Minnesota's training camp has a new feel this season, and it starts with Lamelo Ball. During the Timberwolves' first day of camp in late September, Ball and Anthony Edwards competed in the classic schoolyard drill Around the World, where players must hit three straight shots while circling the 3-point arc. Ball's frustrated reaction after a miss and Edwards' laughing fist bumps captured the playful energy the team hopes to carry into the season.
The overhaul is significant. Despite reaching the Western Conference finals in two of the past three years, Minnesota traded Julius Randle and fan favorite Naz Reid and signed Ball to bolster the backcourt alongside Edwards. Jonathan Kuminga, 24, and Ayo Dosunmu, 26, are expected to play key roles as the roster gets younger. The aim is to close the gap with the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder, the past two conference champions, who knocked the Wolves out of back-to-back playoffs.
Tim Connelly acknowledged the team did not play its best in last year's playoffs and said the organization understands how difficult the task ahead will be. Edwards, who has long seen himself as a natural two guard, welcomed the chance to hand off ballhandling duties and develop his passing.
Coach Chris Finch summed up the shift in culture: "We've traded moodiness for giddiness." The end-of-practice shootouts are seen as a microcosm of the season, with Ball's showmanship and Edwards' steady edge expected to push each other forward.
Source: ESPN NBA · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing