Minnesota Timberwolves basketball is back!
Sure, you won’t be seeing LaMelo (or LeBron) in action. It’s going to be a handful of games from last year and this year’s rookies, but let’s not kid yourself. You’ve been starved for our Wolves basketball. If you’re reading this or are a regular at Canis Hoopus, then you’re surely the demographic for Summer League action.
As a prize for clicking here, I pronounce to you:
The Ultimate 2026 Wolves Summer League Companion!
We’re here to get you up to date on all
things Las Vegas Summer League so you can keep this virtual program handy when tuning in. When and how do I watch the next game? Who’s that tall guy starting next to Rocco Zikarsky? Who’s number 15 and why isn’t he on an NBA roster right now? Ever heard of Al Ahly Ly?
You will have all the fun facts that you can casually drop to impress your friends, family, and significant others.
Table of Contents
- Summer League Schedule
- Full Roster Breakdown
- Tier 1 – Roster Relevant Guys
- Joan Beringer (F/C) | Rocco Zikarsky (C) | Isaiah Evans (G)
- Tier 2 – Potential Two-Way Prospects
- Zyon Pullin (G) | Enrique Freeman (F) | Trey Kaufman-Renn (F)
- Tier 3 – G-League Journeymen
- Nate Santos (W) | Dajuan Harris (G)
- Damion Baugh (G) | Donovan Williams (W) | Jaylin Williams (F)
- Tier 4 – Undrafted Dreamers
- Trey Campbell (G) | Aidan Mahaney (G) | Toby Harris (F) | Devin McGlockton (F)
- Tier 1 – Roster Relevant Guys
- Storylines to Watch
- Big is In
- Calling All Forwards
- Shoot Your Shot
Summer League Schedule
If this is your first rodeo, then let me explain the format of Las Vegas Summer League to you.
Every team plays four pre-determined games to determine who the top four teams are. The top four are generally determined by win-loss record and point differentials (tiebreakers may come into play). These teams then move on to a single-elimination tournament to crown a champion. The teams that miss out on the bracket will get a fifth and final exhibition game.
For your information, it’s not uncommon for high lottery picks or important rotation players to play just a few of the games early in the schedule before being shut down to avoid potential injury.
The Wolves opening schedule is as follows:
- Game 1: Thursday, July 9 @ 2:30pm CT vs New Orleans Pelicans (Prime)
- Game 2: Saturday, July 11 @ 6:30pm CT vs Denver Nuggets (Prime)
- Game 3: Tuesday, July 13 @ 10:00pm CT vs Portland Trail Blazers (ESPN2)
- Game 4: Wednesday, July 15 @ 2:30pm CT vs Indiana Pacers (Prime)
- Game 5: TBD
- Game 6: TBD
You might be asking yourselves: Has Minnesota ever “won it all” before? The answers is no. They went 4-0 last year, but just barely missed out on the “championship bracket” due to point differential. However, I detailed just how close they’ve gotten in last year’s summer league preview:
The Timberwolves have made it to the finals twice, but fallen just short. In 2016, Tyus Jones lost to the Chicago Bulls thanks to a Denzel Valentine buzzer beater in overtime. Then in 2019, Naz Reid and Jordan McLaughlin nearly overcame a 10-point deficit with less than two minutes left, but fell to the Memphis Grizzlies by just three points.
As usual, the Canis Hoopus team will have previews, game threads, and recaps for all you sickos.
Wolves Roster Breakdown
The initial Wolves Summer League roster rollout is incomplete due to the pending Julius Randle, Naz Reid, LaMelo Ball traffic jam of a trade. Currently omitted on this roster is the 33rd pick of the 2026 NBA draft, Isaiah Evans. By all accounts, Evans will be present and active as Vegas.
Last year, two-thirds of Minnesota’s roster consisted of former Iowa Wolves players. This time, less than half of team are former Iowa players. There’ll be a good mix of fresh faces which is always fun to see. Who’s going to be the next Coty Clarke or Deonte Burton (Real ones know)?
The Wolves Summer League Head Coach will be Nathan Bubes, a current Wolves assistant coach. He’ll be flanked by a team of assistant coaches such as James “Flight” White, Iowa Wolves head coach Mahmoud Abdelfattah, and others.
Interestingly enough, the Wolves listed Đorđe Adžić as a “guest coach.” Adžić was an assistant coach for KK Cedevita Olimpija during Joan Beringer time overseas.
Tier 1: Roster Relevant Guys
Joan Beringer (F/C)
Glass ceiling comp: Ultimate Giannis Antetokounmpo
Boring mezzanine comp: Fast Jarrett Allen
Dark basement comp: Tall Bismack Biyombo
The Big Question: Can he stay on the floor by staying out of foul trouble?
Your eyes do not deceive you. That “F” next to Beringer’s name stands for “forward.”
Coach Bubes made some waves when he declared that Joan Beringer would “play some at the four” next to fellow seven-footer, Rocco Zikarsky. Given Minnesota’s the King-sized hole at that position, there were plenty of eyebrows that were raised here. However, Zikarsky has quite a bit more floor spacing capabilities than someone like Rudy Gobert so is this just a fun summer experiment?
The other note that drew attention was the 19-year-old’s listed weight. A year ago, he was listed at 230 pounds. This year, that has increased by 15. It’s only natural to expect a teenager, who’s hardly played professional sports, to bulk up in due time. It was obvious in his sparing rookie opportunities that he lacked the girth to battle with bigger bodies in the paint. Will his new found strength be on display in his second summer league campaign?
There’s also been murmurs of the Frenchman working on his perimeter touch and off-the-dribble skills. It will be very intriguing to see how much truth there is to that, but regardless, he will be the primary player Wolves fans will be watching. You can already tell that year two Joan seems far more comfortable than he was in year one.
Rocco Zikarsky (C)
Glass ceiling comp: Healthy Kristaps Porziņģis
Boring mezzanine comp: Less athletic Jay Huff
Dark basement comp: Shorter Tacko Fall
The Big Question: Can physically keep up with the speed of the game?
Our favorite giant Australian joins the Wolves for his second summer league experience after spending most of last season with the Iowa Wolves. In his 42 games in the G League, he averaged 14.8 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks in just 25.1 minutes per game. The per 36 numbers go crazy.
One of the most interesting aspects about Rocco, other than the fact that he was the tallest player (7’4”) of his draft class despite being just 19 years old, was his potential to spread the floor. The Aussie shot 45.5% from perimeter on nearly two attempts per game in his first 18 games with Iowa. That tailed off significantly as his season progressed, including a ghastly 0 for 15 mark in February. There’s still something there to find out, though.
Zikarsky’s rim protection is obvious. He has tantalizing passing potential, despite some accuracy issues. He’s going to have to prove he can play at an acceptable speed due to his lumbering gait. He turns just 20 on the Wolves second summer league game this season, so hopefully Rocco will ball out on his birthday.
Isaiah Evans (G)
Glass ceiling comp: Young Trey Murphy III
Boring mezzanine comp: Lankier Tim Hardaway Jr.
Dark basement comp: Cool Matt Ryan
The Big Question: Can he be passable on the defensive end of the floor?
Though Isaiah Evans isn’t currently listed on the summer league roster, he is expected to be present once the trade is processed. That said, It’s not often you would give a rookie who was the 33rd pick a chance to crack the rotation of a playoff team. It’s even less likely when you consider how deep that team is in the backcourt already. But Isaiah Evans finds himself in this tier because of an elite skill that he is.
“Showtime Slim” can shoot the leather off the ball.
By many advanced metrics, Evans measured in as one of the best movement shooters of his draft class. He’s built like Corey Brewer which teases at his potential on both ends of the court, but as of now, he seems to mostly be a specialist.
Evans was a five-star recruit out of high school from North Carolina, then had to play behind Kon Knueppel during his first year at Duke. He grinded at getting better on the defensive end of the court, helping him secure a larger role in his second and final year in the NCAA where he averaged 15 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.7 three-pointers made in 28.2 minutes per game.
Isaiah will need to demonstrate he can be more than just a one-dimensional offensive player, but more importantly, prove that he can hang on the defensive side of the floor this summer. If he wants to earn scrap minutes for the Timberwolves, he’ll need to understand the assignment.
Tier 2: Potential Two-Way Prospects
Zyon Pullin (G)
Glass ceiling comp: Explosive Ajay Mitchell
Boring mezzanine comp: Offensively skewed Tre Jones
Dark basement comp: Devin Carter
The Big Question: Can he prove himself to be a primary point guard and organize the team?
Let’s not pull any punches about this. Zyon Pullin was one of the most dominant players in the G League last season. Had he not suffered a wrist injury that forced him out of action for a couple of months, he surely would’ve won more than just one Player of the Month award. Hell, in his first week back from a long absence, he won Player of the Week. Iowa would’ve been in significantly better playoff position instead of dropping down to face the finals-bound Stockton Kings had he been healthy.
He’s 25 years old. Stands at six foot four inches tall, with a strong 206 pound build. Posted unbelievable shooting splits of .584/.534/.824. Has an elite 2.86 assist-to-turnover ratio. Possesses an incredible first step. Uses masterful craft to draw contact or finish in the paint. Wields a deadly, if not low volume, trey ball.
So why is Zyon here?
Coach Bubes shared that he wants to see if Zyon can develop into a true point guard. Yes, he’s a reliably capable ball mover, but he more often opts to call his own number. Pullin is plenty good at that, but what else can he bring? I’m a big believer in him.
I think Zyon’s primed for a special summer league performance, especially after he inexplicably played his worst game of his G League season in a win-or-go home playoff game against the Kings two months ago.
Enrique Freeman (F)
Glass ceiling comp: Poor man’s Paul Millsap
Boring mezzanine comp: Slimmer Jared Sullinger
Dark basement comp: Poor man’s Craig Smith
The Big Question: Can he truly space the floor consistently?
Enrique Freeman is an interesting prospect, to say the least. The six foot, nine inch forward has nights where you can clearly see the vision and path for him to be an NBA player. On other nights, he looks destined to be a G League journeyman.
So what does it look like when it’s going well for the Puerto Rican-American?
Enrique is a high motor, physical big. He’ll always hustle for loose balls and hit the glass hard. But when it’s his night, the three-pointers are splashing in. He can operate as an offensive hub who can coordinate things from the high post. His athleticism will pop for some wild defensive plays.
But on nights the soon-to-be 26 year old isn’t on? Freeman quickly becomes one of the most frustrating players to watch on the floor. Low IQ decision making on both ends of the floor. It often made me want to tear my hair out.
He most recently signed a new two-way contract with the Timberwolves, but those contracts can quickly be pulled and replaced at a moment’s notice. Enrique has to show consistency in what may be his last attempt to make a standard NBA roster. He ended his final two months of his G League season shooting 38% from distance and 2.3 assist-to-turnover ratio which may be good foreshadowing.
Trey Kaufman-Renn (F)
Glass ceiling comp: David Lee with a more unique name
Boring mezzanine comp: Less athletic, offensively-skewed Brandon Clarke
Dark basement comp: Short Kosta Koufos
The Big Question: Can he do anything other than score around the rim?
I want to call Trey “Crab Man” because he said he spent draft night crabbing with his family members instead of celebrating achieving his childhood dream. Or maybe “The Philosopher” since he was a Philosophy major in college, and how he cites that he uses it to guide himself as a teammate. It’s little things like this that intrigue me about a player I did not know existed until 24 days ago.
After the initial scan of draft expert analyses and some highlight videos, he seems like a curious player in today’s NBA game. TKR doesn’t seem capable of scoring outside the paint, isn’t an outstanding playmaker, and is undersized without elite athleticism. So what did Tim Connelly and his team see in him?
The NCAA West All-Region Team honoree was uber productive once Zach Edey left for the NBA, averaging 17.1 points on 58% shooting between his final two seasons at Purdue. He was also tasked with more decision-making responsibilities, often operating at the nail with success.
The way Trey finishes on offense reminds me a lot of the late, great, Brandon Clarke. Yes, the man who dominated the Wolves in the 2022 playoffs. TK isn’t the high flyer that BC was, but he will position himself in the right spots and dink and dunk you to death. He constantly punishes smaller or low effort/concentration defenders.
Trey’s inclusion in this tier is more out of speculation than actual fact though. The Wolves still have a hole at the power forward position and the front office drafted a power forward. I find it unlikely that he can overtake someone like Enrique Freeman or Zyon Pullin for a two-way spot, but it’s also not impossible that he magically turns into Kevin Love. By all accounts, he’s a hard worker and always rises to the level of competition.
He literally performed so well in the G League Combine in May that they invited him to the NBA Draft Combine.
Tier 3: G-League Journeymen
Nate Santos (W) | Dajuan Harris (G)
The only two non-Wolves roster or two-way Iowa players on this roster are Nate Santos and Dajuan Harris. They’re fairly simple players to understand on the court.
Santos is is your prototypical 3&D utility wing. He was one of the designated perimeter shooters for Iowa, though he wasn’t particularly reliable in that role. From November to March, he vacillated from distance every month. Nate would shoot low 30% or worse, then bounce back to high 30% or better. The 24 year old landed at a respectable 36.3% on decent volume. The Puerto Rican-American does stand at six foot, seven inches tall and wasn’t terrible as a slasher. I would comp him as a Kelan Martin type.
Meanwhile, Dajuan Harris is your small, feisty, “live in your jersey” defensive menace. He’s a ball mover on offense and not much of a play finisher, and certainly not a shooter. Think Rajon Rondo archetype. The former Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year was often subbed in to inject energy into the lineup, often spurring positive runs for Iowa. He’s 25 years of age and seems destined for a career in the G or overseas.
Damion Baugh (G) | Donovan Williams (W) | Jaylin Williams (F) | Chris Mantis (W)
Just like most other teams do, the Wolves added some G League rotation players to their summer league team. Most of these guys will likely be used as practice bodies, but are also auditioning for their next roles. It could be for Iowa, another G League team, or even abroad.
Damion Baugh is the only guard of this bunch. He was by-and-large the best player for the Valley Suns, leading them in scoring. He wasn’t particularly efficient (.486 eFG%), but did excel as a playmaker. The six foot, four inch guard averaged 8.0 assists per game which was good for 10th in the entire G League. Damion was also selected to take part in the NBA All-Star Weekend G League Next Up game, playing for the team that ultimately won the tournament. He most recently played in the Basketball Africa League (BAL) and Canadian-Elite-Basketball-League (CEBL).
Donovan “Stretch” Williams is an athletic six foot, five inch wing who can also fill up the box score. He’s much more of a “pure scorer” who can bomb away from three or finish with authority. Think prime Trevor Ariza. He’s played for six different G League teams and even had a quick drink of water with the Atlanta Hawks in 2023. Since the G season ended, he’s also taken his talents to the BAL where he’s third in the league in scoring (21.6).
Sadly, this Jaylin Williams is not the half-Vietnamese Jaylin Williams on the Oklahoma City Thunder. However, he is also an undersized big who makes hustle plays and has shown flashes of spacing the floor. He spent last year with the runner-up Stockton Kings where he was an integral part of their rotation. The way he plays reminds me of Jalen “Stix” Smith, of the Chicago Bulls.
I was a bit surprised to see Chris Mantis pop up on the summer league roster. He played limited minutes in the G League last year for the Capital City Go-Go (Wizards affiliate). He’s essentially a three-point specialist who doesn’t do much else.
The two guys who stand out most to me are Baugh and Donovan Williams. Ironically, they both played on the same ‘24-‘25 Westchester Knicks team. They both also played on the same BAL team (Al Ahly Ly) a couple months ago. It seems they are a combo who are on the cusp of being too good for the G League. I’ll be curious if they can challenge for a potential two-way contract with the Wolves.
Tier 4: Undrafted Dreamers
Trey Campbell (G)| Aidan Mahaney (G) | Toby Harris (F) | Devin McGlockton (F)
Minnesota’s summer league roster is rounded out by four undrafted players trying to get a chance. They all vary in terms of college programs they played at, but all have similarly underwhelming simple box score numbers.
Trey Campbell and Aidan Mahaney look to be very similar type of players. Point guards with decent size, and ability to shoot the deep ball on relatively high volume. On one hand, Campbell played in a lot lower level of competition in the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC), but had a very decorated four years there. He was the MVC Tournament Most Outstanding Player, following in the footsteps of former NBA sharpshooters Doug McDermott and Kyle Korver. He also made the MVC All-Defensive Team last season.
Mahaney, on the other hand, bounced around three different programs. He was a standout West Coast Conference (WCC) player at Saint Mary’s, then earned a shot with the University of Connecticut Huskies. The big leagues! Though he gained valuable experience in his 34 games there, mostly off the bench, he returned to California to play for UC Santa Barbara (my wife’s alma mater). He made All-Conference First Team in three of his four years in college, including his final year at UCSB where he was fifth in the conference in three-point makes.
Toby Harris and Devin McGlockton are two fairly different players. Toby Harris, no to be confused with Tobias Harris, is another three-point specialist who cut his teeth in Division III basketball at Brandeis University before going D!. The 23 year old shot nearly seven three point attempts per game while knocking them down at a over 41% clip!
McGlockton is more a traditional big who rebounds the hell out of the ball. He has some semblance of a jumpshot, but is more of a cleanup guy. I assume him and Trey Kaufman-Renn could recreate the “Spiderman Pointing” meme.
Storylines to Watch
Big is In
Just when you thought Tim Connelly’s Timberwolves were going to “zig” when the rest of the league is “zagging” towards big (Thanks a lot, Wemby), Coach Bubes announced the aforementioned two-big look that they’ll be experimenting with. Two (basically) 19-year-old seven foot monsters? Why the hell not!
To clarify, he did say that Beringer would be functioning primarily as a power forward on defense, but center on offense. Vice versa for Zikarsky. Still, watching these two behemoths hammer other teams on the boards is going to be hilariously fun. They may also both set the record for fouls per minute by a starting frontcourt.
Let’s actually talk real hoops for a second. Rocco’s potential shooting prowess will be something that Wolves fans should be keeping their eyes on. Meanwhile, seeing Joan confidently in space on both ends of the court should also draw your attention.
Calling All Forwards
LeBron James hasn’t come to save Minnesota from their power forward shortage yet, has he? Can 30-year-old Trey Lyles handle 30 minutes of action? Will Jaden McDaniels add 50 pounds this summer to handle the bulky power forwards that roam the league?
Until any of that is confirmed, the Wolves see their first auditions in Las Vegas. I’m sure the front office will be taking notes on Freeman, Kaufman-Renn, or even Jaylin Williams, Chris Mantis, and Toby Harris. Surely they won’t be considered potential starters, but they have to harvest frontcourt talent somewhere. Spread some seeds and see if anything sprouts.
Shoot Your Shot
The loss of Donte DiVincenzo can’t be replaced by a single player. That said, just like the lack of power forwards, the Wolves have to recoup some of their perimeter scoring from somewhere. LaMelo Ball, Ayo Dosunmu, and Bones Hyland are all talented jump shooters to their own right. However, any injury issues they potentially suffer (knock on wood) could leave the Wolves devoid of three-point threats.
Isaiah Evans could see a role sooner than expected, if things shake out in a particular way. Zyon Pullin, a personal favorite of mine, also showcased an absurd shooting touch last season with Iowa, so perhaps he could be next in line. Maybe even one of the G League journeymen like Baugh or one of the Williams experience a hot few weeks from beyond the arc and secure their ticket to the roster, much like Johnny Juzang did during preseason a year ago.
There you have it. Nearly 4,000 words about the Timberwolves summer league team. I assure you that no other fanbase does it like this. We were born as sickos and remain proud sickos!
So who are you most excited to see most? Was there anyone that deserved more shine? I’ll see you in the comments section as usual!
