Getty LSU Tigers forward Naz Reid
The Minnesota Timberwolves’ 2019 NBA Summer League roster stormed through to the quarterfinals of the tournament with an undefeated 4-0 mark. They met the Dallas Mavericks (3-1) with a chance to advance to the semifinals on the line. While the Timberwolves have given a number of players minutes, multiple names have stood out thus far.
Through the first four games, six players have averaged 10 or more points per game with those same names also tallying at least 4.3 rebounds each. Most impressive from that stat is the fact that a number of the players who have stepped up are not names who saw much, if any, action for the Timberwolves last year.
Aside from guard Josh Okogie and Keita Bates-Diop, the rest of the core summer league group from Minnesota are players battling to make a name for themselves.
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Minnesota Timberwolves Summer League Roster
*Notates expected starter, with all roster information courtesy of NBA.com.
- *Josh Okogie, guard
- *Jordan McLaughlin, guard
- *Mitch Creek, guard/forward
- *Keita Bates-Diop, forward
- *Naz Reid, center
- Canyon Barry, guard
- Tyus Battle, guard
- Barry Brown Jr., guard
- Kelan Martin, forward
- Brandon McCoy, center
- Marquise Moore, guard
- Jordan Murphy, forward
- Jaylen Nowell, guard
- Brandon Randolph, guard
- Jared Terrell, guard
Keita Bates-Diop & Josh Okogie Lead the Way
While Bates-Diop (13.8 points, 5.5 rebounds) and Okogie (12.5 points, 4.8 rebounds) are the leading scorers so far this summer league, they’ve received plenty of help. Two guards specifically have stood out, including Jordan McLaughlin, who’s posted strong averages of 11.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.3 steals.
Along with McLaughlin, Mitchell Creek is tied for the most minutes per over four games, logging 26.3 minutes of court time and putting up marks of 10.5 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.3 steals.
Both McLaughlin and Creek went undrafted previously, but have taken two different paths to land with the Timberwolves in summer league play. McLaughlin played his college ball at USC and spent the 2018-19 season with the Long Island Nets in the NBA G League. While Creek was also a member of the Long Island Nets, he’s spent extended time in the NBL of Australia, with a stop at Germany in 2018. He first turned pro back in 2007 and played for the Horsham Hornets.
After playing overseas, Creek had brief stints with both the Brooklyn Nets and Timberwolves, playing in one NBA game for Minnesota last season.
Naz Reid & Kelan Martin Flash Upside for Timberwolves
Naz Reid and Kelan Martin have had two slightly different outlooks during 2019 summer league play. Reid, the undrafted big man out of LSU, got off to a slow start by scoring nine points with three rebounds and seven points with two rebounds over the first two games. He proceeded to play far better over the next two matchups, posting lines of 12 points and four rebounds followed by 15 points and 10 rebounds.
As for Martin, he’s been a bit up-and-down but looked good at many points during the four-game stretch. In the opener, the former Butler Bulldog who played last season in Germany’s Basketball Bundesliga had a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. His other performance which stood out came in the third game against the Milwaukee Bucks when Martin scored 15 points with nine rebounds over 22 minutes.
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