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Josh Minott shines in Timberwolves’ preseason opener, validating his approach to the game

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Josh Minott shines in Timberwolves’ preseason opener, validating his approach to the game

In the weeks leading up to Minnesota Timberwolves training camp, rave reviews started coming in for Josh Minott. He played just 187 minutes in his first two seasons in the league, was not impressive at summer league in July and appeared to be in danger of slipping through the cracks on one of the best teams in the Western Conference.

With so much riding on his third summer of preparation, Minott took an unusual approach to try to turn things around. He just stopped caring so much.

“I’m actually getting better at the game of basketball by not caring so much in terms of stressing,” Minott said at media day last week.

In the Timberwolves’ first preseason game Friday night, Minott flew through the air as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He scored 22 points and grabbed eight rebounds in Minnesota’s 124-107 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers, an eye-opening performance from a player looking to force his name into consideration when thinking about the Timberwolves’ promising group of youngsters.

It was an emphatic performance filled with soaring dunks, blocked shots and strong rebounds, the kind of attention-grabbing outing Minott desperately needs to find a way onto the floor this season. The only way Minott will have a chance to even sniff that is by dominating these preseason minutes. He is off to a good start.

Minott was 9-for-11 from the field, including 4-for-6 on 3-pointers. Working on his shot has been a major point of emphasis for Minott of late, but as he will tell you, everything starts with him putting all the pressure out of his mind.

“In my 21 years on this planet — about to be 22 — this is probably the most confident I’ve ever felt in my jump shot,” Minott said. “I feel like anytime the ball leaves my hands from beyond the arc, it’s going in.”

Coach Chris Finch and veteran point guard Mike Conley have publicly shouted out Minott in the first days of training camp practice, remarking on his increased strength and focused approach.

“All the young guys have really played well. They’ve had a great offseason,” Conley said. “Josh Minott is the one that stood out to me when I got back a week ago.”

Minott will not turn 22 until November. He was a 2022 second-round pick but spent much of his time in the G League while the Timberwolves pushed toward the top of the West. In his first two seasons, Minott said he was too concerned with impressing Finch and the coaching staff above anything else.

“Coming into the league, I was scared of messing up, scared of making mistakes,” Minott said. “I wanted to be the perfect player. I wanted to impress the coach and all this other stuff.”

He has found a way to quiet his mind and not press so much. He had three steals and two blocks Friday, including one of Bronny James at the rim as the Wolves were clinging to a 6-point lead. He came down and hit a 3 at the other end for a 108-99 lead that essentially turned back the Lakers’ comeback attempt.

“I used to fear, ‘Oh, if I miss this shot, then this domino effect happens,’” Minott said. “Or, ‘Oh, I’m going to hurt the team.’ Now it’s like, every time I shoot the ball, it’s one of two things: I’m going to make it or miss it. I don’t really care too much. And when I stop caring, it goes in.”

Los Angeles was playing without LeBron James and Anthony Davis, and the Timberwolves rested Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle, who just joined the team Thursday after the trade that sent Karl-Anthony Towns to the New York Knicks was made official. Donte DiVincenzo, who came to the Wolves with Randle, played and was a perfect 4-for-4 for 11 points in one quarter of work.

DiVincenzo picked up right where he left off last season in New York: knocking down open shots, getting disruptive in the half-court defense and, most importantly, giving coach Finch a player capable of knocking down 3s while on the move in the half court, an antidote to stagnancy.

Finch gave the bulk of the minutes to his young players, preferring not to tax Conley, Rudy Gobert and more of the established core.

With a lot of the veterans playing sparingly, the door opened for the Timberwolves to flex their depth, which is expected to be a big strength this season. Rookie Rob Dillingham needed 20 shots to score 21 points and occasionally seemed to be bothered by size at the rim, but the creativity and bucket-getting instincts were there all night. From floaters to 3s, of which he had three, Dillingham looked much more sure of himself against the Lakers than he did for most of summer league.

Luka Garza had 20 points and nine rebounds and looks ready to go should there be an injury. Nickeil Alexander-Walker showed more advanced playmaking as he looks to take some of the quarterbacking load off Conley, and rookie Terrence Shannon Jr. scored 14 points, dished out five assists and grabbed four rebounds.

This is going to be a “strength in numbers” season for the Wolves. Some of the younger players will likely move in and out of the rotation, using their depth to try to lift them to the NBA Finals.

Minott wants to be in that mix. He has been on the outside looking in for his first two seasons in the league. The success he had against the Lakers won’t convince Finch to immediately push him into the rotation. This was just preseason, after all. Teams are resting stars, and the intensity is not nearly as high as when the lights come on for real.

“We’re going to have opportunities through attrition with some older players on the roster,” Finch said. “Hopefully, they stay healthy. We’ve got to manage their minutes and all that. We feel we could end up being one of the deeper teams in the league.”

(Photo of Josh Minott and Bronny James: Jonathan Hui / Imagn Images)

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