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Timberwolves Stock Up, Stock Down After Preseason Win Over Bucks

Who trended up, and who trended down in the Wolves' preseason opener in Milwaukee?
Charlie Walton|
Jonathan Kuminga made his (preseason) Timberwolves debut Monday night in Milwaukee and looked like the offensive threat Minnesota needs him to be this season. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images
Jonathan Kuminga made his (preseason) Timberwolves debut Monday night in Milwaukee and looked like the offensive threat Minnesota needs him to be this season. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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Minnesota Timberwolves

The Timberwolves began one of their most anticipated seasons in recent memory Monday night in a preseason matchup against the Bucks in Milwaukee. The Wolves debuted their new DAZN broadcast for fans watching back home, along with icon blue jerseys and LaMelo Ball and Jonathan Kuminga.

Minnesota beat the Bucks 116-97. Chris Finch rolled out his preferred starting five and played them regular minutes in the first half.

We can only learn so much from the preseason because individual stats and wins do not matter. With that in mind, here are the players who trended up based on their performance Monday night, along with the players who trended in the opposite direction.

Trending Up 📈

LaMelo Ball

During training camp, Ball was lighting up the morale of Minnesota’s practice facility with consistent energy and positivity. With him follows a noticeable level of excitement, and that was on full display in Milwaukee.

“He was great tonight,” Edwards said postgame. “He plays like his hair is on fire. He gets everybody involved. He talked more than I expected throughout the game. That's another big one for me, especially because I love people who talk.

Ball played 17 minutes in the first half, during which he recorded 11 points, four rebounds, three assists, one steal, and one turnover on 3-of-6 from the floor, 2-of-5 from deep, and 3-of-3 from the charity stripe. On the game’s opening possession, he hit Kuminga off a pick-and-roll for a layup finish.

The dynamic, fast-paced offense that Ball motored consistently in Charlotte showed up in his Wolves debut. He looked comfortable running the offense alongside Anthony Edwards. The work that the two of them put in together in the offseason and into training camp was evident in how natural Ball’s fit with Minnesota’s new-look starting lineup looked against the Bucks.

Jonathan Kuminga

Kuminga knows the role he must play for the Wolves. He won’t be the star. Most nights, he won’t lead the team in field goal attempts. But Kuminga—who has shown flashes of talent capable of being that type of player throughout his five years in the NBA—is focused on doing the little things with the Wolves. One of those little things Kuminga must execute is leveraging his downhill athleticism effectively and repeatedly.

Kuminga played 14 minutes against the Bucks, finishing with eight points, two rebounds, and two fouls on 2-of-4 shooting. The Wolves outscored Milwaukee by 11 with Kuminga on the floor.

Kuminga’s athleticism and aggression to get downhill popped. He looked exactly like the offensive threat the Wolves hoped they would get when they signed him to a two-year, $12.4 million contract this summer. He ran the floor well, which paid off with a jaw-dropping lob connection between himself and Bones Hyland.

The biggest concern with Kuminga fitting in Minnesota is his lack of three-point shooting, and how that could clog the paint alongside Edwards and Rudy Gobert. 

Kuminga is a career 33.2% shooter from deep and went 0 for 1 Monday. He is not a three-point threat, but when he is making decisive cuts to the rim as he did against the Bucks, Kuminga’s inability to make threes at an efficient rate—and the downfalls that can come with it—is mitigated.

Cody Williams

Minnesota acquired Williams, the tenth overall pick from 2024, in a salary-dumping trade that sent Josh Green to Utah this summer. Barring injury, Williams will likely not have a consistent, meaningful role with the Wolves this season because of Minnesota’s depth at wing and the lack of three-point shooting Williams showed in Utah.

However, his defense emerged as a reliable positive last season, and that is the part of Williams’ game that his new superstar teammate has been taking note of.

“I just love his defensive instincts,” Edwards said during training camp. “I think he could be really good in the NBA. His care factor has to go up a little more, just showing it, like everybody knows he cares, but just showing it.”

Williams did not sub in Monday night until late in the third quarter. He played ten minutes, during which he recorded five points, four assists, and two rebounds on 1-of-3 from the floor and 0-of-2 from deep.

Williams made some on-time passes in transition, which paired well with the rock-solid defense that he showed. Williams stayed in front of smaller players well and defended with physicality.

He backed up Edwards’ praise, and if Williams can keep doing that, he could earn Finch’s trust to put him into games when the head coach needs better defense. In my eyes, Williams will need to improve offensively before his role can blossom beyond being situational. But he took an encouraging step forward in his first preseason game with the Wolves.

Trending Down 📉

Terrence Shannon Jr.

Shannon, alongside Joan Beringer and Ayo Dosunmu, was the first player off Finch’s bench Monday. The Wolves expect Shannon to be a key part of their rotation this year, supplying them with another ball handler to back up Ball. And after Shannon’s red-hot postseason last year, there is reason to believe he is ready for that type of role.

But he struggled against Milwaukee.

Shannon finished with six points, four assists, and one rebound on 1-of-5 from the floor and 0-of-1 from deep. He made some smart passes against a collapsed defense, but far too often, Shannon attempted left-handed layups on the right side of the rim.

Terrence Shannon Jr NBA Timberwolves
Terrence Shannon Jr. said he worked on finishing with his right hand this summer. But in Minnesota's preseason opener, he still showed hesitancy to do so. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Last season, Shannon rarely attempted layups with his right hand. That may not seem like too big of a deal, but taking left-handed layups from the right side of the rim makes those attempts easier for the defenders to contest.

Shannon said he worked on improving his right hand this summer and felt as though he improved. However, that work didn't show against the Bucks.

If the Wolves continue with Shannon operating as a backup to Ball, they will need his around-the-rim game to be polished. Getting downhill is where Shannon shines. But his finishing abilities need to be better this season than they were Monday night.

Isaiah Evans

Minnesota selected Evans No. 33 this year. With the bevy of guards sitting above him in the depth chart, he has little to no pressure to develop into an NBA-ready talent this season. Still, Evans’ lack of offensive output since the draft has been deflating, especially for a guy whose primary calling card in college was putting the ball through the net.

During the Summer League, Evans averaged 10.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 2.3 turnovers over four games, shooting 27% from the floor and 20.5% from deep. The majority of his shots fell short, and he seemed uncomfortable with the physicality opponents used to defend him.

For a 20-year-old rookie, his first Summer League results should never be truly concerning. But after a full NBA off-season since then, it would have been encouraging for Evans to begin his first NBA preseason better than he did.

Isaiah Evans NBA Timberwolves
Isaiah Evans struggled in his NBA preseason debut with the Timberwolves. Is that reason to be concerned? Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Evans played in eight second-half minutes. He scored two points and grabbed three rebounds while going 0-of-6 from the floor and 0-of-4 from deep. Evans will continue to get opportunities to find a groove during the preseason. Even though he is young and the Wolves likely won’t need him to play this season, 0-for games are becoming a trend for the former Duke Blue Devil, which will quickly become concerning if it continues.

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Published
Charlie Walton
CHARLIE WALTON

Charlie Walton has covered the Minnesota Timberwolves for over four years. He got his start writing for Zone Coverage as a junior in high school. Since then, he has written for SB Nation's Canis Hoopus and built a personal social media brand that blends interactive graphics with unique long-form analysis. Charlie is currently a senior at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, where he is majoring in journalism. His work has been featured on ESPN, WCCO, and Bleacher Report.

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