Wolves 124, Lakers 107: The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly of NBA Preseason

Minnesota cruises to victory in their preseason debut. Rob Dillingham, Josh Minott, and Luka Garza each scored 20 points along the way.

Well, Wolves fans, welcome back!

Oh, how I have missed NBA basketball, and how glad am I to see it returning. The Minnesota Timberwolves blew an early lead that they managed to rebuild in order to beat the Los Angeles Lakers 124 to 107.

It was a lead built quickly and effectively by the Wolves actual rotation before the game turned into a glorified All-Star game performance, which should signal good things for both preseason and the regular season to come.

The Wolves will return a week from today to play the new and improved Philadelphia 76ers on October 11th. They will attempt to defend what now sits at a 10-game preseason winning streak after going 5-0 last year and 4-1 the year before that.

Let’s get into some thoughts!

The Ragu is Made Fresh

Look, new acquisition Donte DiVincenzo was always going to be the focus of this game for Wolves fans with no Randle or Edwards (Anthony, that is), but it’s not hyperbolic to say that he may be the best shooter in Wolves, no, league history.

Donte played just a handful of minutes in the first quarter, but the impact was felt immediately. A perfect 3/3 from deep was just what the box score says. It felt like 13/13. DiVincenzo will be so good for this team and his ability to run off of Gobert screens is already tantalizing.

The side effect of Donte’s entrance to the Wolves rotation is the absolute feast of ball handlers the Wolves can now throw on the court. Where on-ball creation and off-ball shooting were needs last year, they may just be the team’s strength now.

Either way, it’s hard not to be excited about the Big Ragu.

No Dilly-Dallying

Let’s start with the good: Rob Dillingham looked good in bursts and was more than capable of being a one-man offense off the bench as he was as a Kentucky Wildcat. The shooting was on full display for the recent eighth overall pick, as was the electricity he carries in his steps. Dillingham’s jumper should be teach tape for any plyometrics trainers who need to explain how the muscle chain works. The way he loads his body into a hop step and explodes up and out is excellent.

Now, let’s get to the bad. It became clear very early that Rob is going to struggle to get all the way to the rim. He was swatted by Bronny James, Dalton Knecht, and the rim itself in his first three drives to the cup. For a prospect whose size and rim presence were always warts, it’s a little worrying to see how behind Dillingham is in that regard. On nights like tonight, it matters less. When he can’t hit threes, will he still be a playmaker, or will he be relegated to passer.

The sky is the limit for the young guard, and he should get both opportunity and mentorship from the aging and such oft-resting Mike Conley. This is how preseason ball should be for rookies. There are strengths and there are weaknesses.

The good news is that the strengths were definitely strong.

The Peacock May Get Some Run

Luka Garza has always lived for situations like tonight. The question remains on whether Garza is a rotation-level player in the NBA, but given his track record in the G-League, he can absolutely dominate the pre-season.

With a near 20-point double-double, Garza was constantly there for second chances. The physical change Luka has made to his body — from bulky, post-ready heft to the current lean muscle and light frame — has to be the biggest story of his career that could have been put on ice when he was cut by the Pistons two years ago.

Considering the Karl-Anthony Towns trade, the Wolves are expecting a larger role for Naz Reid to eat into some of the minutes now vacated by the nine-year veteran, but there may be a real shot for Garza to work his way into a consistent backup role. That would be a huge step for a player that dominated for the Iowa Wolves but remained a cameo outside of the G-League.

Joe, Brother, I Love You, But It’s Time…

I love Joe Ingles. I loved him when he was a quirky, crabby old man making fun of Donovan Mitchell. I loved him when I followed the Orlando Magic insta account for the song last year and he was a fun little cameo. I loved him when he and Steven Adams made their own podcast called “Awl tha Smowke” (I am so sorry).

But, it became abundantly obvious in just 11 minutes that Ingles is here as a locker room guy exclusively. The foot speed is no longer even crumbling, it has melted away, leaving an above-average shooter and great basketball IQ in a body that cannot keep up anymore.

This likely means more minutes for Memphis product Josh Minott, moreso than any change for Terrance Shannon Jr., who will likely spend the year in the G-League.

I will still love Ingles, but it seems like that love will have to stay in the past, as love for the player he once was.

Why Not Minott?

It’s always hard to read into preseason basketball, especially when Josh Minott makes 9/11 shots and 4/6 threes, but it seemed important that Minott was the forward coming off the bench to replace the aforementioned Joe Ingles.

Minott had some thunderous dunks and was confident stepping into threes, a welcome sight for those still holding stock in a player who has shown flashes but was generally unable to make any appearances outside of garbage time.

With the drafting of Terrance Shannon Jr., the writing may be on the wall for the developmental forward, but it’s nights like tonight that agents point at come the offseason.

Or, the option for which all Wolves fans should be hoping, this is the year for Minott and he becomes a real rotation piece.

Either way, preseason is for players like Josh, and he made tonight’s second half a bearable experience.

My New Cat Does Not Like Basketball (Or the Lakers)

This one will be short.

The rims were clearly not tightened correctly in the Crypto.com arena. In fact, they were loud enough that they scared my new cat Melo, who was sitting on my lap while watching the game.

I now have two large scratches on my hand from a cat that was terrified of bricks.

Come on, Lakers, get it together!

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Up Next

The Wolves will get a week off until they face the Philadelphia 76ers next Friday, October 11th at 6:00pm CT and attempt to continue a 10-game preseason win streak.