It may not have been the prettiest display of games, but at its core, Summer League can be considered a success for the Wolves.
Minnesota closed out its play in the Las Vegas Circuit in style Friday night with a 97-78 win over the New Orleans Pelicans. And in the game a lot of the successes of Summer League were on display.
Zach LaVine, a scrutinized 2014 NBA Draft pick by some pundits, balled out in the game with 22 points and a few highlights at the rim. He has shown the propensity throughout Summer League to control the offense at the point guard position, but also run the break and push the pace in transition. Yes. It's Summer League and the competition is a fraction of what LaVine will see in the NBA next season. That said his speed will translate will at the next level.
LaVine, however, wasn't the only person that stood out Friday night. Minnesota trailed early in the game, but used a 19-1 run in the second half to pull away.
Glenn Robinson III was the second leading scorer with 17 points. Robinson III has improved his play in every game in Summer League and seems to be on the right path with training camp a few months away. Gorgui Dieng also added 12 points and 9 rebounds in the win.
New Orleans was led by Russ Smith who scored 21 points on 9-for-18 shooting from the floor.
THE NUMBERS GAME
- Minnesota finished the Summer League circuit with a 2-3 record. It garnered the worst seed in the tournament after three losses in the prelimary round, but defeated the Phoenix Suns in the first round of the knockout stage to advance to the next round. The Wolves loss to the Sacramento Kings in their following game before closing out Summer League with Friday night's win.
- Zach LaVine may have led the team with 22 points Friday, but he also had 4 asssits in the game. LaVine has showed he's more than capable of running the point guard position throughout Summer League. It remains to be seen if those skills will translate against NBA competition.
- Brady Heslip, the marksman from Baylor, scored 15 points in the game and was 3-for-5 from beyond the arc. Heslip has had a pretty good Summer League, but it's tough to envision him making the Wolves due to their lack of roster space.
LOOKING AHEAD
The Wolves will now travel back to the Twin Cities and won't continue organized team actiities until training camp starts in October. In the meantime players will workout on their own and the Summer League roster will look to build on this momentum gained for the Las Vegas circuit.