Rob Dillingham shows improvement, plus 4 more takeaways from Wolves-Knicks

Minnesota fell 100-95 to New York in overtime on Thursday night.

Oct 9, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Rob Dillingham (4) shoots the ball while defended by New York Knicks guard Landry Shamet (44) during the first half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images | John Jones-Imagn Images

The Timberwolves' third game of the preseason saw them fall 100-05 in overtime against the New York Knicks.

Here are five key observations as the Wolves ramp up for the new season.

What to make of Rob Dillingham's performance

After struggling in the first two games, Dillingham had his best performance of preseason on Thursday night against the Knicks, with 10 points on 4 of 11 (36.3%) shooting with 5 assists and 2 rebounds in 22 minutes. He averaged 5.0 points, 6.5 assists and 2.0 rebounds on 23.5% shooting in Minnesota's first two games.

With an aging Mike Conley Jr., the Timberwolves might need Dillingham to take a big step forward this season to reach their full potential. It's naive to overreact to three preseason games, but it was encouraging to see him take a step in the right direction on Thursday night.

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Can Johnny Juzang push for a roster spot?

In 42 preseason minutes, Juzang has made 18 three attempts, 11 of them successfully. Minnesota signed the former UCLA standout guard to a non-guaranteed free agent deal this offseason, and he has looked like he deserves a roster spot so far. He's averaging 14.6 points on 61.1% shooting from long range, which might be enough to put him in consideration to make the team.

Oct 7, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves forward Johnny Juzang (9) follows the play against the Indiana Pacers during the fourth quarter at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Nick Wosika-Imagn Images | Nick Wosika-Imagn Images

Will Joan Beringer be in the rotation as a rookie?

Beringer had his quietest game of the preseason so far with only two points and three rebounds in 19 minutes on Thursday night. With Minnesota's depth in the front court, it always seemed unlikely that an 18-year-old rookie would push for minutes, and it could just be a developmental year for their most-recent first round pick.

Sep 29, 2025; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves center Joan Beringer (19) poses for a photograph as part of media day at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images | Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images

Nine-man rotation?

Mike Conley Jr. missed Thursday night's game, which prompted Donte DiVincenzo to be elevated to the starting lineup. It's seems most likely that Minnesota starts the season with a nine-man rotation, which could include Conley, Anthony Edwards, Rudy Gobert, Jaden McDaniels and Julius Randle as the starting five. It looks like DiVinencezno, Naz Reid, Terrence Shannon Jr. and Dillingham will be their bench. Jaylen Clark missed Thursday's game, but will he push for minutes this season?

Quiet night from Karl-Anthony Towns

As long as Towns is in the NBA, it will be a storyline when he faces off with the Timberwolves. Minnesota's former franchise cornerstone had a quiet night with 10 points on 2 of 11 shooting. It was Mikal Bridges who led New York in scoring with 15 points, followed by Jalen Brunson with 11, and Jordan Clarkson and Miles McBride each had 10 off the bench.