ANAHEIM, Calif. – While Saturday night marks the start of the Timberwolves’ preseason schedule, it also means that it’s one-third complete.
Minnesota’s preseason game against the Lakers in Anaheim is one of just three preseason contests, with the other two coming next week against the Warriors in China. That’s a significant drop from last season, when the Wolves played seven exhibition contests.
The NBA preseason was cut by about a week this season after the league decided to start the regular season early to help teams avoid playing two games in two nights or even four games in five nights. Still, other teams were able to squeeze more preseason games into this abbreviated timeslot. The Lakers have six exhibitions scheduled.
But Minnesota is going to China, where it will play only the two games against Golden State between now and next Sunday. There probably would have been time to play another preseason game when the Timberwolves get back to the States before their regular-season opener at San Antonio on Oct. 18, but where?
Target Center is unavailable. The arena’s renovation is set to be completed just days ahead of Minnesota’s home opener against Utah on Oct. 20. Tom Thibodeau, the Wolves coach and president of basketball operations, noted that when the renovation project was starting, the team assumed the regular season was going to start at the end of October, as usual. In that scenario, Target Center would’ve been completed in time to host a preseason game.
And with an 18-day road trip that featured training camp in San Diego and the trip to China, Thibodeau didn’t want to take any other trips before the regular season.
Karl-Anthony Towns said the lack of preseason contests will force the Wolves to get ready quicker.
“It just mostly gives us less time,” Towns said. “I think it hurts teams like us having so many new players that we have to learn how to get our timing and execution now.”
Thibodeau said the shortened preseason put a premium on the conditioning work players were doing in August and September. There aren’t a lot of in-game opportunities to get in shape.
Towns sat out one preseason game last year and played just 15 minutes in the preseason finale. But so few exhibition games likely means the Timberwolves’ starters will see plenty of action in all three games in an attempt to find chemistry and a flow.
“We’ll sort of get a feel for it,” Thibodeau said. “You’d like to get some sort of rotation down, and how much they play in the fourth quarter, certainly the first game won’t be exactly like a regular-season game, but they have to get acclimated to playing together.”
“I think three preseason games will be good,” Andrew Wiggins said. “I think it’s enough, obviously. I think Thibs put together a good training camp and they’re trying to get us known with each other.”
LUCKY NO. 17
NBA teams can bring a maximum of 20 players to training camp. The Timberwolves have 17, and one of them, rookie center Justin Patton, can’t participate while he recovers from a broken bone in his left foot.
Why didn’t the Timberwolves bring more players to San Diego?
Thibodeau said 17 is his ideal number, because it allows him to have three teams of five in practice for drills and scrimmages. He believes 20 is “too much. It’s really worked out well have the 17.”
But really, the Wolves have had 16 with Patton out, and Nemanja Bjelica missed two days of practice following the birth of his son. So Minnesota has been at 15 a couple of times. That’s running tight on bodies.
“We have the ace in the hole,” Thibodeau joked.
Who’s that? New player development coach John Lucas III, who retired from the NBA only last season and was on the Timberwolves roster until last January.
NO TARGET ON LONZO?
There’s been an assumption that Lakers rookie point guard Lonzo Ball, the No. 2 overall pick in the NBA draft, enters the league with a major target on his back thanks to his boisterous father, Lavar.
Wolves guard Jimmy Butler doesn’t think that will be the case.
“You’re going to play hard no matter who you’re playing, no matter what’s said,” Butler said. “I think that’s your job. That’s why you play this game is to play hard, to compete and to try to win. It’s no different if he was a first-year, second-year, 12th-year (player), you’re going to get everybody’s best when you’re going up against them.”
