Game Report Summer League Game 2

[Lipoli390]

I probably agree with your list, Cool, but I think I’d slot Minnott above Nix, as much as I’ve enjoyed Nix in summer league. I’m comfortable with going into the season with Nix as the emergency point guard.

But I’ve been really impressed with how well Josh has taken on the challenge the coaches gave him, staying in front of his guy on defense. He’s been pretty great at that. 15 pts, 12 rebs… it seems like someone that might find a place in the rotation.

I could easily be wrong on Josh, but I see him as the equivalent of a 4A baseball player. He looks good against a lower class of players in summer league, but looks bad against true NBA competition. This is his 3rd summer league, you would hope he would be a standout by now. Again, I've been wrong before but I just don't see him as a serious contender for the rotation.

I’m with Sundog on Minott. I see your point, Cool. But Minott’s athleticism and speed are elite. He also has terrific hands and a high-octane motor. All those things combine in my mind to set Minott up for NBA success. I don’t see why he can’t be as good as Vando.

[Q-is-here]

Here are my tiers that more or less agrees with Cool's ranking:

1 - Ready right now to contribute to winning NBA games
Terrence Shannon, Jr.

2 - Line of sight to eventually contributing to winning NBA games as a rotation player, assuming he completes a couple more steps to get there
Rob Dillingham
Jaylen Clark

3 - Could play in case of emergency, but no line of sight to being in a regular NBA rotation
Daishen Nix
Jesse Edwards

4 - Don't trust him yet to play winning basketball or hold the fort down in case of emergency
Josh Minott
Leonard Miller

[Coolbreeze44]

I probably agree with your list, Cool, but I think I’d slot Minnott above Nix, as much as I’ve enjoyed Nix in summer league. I’m comfortable with going into the season with Nix as the emergency point guard.

But I’ve been really impressed with how well Josh has taken on the challenge the coaches gave him, staying in front of his guy on defense. He’s been pretty great at that. 15 pts, 12 rebs… it seems like someone that might find a place in the rotation.

I could easily be wrong on Josh, but I see him as the equivalent of a 4A baseball player. He looks good against a lower class of players in summer league, but looks bad against true NBA competition. This is his 3rd summer league, you would hope he would be a standout by now. Again, I've been wrong before but I just don't see him as a serious contender for the rotation.

I’m with Sundog on Minott. I see your point, Cool. But Minott’s athleticism and speed are elite. He also has terrific hands and a high-octane motor. All those things combine in my mind to set Minott up for NBA success. I don’t see why he can’t be as good as Vando.

Lip, Vando is an accomplished NBA defender. It's going to take more than 2 SL games to convince me Josh can play NBA defense. I hope you're right, it would be great to have a jumping jack who could also provide some size a la Ryan Hollins. I just don't see it today.

[Lipoli390]

I could easily be wrong on Josh, but I see him as the equivalent of a 4A baseball player. He looks good against a lower class of players in summer league, but looks bad against true NBA competition. This is his 3rd summer league, you would hope he would be a standout by now. Again, I've been wrong before but I just don't see him as a serious contender for the rotation.

I’m with Sundog on Minott. I see your point, Cool. But Minott’s athleticism and speed are elite. He also has terrific hands and a high-octane motor. All those things combine in my mind to set Minott up for NBA success. I don’t see why he can’t be as good as Vando.

Lip, Vando is an accomplished NBA defender. It's going to take more than 2 SL games to convince me Josh can play NBA defense. I hope you're right, it would be great to have a jumping jack who could also provide some size a la Ryan Hollins. I just don't see it today.

Time will tell, Cool. My wife and I were recalling Naz Reid’s first summer league. We were in Vegas and he caught our eye. He quickly became our favorite and we were both convinced he’d be a NBA player and that the Wolves should sign him. To be honest, I recall seeing more skill and polish in Naz than I see in Josh, but I still see Josh as a potential NBA player. He’s an elite athlete with a super high octane motor. He’s proven he a stay in front of guys consistently so far this summer league and he’s rebounding the ball really well, which tends to translate from college, Summer League or the G-League to the NBA. He still needs a more consistent perimeter shot and I’m still not sure about his basketball IQ. So I’ll confess I was never tempted to go to the betting window in Vegas and put money on Minott becoming an NBA player. But I see a realistic path for him after seeing his improvement from last summer league to this one on the defensive end and also observing his development as a ball-handler and passer. He seems like a guy who steps up to challenges and improves. Time will tell.

[Monster]

Here are my tiers that more or less agrees with Cool's ranking:

1 - Ready right now to contribute to winning NBA games
Terrence Shannon, Jr.

2 - Line of sight to eventually contributing to winning NBA games as a rotation player, assuming he completes a couple more steps to get there
Rob Dillingham
Jaylen Clark

3 - Could play in case of emergency, but no line of sight to being in a regular NBA rotation
Daishen Nix
Jesse Edwards

4 - Don't trust him yet to play winning basketball or hold the fort down in case of emergency
Josh Minott
Leonard Miller

I think things would go poorly if Jesse Edwards was playing any minutes. I would rather have Minott out there.

[Monster]

Lip thanks for sharing your experiences about being so close to the action. Elston Turner...I think the Wolves are fortunate that that other dude left and they ended up hiring Turner instead. I think he has been a big asset for Finch and his staff and the players. Sometimes assistants don't get talked about enough. I might be overstating his impact but I think he has been a good part of the coaching staff and his experience was important to add.

I was thinking after finishing up this game that through 2 games basically it's been the same guys. Usually we have at least a couple dudes rotate in getting some minutes here or there. Nope. I had been thinking about that and how it relates to Hifi. Like it's been asked already what does he want to do play in France play in the G-league on a 2-way deal or does he want an NBA deal? It's worth remembering that while a 2-way deal is less money the team pays for where you live on a 2-way deal and and there may be some other advantages too. There are a lot of guards and wings on this roster currently but there is a legit need for a backup PG type who could legit play some minutes if there were and injury or 2. Hifi could think there is a chance of getting those minutes and he may also see the benefit of learning from Mike Conley. It's a bit exciting to hear that someone with he Wolves is excited about Hifi because the dude is winning me over for sure. Comparing him to JJ is an interesting comp. I think he is bigger but might not be quite as vertically athletic. Same in comparing him to J-Mac but he looks quicker and stronger and able to play with more force like JJ did. It feels like they might have found a hidden gem and it's interesting how they may be adding another smaller guard after seemingly went away from those types for a while. Maybe they just didn't believe in those players talents. So far I can't think of a smaller guard they missed on. Most of those guys I think we have considered on this board adding to the roster haven't worked out but I might be forgetting someone.

[Monster]

Video of Clark working on his shot last month.

https://x.com/TWolvesLead/status/179873 ... tq9xg&s=19

[Wolvesfan21]

I probably agree with your list, Cool, but I think I’d slot Minnott above Nix, as much as I’ve enjoyed Nix in summer league. I’m comfortable with going into the season with Nix as the emergency point guard.

But I’ve been really impressed with how well Josh has taken on the challenge the coaches gave him, staying in front of his guy on defense. He’s been pretty great at that. 15 pts, 12 rebs… it seems like someone that might find a place in the rotation.

I could easily be wrong on Josh, but I see him as the equivalent of a 4A baseball player. He looks good against a lower class of players in summer league, but looks bad against true NBA competition. This is his 3rd summer league, you would hope he would be a standout by now. Again, I've been wrong before but I just don't see him as a serious contender for the rotation.

Cool I agree with your list. Minott is maybe a good rebounder? His handle is a bit soft. Shot soft. Finish meh. Defense meh. I agree with you I just don't see it right now. Rebounding and energy is not enough to be a rotation guy. I need more.

I might even put Hifi above Miller. Maybe Miller can learn defense though and Hifi will always be limited with his upside because of his size and lack of elite athleticism.

[Sundog]

I’m with Sundog

Finally, Lip!

Although I think I’ll lose you again when I say I think Miller is progressing and has a chance to be very good. He has all the physical tools and gifts but as I think someone already said in one of these threads, his mental processing of the game is a tad slow. I think that’ll gradually get faster as he gets more experience.

But I’ll definitely agree with you that I expected him to be a bit better at summer league this year, having already been through the Canadian men’s basketball training camp earlier this summer.

But I think he’ll be fine. The Wolves won’t need him to contribute this season… but they’ll need him next year and beyond when they clear the contracts of both Rudy and KAT, and need Miller to back up Naz

[FNG]

I’m with Sundog

Finally, Lip!

https://video.search.yahoo.com/search/v ... ction=view