Before he headed to Vegas, I asked Daishen Nix what making his mark on the Summer League roster would look like to him.
“To me, it’s getting everybody better,” he said, “especially teaching Rob… making everyone on the court better.”
The Minnesota Timberwolves are 3-1, and Nix has been a large part of their success. His playmaking and scoring ability have popped, and he’s elevated his defense and leadership. Nix has earned his two-way contract and roster spot with the Wolves this season.
Nix, 22, has spent four years playing against NBA competition. He spent a year in the G League in lieu of a freshman college season, followed by two years with the Houston Rockets before the Wolves signed him last season. Nix appeared to take a step back last season. He averaged just 1.8 points per game and played in only 15 minutes, for an average of 3.3 minutes after playing 16.0 minutes per game the previous year in Houston.
However, Nix disagreed, telling me, “I learned a lot, especially from Mike Conley. He old, he taught me a lot [about] controlling the game.”
I probed and asked Nix about his relationship with Conley last year. “Mike Conley is probably my favorite teammate,” he responded. “He taught me how to make everyone on the court better, to put them in a position where they are going to excel.”
Nix was a five-star recruit coming out of Trinity International High School in Vegas*, and he ranked the third point guard nationally. 247 Sports noted his “elite vision” and that Nix is an “outstanding facilitator.”
With those skills, Nix has taken on a more Conley-like role on Minnesota’s Summer League roster, especially with his playmaking. In four games, Nix has played 30.9 minutes per game, averaging 5.8 assists with a 1.93 assist-to-turnover ratio. His 5.8 assists rank 13th in the tournament.
Wolves Summer League coach Chris Hines also trusts Nix to run the offense the Wolves run with their main roster. Guards often excel in Summer League, where less structure allows them to display their isolation and scoring abilities. But Nix has separated himself by showing restraint and a willingness to set up his teammates and make them better. Below is a clip of one such instance where he tallies a hockey assist by passing to Leonard Miller to draw the defense so that Miller could pass to Dillingham.
However, just because he is running the offense doesn’t mean he can’t score. Nix is averaging 17.0 points per game, on 42.9% from the field and 29.4% from three. While his percentages are not eye-popping, his 9.3 free throw attempts rank third in Summer League.
Nix has also shown an increased willingness to attack the basket and an innate ability to swipe his arms into the defender to draw contact, which is impressive considering he’s a bigger guard at 6’3”, 226 lbs. His pick-and-roll ability has also thrived, leading to easy layups or more drawing of fouls on off-balanced bigs. His shooting and playmaking have resulted in Nix having the third-highest plus-minus in Summer League at plus-16.
Defensively, Nix has also taken a step forward, often guarding the opposing team’s better backcourt player. While Summer League doesn’t measure advanced stats, Nix’s 2.3 steals and 0.8 blocks per game reflect how active he has been on the defensive side. Although the Wolves often match him up with the opponent’s better guard, he has shown great ability to use his size to direct that guard where to go. He also can bully his way into steals by forcing the ball-handler off-balance.
Nix is older and stronger than most opposing players in Summer League, so we should expect him to be productive in Summer League. However, when expectations meet reality, it can be considered positive for a player who hasn’t gotten much run with the main roster. Below is one of Nix’s steals, where he shoots the gap off the ball to get the interception.
“I feel like a young guy, but at the same time, I’ve been in the league for four years,” said Nix. “I understand what coaches want… it’s just about helping the young guys to [remember] what the coaches want to see.”
With Rob Dillingham proving he can play make and Terrence Shannon Jr. exploding as a scorer, Nix is quietly having a great Summer League by traditional standards. However, with Nix stating his primary goal of helping Rob and making everyone better, Nix is accomplishing his goals and proving that he deserves the two-way contract he received.
*An earlier version of his post misstated where Nix went to high school. We regret the error.
