Josh Minott making real push for playing time ahead of third season with Wolves

The Minott breakout looks legit this preseason. Can Chris Finch find minutes for him?

Oct 4, 2024; Palm Desert, California, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves forward Josh Minott (8) greets teammates against the Los Angeles Lakers during the second half at Acrisure Arena. / Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images

Timberwolves third-year wing Josh Minott has been the biggest breakout star of the team's preseason slate, which concludes on Thursday night at Target Center. Through four games, he's averaged 14.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.5 stocks (steals and blocks combined) while shooting 65 percent from the field and — perhaps most encouragingly — 57 percent from three (8 of 14).

Minott had 22 points on 9-of-11 shooting against the Lakers in the preseason opener, hitting four threes and adding 8 rebounds, 5 stocks, and some emphatic dunks. After a couple slightly quieter outings, the 21-year-old went for 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting against the Bulls on Wednesday. Take a look at his highlights from that game and you'll see an awfully intriguing player with length, athleticism, and a smooth-looking jumper.

Josh Minott 18 PTS on 7/10 FG ⬇️

The 21-year-old has averaged 14.5 PPG on 76.4% TS with 5.5 RPG across four preseason games pic.twitter.com/8rEJKexVte

— Brett Usher (@UsherNBA) October 17, 2024

A second-round pick out of Memphis in 2022, Minott has been part of the mop-up bench unit for the Wolves over the past two seasons, averaging 4 minutes and 2 points across 47 career games. He's put his upside on display when he's been down with Iowa, averaging around 21 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 stocks per game in 17 G-League appearances, but there's been no room for him in the NBA rotation.

Coming into training camp this year, the one thing that's been said over and over again is that no Wolves player had a better summer than Minott. He put in the work this offseason in the hopes of earning an expanded role in year three, and his preseason performance has been indicative of that. At media day earlier this month, he said he's become more comfortable and less worried about failure, which has helped him.

The potential of a fully-realized version of Minott is undeniable. He's 6'8" and 205 pounds with a near-7-foot wingspan and a 38.5-inch vertical. His length and quickness make him a good on-ball and help-side defender and a strong finisher at the rim. The key is his shot, which has always been a question mark — he made just two threes in his lone college season and shot 30 percent from deep for Iowa over the past couple years. It looks much better this preseason, albeit in a small sample size. Minott has also shown some passing chops with seven assists to two turnovers in these four October games.

AGAIN?!?!?! pic.twitter.com/Yiy01cjZdQ

— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) October 5, 2024

At this point, Minott has played so well that he might be forcing Chris Finch's hand when it comes to finding a spot for him in the rotation this year. The Wolves' top seven players are obviously the five starters, Naz Reid, and Donte DiVincenzo, but there could be room for Minott to barge into the picture off the bench. Outside of the top seven and rookie Rob Dillingham, who plays a different position, Minott is competing with wings like Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Joe Ingles, Terrence Shannon Jr., and Keita Bates-Diop for minutes. If he keeps playing at this level, Finch might have no choice but to put him on the floor.