On Thursday, the Minnesota Timberwolves suited up to play the Dallas Mavericks in a preseason special from Abu Dhabi. Wendell Moore Jr. looked on as the starters and key backups played most of the first three quarters. That is until the fourth quarter when Moore checked in and played 12 consecutive minutes. The large sample size highlighted many of Moores’s improvements and the reasons the Wolves drafted him. Moore controlled the offense, made quick decisions, and brought energy on defense.
Moore came out of Duke University as a consensus lock to be a first-round pick. Many draft scouts and analysts predicted he would have hints of former Denver Nuggets forward Bruce Brown. Moore had an improving three-point shot and ability on both offense and defense because of his athleticism. They saw Moore as a smart player who didn’t turn the ball over and played team-oriented basketball.
Unfortunately, after being drafted 26th overall to the Wolves, Moore found himself with little to no playing time last season. Moore was forced to learn and develop in the background with no clear role. He only played 183 minutes as a rookie.
In Abu Dhabi, the most notable improvement in Moore’s game was his decisiveness with the ball. Chris Finch trusted Moore to run the offense for the entirety of that fourth quarter, and he showed little to no hesitation.
At Duke, Moore primarily played as a wing player and traded off possessions with guards. However, he handled the ball frequently. He had 5.3 assists per game in his last season at Duke and a 21.7% assist rate, which measures the amount of a player’s possessions that end in an assist. The Wolves value players who have a high assist rate. Kyle Anderson, Mike Conley, Jordan McLaughlin, Karl-Anthony Towns, and newcomer Shake Milton all have a 21% assist rate or higher. Moore’s style of play fits in well with the Wolves, and they should put him into action.
Moore often ran the first action of the offense, guiding the defender directly into screens and snapping passes to the corner or to another wing player. His ability to guide a defender to make contact with a screen while keeping his head up and alert to make passes is an art form that Moore showed in college. He also hadn’t showcased that in the NBA because of his limited time on the court. On media day, the Wolves made it clear that they’d have more offensive structure. Therefore, it was a good sign that Moore ran the pick-and-roll with aplomb in his action on Thursday morning.
Below, he hits a wide-open Matt Ryan, who unfortunately missed:
His willingness to drive to the basket is another example of his quicker decision-making. Whether it was taking a pass at the wing and immediately putting pressure on the defender with a strong drive or taking a pass in the corner and driving baseline, Moore showed increased willingness to defer and make plays happen. He also showed that at Duke and in his eight games with the Iowa Wolves. He shot 67% at the rim in his last season at Duke, and draft pundits projected him as more of a slasher than a 3-point specialist.
Below, Moore drives from the corner and hits Luka Garza with a mid-air pass for a dunk:
It seemed like Finch allowed Moore to run the offense because Moore was making quick decisions. He trusted Moore to bring the ball upcourt for most of the fourth quarter, playing in a similar role as Michael Conley. He started the offense’s first action, whether that was a dribble hand off or an initial pick-and-roll.
Moore validated Finch’s trust, ending the game with three assists and only one turnover. Moore has been protective of the ball. He only had a 15% turnover percentage in his last season at Duke and 11.4% in eight G-League games.
Below Moore shows off his handle, bringing the ball up while facing the Dallas Mavericks’ full-court press late in the game:
Moore also brought energy to the defensive side of the ball. Despite the limited minutes, Moore secured a steal on defense and played a similar role to reserve wing Nickeil Alexander-Walker. On most of his possessions, Moore met Dallas’ lead ball-handler at or near the half-court line and applied consistent pressure.
He showed a similar ability to swim around screens and use his length to affect passes. In the clip below, Moore scores and then pressures the ball-handler. Although the ball-handler blew past him, he remained engaged and ultimately used his length to cause a turnover on the pass despite the mistake.
It would have been nice to see Moore have an opportunity to take more shots so fans could evaluate his 3-point ability. He didn’t shoot well last season (11.8% from three), but there were a lot of encouraging signs that Moore still has the potential to grow his game. Ultimately, we’re looking at one pre-season game. With players like Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Troy Brown, Shake Milton, and Jordan McLoughlin fighting for bench minutes, we shouldn’t expect a second-year leap from Moore in 2024.
But Moore demonstrated in the first pre-season game that he’s quietly and patiently building on his game and improving his skills, despite the limited playing time. The faster decision-making and aggression with the ball in his hands and on defense should still give us hope that Moore can eventually make an impact on the Wolves roster.
