The Timberwolves will kick off 2025 NBA Summer League play in Las Vegas on Thursday afternoon. They have four games this month already scheduled, with at least one more to come after that depending on their place in the standings. On paper, this looks like a team that has a chance to have a lot of success in this event.
Shannon poised to dominate
The Wolves' No. 1 offensive option and likely leading scorer will be Terrence Shannon Jr., the second-year guard who promises to be a handful for Summer League defenders. He's a force getting downhill to his favored left hand, and he can knock down open threes as well. What will be interesting to watch is how he manages double teams and defenders who force him right, as well as how he holds up on the defensive end of the floor. It's already been established that Shannon will be a big part of the Wolves' rotation next season.
A big opportunity for Dillingham
All eyes this summer will be on Rob Dillingham, the No. 8 overall pick last year who figures to get more of an opportunity to play a meaningful role in his second season. He's now a full year into his NBA career and should be ready to put up big numbers in Vegas. It'll be fun to watch him run the offense on a pretty stacked Summer League team. As always, he'll need to compete at a high level on defense to overcome his lack of size.
The first look at two rookie big men
Timberwolves draft picks Joan Beringer and Rocco Zikarsky will also command a big share of the spotlight in Vegas. Both are 18 years old and full of potential, though they'll need plenty of development before they become candidates for playing time with the NBA club. Get ready to watch Beringer run the floor and jump out of the gym on both ends. It'll be exciting to see him in the pick-and-roll with Dillingham, and hopefully they can connect on some lobs. Zikarsky, meanwhile, is a 7'3" shot-blocking force who can also step out a bit and knock down a shot. Those two, along with Leonard Miller and Jesse Edwards, give the summer Wolves quite the frontcourt.
The big names are Shannon, Dillingham, Miller, Jaylen Clark, Beringer, and Zikarsky. Here are three players outside of that group who could make some noise.
Jamal Cain
Cain is a 6'7" wing with 81 games of NBA experience for the Pelicans and Heat over the past three years. He averaged an efficient 19.5 points per game for New Orleans over the final four games of this past regular season, and he's been a 22-23 point scorer in the G League. Cain will look to show out in Vegas and potentially earn a roster spot or two-way deal, either with the Wolves or another team.
Amari Bailey
The Wolves' other non-roster summer player with past NBA experience is Bailey, who was a second-round pick out of UCLA in 2023. He played in ten games with the Hornets as a rookie. Just 21 years old, Bailey spent some time with the Iowa Wolves in the G League last season.
CJ Fulton
An intriguing undrafted rookie, Fulton is a native of Belfast in Northern Ireland. He's a 6'3" point guard who is a true facilitator. Last year at College of Charleston, he averaged 7.8 points, 4.1 rebounds and 6.5 assists on 43/38/84 shooting splits with only 1.3 turnovers per game. It would be quite the underdog story if Fulton can play his way into an NBA opportunity. He projects as the summer Wolves' third point guard behind Dillingham and two-way player Tristen Newton.
Timberwolves assistant Kevin Hanson is the head coach.