Josh Minott has played extensive minutes in the preseason, and fans were hoping to see flashes from him after a strong Summer League. However, Minott appeared to struggle more than thrive in Minnesota’s first three preseason games, leading to some concern about the 20-year-old second-year forward. Turnovers and poor shot selection seemed to be plaguing Minott. But that changed on Tuesday night when Minott exploded against Maccabi Ra’anana. In extended minutes, Minott showed the athleticism and playmaking that made him such an exciting prospect.
Coming out of Memphis, Minott was known for his athleticism, with many of his highlights coming off of fast-break dunks. He also flashed in the NBA, and Minott’s dunks made him a crowd favorite. While Minott had plenty of dunks against Maccabi, he also used his natural abilities on defense.
Minott finished with three impressive blocks, and he was a great on-ball defender. He had a 119.4 defensive rating and a +20.6 net rating on Tuesday. That gave him the highest defensive rating and net rating player among the starters. While a 119.4 defensive rating isn’t very good, it’s important to remember that teams dial back defensive intensity to prevent injuries in the preseason. Minott’s defensive rating was the best among all starters, meaning he’s showing improvement. It was most noticeable in his positioning and the use of his length to get blocks.
Looking at Minott’s game against Maccabi, his playmaking was the most eye-popping improvement. Minott appeared to be playing in the flow of the offense and moving the ball around well, registering six assists in the game, which breaks down to a 23% assist percentage. That’s a massive improvement from the 7.5% he had last season with the Wolves and the 10.5% he had in the G league.
Chris Finch has consistently shown a fondness for players with high assist percentages. Last year, eight Timberwolves players had an assist percentage greater than 15%. While he was playing against lesser competition, the confidence Minott showed in his passing and in trusting his teammates was definitely encouraging. Below is a drive-and-kick dart Minott threw, followed by a nifty pass from a different possession leading to a dunk.
Minott continues to struggle with shooting, though. He appears hesitant to let the three-ball fly in preseason. In addition to his lack of three-point shooting, he often passes up on mid-range shots in favor of drives and more crowded layup attempts. All nine of Minott’s made baskets against Maccabi in the paint. Minott shines by scoring in the paint.
In his single season at Memphis, Minott shot 56% on two-point field goals, with most of his shots being around the rim. In the NBA last season, that dipped to 53%. That could have dropped slightly due to a lack of opportunity and fewer fast break chances. Encouragingly, many of Minott’s baskets came within the flow of the offense, with Minott recognizing appropriate times to backcut or using his size to get position for easy baskets.
It would be nice to have seen Minott shoot more from a distance. But it was a sign of growth to see his aggressiveness, finding mismatches and getting easy baskets. Below are a few examples that display Minott’s ability to get to the rim and finish.
It was encouraging to see Minott make 5 of 6 free throws in the game. Minott will have to develop his shooting to get consistent playing time during the regular season. Free throw percentage is often an indicator of a player’s potential in shooting from distance in the NBA. A recent Harvard study found that college free-throw percentage was the most important predictor in pro three-point percentage.
At Memphis, Minott made 75.4% of his free throws, above the NCAA average 71.5%. That suggests that although he shot 14% from deep in college, he may improve in the NBA. Last season, Minott only made two of six threes due to his lack of playtime. However, Minott shot 8-for-8 from the free throw line, and he has shot 80% in the preseason.
However, Minott ran into foul trouble on Tuesday. Minott had 5 fouls in 32 minutes, and many of his fouls were a result of being too handsy while defending the basket. That’s a blemish that has followed Minott throughout his career. Minott averaged 4.8 fouls per 40 minutes at Memphis and 3.7 fouls per 36 minutes last season with the Wolves. Even in the G League, he had 3 fouls in just under 30 minutes last season.
He’s definitely not the only Wolves player who gets in foul trouble, and it’s a sign of his youth and inexperience. Like with other young players, the effort is there in his defense, but the technique is lagging behind. Minott is only 20 years old. Hopefully, in the coming season we see his fouls per game start to dip back down closer to the league average at just above 2.1 per game.
Minott had a promising game with extended minutes and gave the fans and team a glimpse of what could be in his future. However, due to Minneosta’s impressive depth on the roster, the Maccabi game may be the last time Minott gets over 30 minutes of play this season unless he’s in Iowa. Nonetheless, Minott is an impressive talent who understands the flow of Finch’s offense more while improving on defense. At the very least, Minott should be able to make sure people outside of Minnesota know his name.
