Howlin' T-Wolf

Basketball starts up in less than two weeks; Can you believe it?! The Las Vegas Summer League is where youngsters from all over gather to showcase their skills and impress NBA GM’s and coaches.

The Timberwolves roster looks pretty solid, if you ask me:

Minnesota Timberwolves Summer League Roster (Source)

PG - Jonny Flynn, Jeremy Pargo

SG - Wayne Ellington

SF – Wesley Johnson, Lazar Hayward, Mo Charlo

PF - Cedric Simmons, Deon Thompson,

C – Patrick O’Bryant, Greg Stiemsma

Coach -

Minnesota Timberwolves Summer League Schedule – 7/12 vs San Antonio, 7/14 vs Sacramento, 7/16 vs Memphis, 7/17 vs Portland, 7/18 vs Atlanta

Flynn and Ellington are the key returning players this summer, as well as the Wolves’ fourth overall pick in this year’s draft Wes Johnson.

Flynn should dominate in Vegas this summer. After all, this is where he showed off what he was made of last year as a rookie. He made giant strides to proving that his 6th overall pick worthiness was well-deserved. I’m looking for him to show that he learned to play point guard last year, meaning I want to see a better assist/turnover ratio as well as some better decision making. His defense also needs to improve this season.

Wes Johnson will be fun to watch. We will get to see exactly what he’s made of. I’m looking for him to dominate and lead the team in scoring as well as three-point shooting — Ellington could give him a run for his money there. Watching the chemistry between he and Flynn will be fun too. The court should be full of smiles and, hopefully, tons of highlight reel material.

Probably the two most interesting names on the Wolves roster are at the center position: Patrick OBryant and Greg Stiemsma. Center was a blatant weak spot for the Wolves last year, so working a few new guys out will help. O’Bryant is a project center out of Bradley University. Not yet has he panned out in the NBA but only at age 24, he has years to grow in to. Stiemsma could possibly be on the Wolves roster next season. The legit 7-footer out of Wisconsin dominated in the D-League last year and was called up to the Wolves late last season for the very reason of playing in the Vegas league.

Anyways, this year’s squad should be fun to follow. The development of Flynn, Johnson’s first venture into the NBA and the tantalizing centers all give reason to pay close attention to this year’s summer league team.