Iowa Wolves

[Q-is-here]

Iowa moves to a G-League leading 9-1 after their 5th straight win tonight. They are one of the top defenses in the G-League and have an above average offense. But their identity is defense, which is a 180-degree turnaround from last year where they were terrible on defense. A huge part of that turnaround is having Leonard Miller slide over to the 4 (he played Center last season and was worse than Naz playing Center) and having Jaylen Clark on the squad.

Starters tonight were Trevor Keels, Leonard Miller, Jesse Edwards, Jaylen Clark, and Chasson Randle. Nix and Shannon Jr. haven't played with the squad for a couple games now, yet the team keeps on winning.

- Keels paced tonight's win with 23 points on 9-17 from the field, 10 rebs, and 4 assists.

- Miller continues to put up numbers and rebounds at a high rate, but he still seems very awkward and loose out there. But he has a monster net rating and is one of the higher usage guys on the best team in the G-League, so he is definitely having a positive impact.

- Clark's shot has wavered of late, but he keeps playing elite defense. He had 4 steals tonight and locked down his guy.

- Jesse Edwards is looking better as of late. If he was a much younger prospect, I'd have hope for him to make the big league roster as a nice backup Center, but at 24 years old I'm just not sure he has the runway and upside to get to the level he needs to be at.

[Lipoli390]

Iowa moves to a G-League leading 9-1 after their 5th straight win tonight. They are one of the top defenses in the G-League and have an above average offense. But their identity is defense, which is a 180-degree turnaround from last year where they were terrible on defense. A huge part of that turnaround is having Leonard Miller slide over to the 4 (he played Center last season and was worse than Naz playing Center) and having Jaylen Clark on the squad.

Starters tonight were Trevor Keels, Leonard Miller, Jesse Edwards, Jaylen Clark, and Chasson Randle. Nix and Shannon Jr. haven't played with the squad for a couple games now, yet the team keeps on winning.

- Keels paced tonight's win with 23 points on 9-17 from the field, 10 rebs, and 4 assists.

- Miller continues to put up numbers and rebounds at a high rate, but he still seems very awkward and loose out there. But he has a monster net rating and is one of the higher usage guys on the best team in the G-League, so he is definitely having a positive impact.

- Clark's shot has wavered of late, but he keeps playing elite defense. He had 4 steals tonight and locked down his guy.

- Jesse Edwards is looking better as of late. If he was a much younger prospect, I'd have hope for him to make the big league roster as a nice backup Center, but at 24 years old I'm just not sure he has the runway and upside to get to the level he needs to be at.

Thanks, Q. I love your reports on the Iowa Wolves. Do you think any of our guys in Iowa could realistically help the Minnesota Wolves this season?

[Q-is-here]

Iowa moves to a G-League leading 9-1 after their 5th straight win tonight. They are one of the top defenses in the G-League and have an above average offense. But their identity is defense, which is a 180-degree turnaround from last year where they were terrible on defense. A huge part of that turnaround is having Leonard Miller slide over to the 4 (he played Center last season and was worse than Naz playing Center) and having Jaylen Clark on the squad.

Starters tonight were Trevor Keels, Leonard Miller, Jesse Edwards, Jaylen Clark, and Chasson Randle. Nix and Shannon Jr. haven't played with the squad for a couple games now, yet the team keeps on winning.

- Keels paced tonight's win with 23 points on 9-17 from the field, 10 rebs, and 4 assists.

- Miller continues to put up numbers and rebounds at a high rate, but he still seems very awkward and loose out there. But he has a monster net rating and is one of the higher usage guys on the best team in the G-League, so he is definitely having a positive impact.

- Clark's shot has wavered of late, but he keeps playing elite defense. He had 4 steals tonight and locked down his guy.

- Jesse Edwards is looking better as of late. If he was a much younger prospect, I'd have hope for him to make the big league roster as a nice backup Center, but at 24 years old I'm just not sure he has the runway and upside to get to the level he needs to be at.

Thanks, Q. I love your reports on the Iowa Wolves. Do you think any of our guys in Iowa could realistically help the Minnesota Wolves this season?

I certainly don't think any of these guys could bump someone or get promoted within the existing talent hierarchy that is here today. So no, barring a rash of injuries, none of these guys will help fill any of the existing voids we have. A few comments on each guy....

Jesse Edwards - He certainly fits the archetype of what a lot of us would want in someone backing up Rudy. He's super long, is a good rim roller, and has some post game. His hands seem a lot better than Rudy's. But he's not a great rebounder, has a pretty weak base so can be pushed around a bit, and is a poor free throw shooter. If he were a few years younger, I'd love his upside. But he's 24 and I just don't see him getting appreciably better.

Jaylen Clark - He could defend right this second at a high level in the NBA. The problem is who the heck would he displace? Jaden, NAW, DDV, and Ant aren't going anywhere for now. Also, his 3-point shot is starting to really falter and I had questions with that to begin with. But if Ant, NAW, and/or DDV go down, I could see him getting a call up. Shannon is likely ahead of him in the rotation since he is a good defender AND more of an offensive threat.

Leonard Miller - He is getting very close to being an NBA-caliber PF. The problem is he is an offensive oriented player that struggles at times defensively and can get sloppy with his ball handling and decision making. Well, we already have two guys just like that and they play the same position, i.e. Randle and Reid. So we literally have three all-offense/minimal defense PFs, none of whom can play Center. Talk about redundancy! And you could almost throw Minott in that boat, although he's more of a SF/PF.

Trevor Keels - This guy is sneaky good. He may just be one of these guys that can perform well in the G-League, but just doesn't have the juice to compete in the NBA. But he is someone to keep an eye on. He reminds me a bit of DJ Carton last year, where DJ was by no means dominant, but just was super consistent and didn't have any glaring weaknesses. Of course DJ did get signed by Toronto, but he's barely played there.

[FNG]

We appreciate these updates, Q...we have to take at least a little encouragement from a team playing so well, although I agree we shouldn't see any of these guys barring injuries.

Keep in mind Keels was a consensus 5-star recruit coming out of high school. Certainly someone to keep an eye on.

[rapsuperstar31]

Leonard Miller has won G League player of the month: The @Timberwolves assignee is your @Kia NBA G League Player of the Month for November after averaging 23.1 PTS & 13.2 REB to lead the @iawolves to a 9-1 record.

[Q-is-here]

Leonard Miller has won G League player of the month: The @Timberwolves assignee is your @Kia NBA G League Player of the Month for November after averaging 23.1 PTS & 13.2 REB to lead the @iawolves to a 9-1 record.

The winning record is the key stat here, as his scoring and scoring efficiency is similar to last season. But his rebounds are up and he's playing better defense, most of which I attribute to him playing PF instead of C.

Look at his net rating this year compared to last:
2024/25: Ortg = 115.1, Drtg = 99.1, Net = +16
2023/24: Ortg = 106.9, Drtg = 118.5, Net = -11.6

It's a 27 point swing in net rating! That's crazy. Now a lot of that has to do with his new team mates in Iowa. I know Minott looked great in the pre-season, but he and Miller were terrible defensively when paired together in the front court in Iowa last year. Now he's got Jesse Edwards playing Center and Jaylen Clark on the wing. Those are two mature prospects that play fundamental basketball on the defensive end.

Still, he deserves credit as well. He is rebounding at a really high rate, including on the defensive glass, and that is part of playing defense.

[60WinTim]

Thanks for the continuing updates, Q!

I always thought Jesse Edwards was a great addition because it gives our other guys a taste of playing with someone similar to Rudy. Jesse will likely never hit an NBA regular roster, but the impact it has for developing other players to potentially play with Rudy and the Wolves is great.

I can't say enough about how well NAW is playing for the Wolves. He is likely pricing himself off the roster next year (unless a dramatic move comes involving one of our starters). But our pool of players that might fill NAW's shoes next year is pretty deep, with Clark headlining the group that includes Shannon, DDV and Dilly.

And the growth we are seeing from both Minott and Miller could provide cover should NAZ become too expensive as well. I think Abe said we can retain one of Randle and NAZ, but not both. It will be interesting to see which one the Wolves keep, and which one of Minott and Miller takes his place.

The transition to ANT 2.0 is happening.

[rapsuperstar31]

Thanks for the continuing updates, Q!

I always thought Jesse Edwards was a great addition because it gives our other guys a taste of playing with someone similar to Rudy. Jesse will likely never hit an NBA regular roster, but the impact it has for developing other players to potentially play with Rudy and the Wolves is great.

I can't say enough about how well NAW is playing for the Wolves. He is likely pricing himself off the roster next year (unless a dramatic move comes involving one of our starters). But our pool of players that might fill NAW's shoes next year is pretty deep, with Clark headlining the group that includes Shannon, DDV and Dilly.

And the growth we are seeing from both Minott and Miller could provide cover should NAZ become too expensive as well. I think Abe said we can retain one of Randle and NAZ, but not both. It will be interesting to see which one the Wolves keep, and which one of Minott and Miller takes his place.

The transition to ANT 2.0 is happening.

Depends on if the owners are willing to pay the luxury tax aprons one more season. If Randle opts in which is likely given the lack of teams with cap space this summer. You can sign NAW and NAZ stay in the 2nd apron for one season and be out of the apron entirely the following season when Randle either leaves by expiring or a trade and Mike's contract gets off the books. If the salary cap keeps going up 10% a year for the net 5 years we shouldn't have to worry about the aprons after next season.

[rapsuperstar31]

Q have you noticed how Jaedon Ledee has performed/looked? Curious if he has any potential, being the Karl Malone power forward of the year last season.

[Q-is-here]

Q have you noticed how Jaedon Ledee has performed/looked? Curious if he has any potential, being the Karl Malone power forward of the year last season.

Rap, he's an old school power forward that plays with his back to the basket and doesn't have a perimeter game. He's the first big off the bench usually, subbing in for Jesse Edwards. It means Miller always is playing next to another paint-oriented big.

He has little to no potential as an NBA prospect. He is already 25 and his style of play no longer fits in the NBA, but he's a solid GLeague bench big.

Sorry to disappoint!