Minnesota Timberwolves Rumors & Notes: Mike Conley, Anthony Edwards, Plus More

• Shake Milton, who was inconsistent with Philadelphia, had a strong debut.  Milton finished with 12 points on 5 of 6 shooting and four rebounds in 20 minutes. He also was 2 of 3 from the 3-point line. According to the Athletic’s Jon Krawcynski, Timberwolves coaches “have raved about him in training camp. They like his size, shooting, and playmaking and see him as a viable option as a backup point guard to Conley.”

Finch on Shake Milton (5-6 FG, 2-3 3s, 12 pts, 4 rebs): "We've talked a lot about him internally, being so happy and surprised, even better than we thought he could be."

— Jon Krawczynski (@JonKrawczynski) October 5, 2023

• Alexander-Walker picked up right where he left off last season. Alexaner-Walker, who the Wolves acquired at the trade deadline, became an important starter and perimeter defender during the postseason.

Starting in place of Edwards against Dallas on Thursday, Alexander-Walker had 11 points, five rebounds, five assists and two blocks. He also knocked down 3 of 5 3-pointers.

He looks like midseason form out there with his fitness level, his sharpness, his decision-making, and his confidence,” coach Chris Finch told the Minnesota Star-Tribune.

• Timberwolves’ defense. The Wolves, who are focusing on defense this year, were very good on that end against the Mavericks. The Wolves held the Mavs to 37% shooting from the field and 30.4% from the 3-point line. They also registered 12 blocks, though fouling was an issue.

Things To Continue To Work On

• Gobert still hasn’t shown the efficiency that he did in Utah. The 7-1 center missed a couple of layups to finish the game 3 of 6 from the field. Gobert, who shot 65.6% from the field last season, had made at least 66.9% of his shots in his prior four campaigns.
• The Timberwolves are not a quick team defensively. Finch told Krawcynski that the Wolves would switch more often to counteract their lack of speed.

Anthony Edwards and Jaylen Clark Dealing With Injuries

Edwards sat out the preseason opener due to a sprained ankle that he suffered during practice on Wednesday. However, Edwards could play on Saturday.

“Just being super cautionary right now with that,” Finch said. “We hope to have him back and playing on Saturday.”

Chris Finch says Anthony Edwards tweaked his ankle in practice on Wednesday, but said he doesn’t believe it’s serious.

Finch said they hope to have him back for Saturday’s game.

— Dane Moore (@DaneMooreNBA) October 5, 2023

Jaylen Clark, the Timberwolves 2023 second-round pick, also was sidelined on Wednesday. Clark is still recovering from Achilles surgery and is expected to be out for the first half of the season.  Clark suffered the injury last March.

Jaden McDaniels Contract Situation

McDaniels and the Timberwolves continue working on a contract extension, per Krawcynski. McDaniels is rookie-scale extension eligible and has until October 23 to work out a deal. If the sides don’t come to an agreement, then the 23-year-old forward likely will become a restricted free agent.

Krawcynski said the sides now have a negotiation comparison as Devin Vassell recently signed a five-year, $135 million pact with the San Antonio Spurs. Vasell’s deal could be worth as much as $146 million with incentives.

For his part, McDaniels is concentrating on the upcoming season.

“Really, I’ve just been focused on basketball,” McDaniels said. “I’m working out. I know the contract thing is there, but I just try to let my agents handle it and continue to get better as a player.”

McDaniels is an excellent versatile defender who has improved every year and is coming off a career season in 2022-23. He averaged 12.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.0 blocks while compiling a shooting slash line of .517/.398/.736.

McDaniels will be counted on guarding the opponents’ best player like he did when he checked Dallas’ Luka Doncic during Thursday’s preseason contest. McDaniels does need to stay out of foul trouble.

“Jaden is the most important person on the team, for sure, because he has the most potential,” Edwards said. “I think the world knows we wouldn’t be the Minnesota Timberwolves without Jaden McDaniels. So yeah, I’m looking forward to him having a phenomenal season.”

 Minnesota Wants Mike Conley to Finish Career With Team

Conley, soon to be 36 years old, will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. While it is unknown how much longer Conley plans to play, the Timberwolves want him to finish his career in Minnesota.

“When we got Mike, our goal was for this to be the last spot,” Timberwolves president of basketball operations Tim Connelly told Krawcynski. “You never know how things are going to develop. And certainly, we didn’t get Mike for just to be a short-term thing. When you get a person as special as Mike is, you want to be sure that he doesn’t leave here.”

Minnesota acquired Conley in a three-team deal with the Los Angeles Lakers and Utah Jazz. Conley was good last year in his 24 appearances for the Wolves, averaging 14.0 points, 5.0 assists, and 3.7 rebounds. He really shot the ball well as he knocked down 2.4 treys a game with a shooting slash line of .460/.420/.863.

Wolves Woking On Improving Offense

While Minnesota is focusing on defense — they ranked 10th in the league on that end this year — Finch is looking for improvement offensively.

Finch, known as an offensive coach, brought a free-flowing offensive philosophy to Minnesota. But the Wolves struggled mightily executing the offense, and they finished 23rd in offensive efficiency last season.

As a result, the Wolves coaching staff is considering shaking things up on that end. Chris Hine of the Minnesota Star Tribune is reporting that Finch still prefers a more free-flowing offense. However, he will incorporate more structure and play calls to help jump-start the offense.