Tonight, after a long offseason, the Milwaukee Bucks play basketball again, facing the Minnesota Timberwolves at home. Crucially, for the first time in a long time, nobody knows what to expect. Nobody knows who’s going to start, who’s going to play major minutes, or how the team will play—and that makes it all the more intriguing. This is kind of like going on a blind date with an entire basketball team (that probably sounded a tad weird, didn’t it?). In any event, we must remember that, despite
the novelty, this is still a preseason game, so I wouldn’t expect the “main guys”—whoever they may be—to play their full complement of minutes. Nonetheless, I’m sure it’ll be an entertaining game regardless of who’s playing.
The Task Ahead
As our SB Nation counterparts at Canis Hoopus outlined in their game preview, the Timberwolves enter this season with much more to learn than in previous years, given their revamped core. Julius Randle and the beloved Naz Reid are out, while LaMelo Ball and Jonathan Kuminga are in. The Wolves are clearly trying to add more dynamism and upside after concluding their previous core had reached its ceiling.
That said, Minnesota’s previous core was extremely successful in the regular season, even if its playoff ceiling might not have been as high. Moving on from that to bet on two volatile players in Ball (who the Hornets were clearly itching to get off of) and Kuminga (who the Hawks had no desire to bring back) is risky.
On their new starting backcourt, Canis Hoopus’ Leo Sun notes that while the general sentiment is that the Ball and Edwards pairing will either boom or bust, “it’ll be spectacular in fashion [regardless]. Like ‘Wow, look at that chariot with flames trailing it!’ or ‘Wow, look at the speed of that dumpster fire flying down the street!’”
As for tonight, we’ll see how much—or if—the main Wolves play. I imagine they’ll want to play as much as possible since they have a few new pieces, but then again, the Bucks didn’t play Giannis and Dame together until a few preseason games in, so who knows. There’s a real chance Milwaukee gets Minnesota’s second-string guys for their preseason opener, which would be a bit of a downer.
Injury Report
Injury coverage through the league’s official channel isn’t available in the preseason, but according to ESPN, the Bucks are fully healthy heading into this game. The only injury being reported for the Wolves is Donte DiVincenzo, who is obviously out for most (if not all) of the year as he rehabs a torn Achilles.
Player to Watch
I mean, it’s got to be Tyler Herro, right? He is the most accomplished player Milwaukee got for Giannis, and a lot of eyes will be on him. I want to watch how Herro meshes with the bigs in pick-and-roll. For example, how does his chemistry with Kel’el Ware (who he’s played with) compare with his chemistry with Myles Turner (who he hasn’t played with)? How does Herro balance getting his own and setting up his teammates? These are the small details I will be watching for.
Projected Starters
Game Details
Who: Milwaukee Bucks (0-0) vs. Minnesota (0-0).
When: 7:00 p.m. CDT.
Where: Fiserv Forum—Milwaukee, WI.
Watch: MY24.
Listen: Check local listings.
Prescient Prediction
Brayden Burries looks right at home on an NBA court, scoring a cool 12 points on efficient shooting.
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