”

“Two people talking,” Rick’s son Jalen Brunson said. “Words of affirmation.”

DiVincenzo was caught on camera in the first quarter talking to the Knicks’ bench before he attempted a free throw (Twitter video link). He explained to reporters after the game that he was sharing an inside joke with Thibodeau, though league sources tell The Athletic that some of his comments were directed to the elder Brunson. At one point, DiVincenzo appeared to say, “That’s what happens when they let you run the show.”

Here’s more on the Wolves:

DiVincenzo has “quickly become a favorite within the Timberwolves organization,” tweets Krawczynski, adding that the team loves both his skill set and mentality. Anthony Edwards expressed that sentiment during his post-game media session on Sunday, per Herring. “He makes all the right plays and shoots the cover off the ball,” Edwards said of his new teammate. “New York is definitely going to miss him.”
In a feature story for The Athletic, James L. Edwards III takes a look at DiVincenzo’s journey from a scout team decoy at Villanova to a Final Four star to one of the NBA’s most coveted role players.
Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns said there were “a lot of emotions” on Sunday reuniting with former Timberwolves teammates who were like “brothers” during his tenure in Minnesota, writes Chris Hine of The Star Tribune (subscription required). Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch had nothing but praise for his former star big man, acknowledging that it would take a while to get used to seeing Towns in a different uniform. “It’s like a death in the family in some ways,” Finch said. “You got to make it through that first year, and everything is going to be a little odd.”
In his Sunday return to New York, new Timberwolves forward Julius Randle wasn’t looking to dwell on or reminisce about his Knicks tenure, telling reporters that he has “unfinished business” to focus on in Minnesota, as Stefan Bondy of The New York Post relays. Randle also expressed enthusiasm about Finch giving him more play-making responsibilities this season. “I’m excited to be able to show that,” the veteran forward said. “Not just from the post, getting double-teamed. Finch is moving me all over the floor, allowing me to be able show that stuff. I’m excited about that.”

Nuggets Notes: Towns, Saric, Gordon, Westbrook

October 13th, 2024 at 5:50pm CST by Dana Gauruder

With Karl-Anthony Towns now a member of the Knicks, the Timberwolves no longer present major matchup problems for the Nuggets, according to Bennett Durando of the Denver Post.

Denver was eliminated by Minnesota in last season’s playoffs in part because of the Timberwolves’ big man duo of Towns and Rudy Gobert. The Nuggets’ starting lineup had scored 125.9 points per 100 possessions during the regular season, Durando notes, but that number dropped to 102.6 in the second-round series. Oklahoma City now rates as the toughest matchup for Denver as it attempts to win two titles in three seasons.

We have more on the Nuggets:

Dario Saric was added in free agency on a two-year, $10.6MM deal. The Nuggets were intrigued by his versatility, Durando writes. “I think backup five, backup four, can play with Nikola (Jokic) at times, no doubt,” coach Michael Malone said. “If we go big, play him with a guy like DeAndre Jordan. … What you love about Dario is he’s been a three-man, he’s been a four, and later in his NBA career he’s been a backup five, a small-ball five. Very skilled. Can handle it. Can pass. Can shoot. Bigger than people realize. Strong, physical. I’m excited to explore all the options that Dario will afford us.”
Aaron Gordon believes the Nuggets improved in the offseason with Saric and Russell Westbrook in the fold. “We got better,” Gordon told Matt Brooks of Nuggets.com. “I hate losing [Kentavious Caldwell-Pope] and Jeff Green, but I like our additions.”
In case you missed it, the Nuggets picked up the contract options of three key players last week. Get the details here.

Knicks Notes: Randle, DiVincenzo, Backup Centers, Kolek

October 13th, 2024 at 11:58am CST by Arthur Hill

It has only been 11 days since the trade that sent Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo to Minnesota was finalized, but they’ll return to Madison Square Garden this evening when the Knicks host the Timberwolves, writes Steve Popper of Newsday. While Randle isn’t expected to play as he continues to rehabilitate his right shoulder following surgery, fans will have a chance to welcome back DiVincenzo, who had a major role in last season’s success.

“Both him and Julius contributed so much to the organization, to the team,” coach Tom Thibodeau said. “So there’s great appreciation for them and what they did. So it’s part of our league and we certainly wish them well. I’ve got great respect for them. I know their teammates do. I know the organization does. I think our fans do as well. They were a big part of the winning.”

For most of the summer, it looked like Mikal Bridges was going to be the Knicks’ major offseason acquisition, adding another versatile forward to a roster that seemed ready to compete for an NBA title. That changed in late September when the opportunity arose to acquire Karl-Anthony Towns from Minnesota.

“I think the whole thing was quick and kind of unusual,” Josh Hart said. “A trade three days before training camp started, so that was already kind of weird because that weekend you’re kind of gearing up for training camp that upcoming Monday. So that was unusual and then obviously we’ve got to play them on Sunday. It’s a little unusual, but the NBA’s a crazy business.”

There’s more from New York City:

Since camp opened, the Knicks have been more focused on blocking outside distractions than talking about competing for a championship, according to Zach Braziller of The New York Post. “As much as we want to jump back into Game of 7 [of the Eastern Conference semifinals] last year and proceed to where we went, we have to start the journey all over,” Jalen Brunson said. “… Regardless of what people say, whether it’s positive or negative, we have to have mental toughness and just worry about what’s going on inside of this building, inside this organization.”
Thibodeau won’t have a regular backup for Towns when the season opens, Braziller adds. Jericho Sims, Ariel Hukporti and Precious Achiuwa may all see time in that role, and OG Anunoby could be used as a center in small-ball lineups. “Jericho’s athleticism is very different from most,” Thibodeau said. “Ariel is a young guy coming in, there’s a defensive component to him already. But he has to learn the offensive part of the game, and that’s coming. But both are very good.”
Second-round pick Tyler Kolek is averaging 13 points, three assists and two steals through his first two preseason games and he may be in contention for playing time as the season wears on, Braziller states in a separate story. “I’m still figuring it out, finding my pace,” Kolek said. “Maybe in practice I haven’t been as aggressive looking at the basket. So it’s been kind of intentional in these games to get those looks because then it opens up everything else with my passing.”

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