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5 first impressions from the Timberwolves' preseason opener

Timberwolves open the preseason in Miami with a 121-111 win over the Heat.

Joe Nelson

5 first impressions from the Timberwolves' preseason opener
5 first impressions from the Timberwolves' preseason opener /

The Timberwolves opened the preseason in Miami and left with a 121-11 win, but the score of an exhibition is far less meaningful than the first impressions the new-look Wolves made. 

Rudy Gobert, D'Angelo Russell and Karl-Anthony Towns didn't play, so the starting lineup featured regulars Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels, alongside Jaylen Nowell, Kyle Anderson and Naz Reid. 

Here are five first impressions from the game. 

1. Anthony Edwards looks elite

Edwards looked like an All-Star by getting shots from all over the floor whenever he wanted. The 21-year-old finished with a game-high 24 points on 9-of-15 shooting to go along with 3 rebounds and 3 assists in 23 minutes. 

Edwards attacked the rim, hit pull-up jumpers and step-back 3s. He was elite on the offensive end and looked very comfortable and poised with the ball in his hands. There were multiple times when he slowed down in the paint and found open teammates when an extra defender moved his way. 

2. Edwards stronger, McDaniels taller

Two of the young stars for the Wolves came in with noticeable physical improvements, Edwards looking more muscular and McDaniels, as he told The Athletic, is now 6'10" or 6'11" in shoes. 

Edwards has always been a physical specimen, but he said last week that he's added 11 pounds of muscle without losing any quickness. And he's more explosive. 

McDaniels' height and length increase was easy to see. He appeared taller than Miami's Bam Adebayo, who is 6'9", and looked about as tall as 6'10" Naz Reid. 

What's intriguing is that McDaniels can guard basically any position, is a terror in the passing lanes, and can change shots at the rim. All of his defensive prowess was on display, and he showcased his improved ball-handling and overall offensive game by scoring 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting, including 2-of-2 from deep. 

McDaniels at about 6'10" alongside 6'11" Karl-Anthony Towns and 7'1" Rudy Gobert gives Minnesota a trio of monsters in the starting lineup. 

3. The new guys

Minnesota's offseason additions of Austin Rivers and Kyle Anderson didn't get off to the shooting display they would have wanted – they were a combined 0-for-8 – but Bryn Forbes did by scoring 15 points in 18 minutes, going 4-of-6 from including 2-of-3 on his 3-point shots. 

Who knows how much Forbes will play this season but when he's on the court the defense has to know where he is because he's a knockdown 3-point shooter. 

As for Anderson, he only attempted two shots but was otherwise very effective in his all-around game. He had 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals and was a team best +14. 

4. Jaylen Nowell looks really good

Jaylen Nowell got the start over Jordan McLaughlin and flashed with 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting in 23 minutes. He hit a pair of threes and was effective when attacking the rim and in the mid-range game. 

To flat out say Nowell is the backup point guard is probably a stretch but only because the Timberwolves have enough depth to put all kinds of lineup combinations on the floor. And McLaughlin played really well, just as he did in the playoffs when Russell was benched in Game 6. He finished with 4 points, 5 assists and 4 rebounds in 14 minutes. 

Remember, Finch went on record over the summer saying Edwards could be the lead guard when Russell is on the bench. That means Russell could have an early hook in the first quarter and then enter the game as one of one of the top offensive options when Edwards rests to start the second quarter. 

It's a good sign that Minnesota has four players who can be trusted as the lead guard.  

5. Depth is a strength

The starting five is set: Russell, Edwards, McDaniels, Towns and Gobert. 

The other 10 guys who will make up the 15-player roster will likely include Kyle Anderson, Jaylen Nowell, Jordan McLaughlin, Naz Reid, Austin Rivers, Bryn Forbes and Taurean Prince, who had 19 points against Miami. That's 12 right there. 

The other four will be some mix of: Eric Paschall, Nathan Knight, P.J. Dozier, C.J. Elleby, Luka Garza, A.J. Lawson and rookies Wendell Moore Jr. and Josh Minott. 

Regardless, there are 12 guys on the roster who the Wolves can be comfortable with on the floor. That gives Finch a chance to keep players fresh over the 82-game season and helps prevent them from falling off the face of the Earth if a big injury or two occurs. 

Related: What the Timberwolves can glean from the NBA GM Survey

Related: No reason the Timberwolves shouldn't get off to a very fast start

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Joe Nelson
JOE NELSON

Title: Bring Me The Sports co-owner, editor Email: joe@bringmethenews.com Twitter: @JoeBMTN Education: Southwest Minnesota State University Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota Expertise: All things Minnesota sports Nelson has covered Minnesota sports for two decades, starting his media career in sports radio. He worked at small market Minnesota stations in Marshall and St. Cloud before joining one of the nation's highest-rated sports stations, KFAN-FM 100.3 in the Twin Cities. There, he was the producer of the top-rated mid-morning sports show with Minnesota Vikings announcer Paul Allen.  His radio experience helped blossom a career as a sports writer, joining Minneapolis-based Bring Me The News in 2011.  Nelson and Adam Uren became co-owners of Bring Me The News in 2018 and have since more than tripled the site's traffic and launched Bring Me The Sports in cooperation with the Sports Illustrated/FanNation umbrella. Nelson has covered the Super Bowl and numerous training camps, NFL combines, the MLB All-Star Game and Minnesota playoff games, in addition to the day-to-day happenings on and off the field of play.  Nelson also has extensive knowledge of non-sports subjects, including news and weather. He works closely with Bring Me The News meteorologist Sven Sundgaard to produce a bevy of weather and climate information for Minnesota readers.  Nelson helped launch and manage the Bring Me The News Radio Network, which provided more than 50 radio stations around Minnesota with daily news, sports and weather reports from 2011-17. 

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