LaMelo Ball is giving the Timberwolves more than just on-court intrigue. According to head coach Chris Finch, his presence in the room has already started to change the temperature around the team.
“He’s always in a great mood,” Finch said Monday. “Always come in smiling.
He and Anthony (Edwards) have a shared quality: They’re really hard to stay mad at. And they do some things that you want to get mad at.
They have a reflective joy, and I think that’s important. They tease the joy out of each other as practice goes along.
So, that kind of adds to the overall spirit of the group, which we really needed.”
Minnesota has been a serious Western Conference force in recent years, reaching the conference finals in 2024 and 2025 before getting to the second round in 2026. But Finch made it clear that this version of the Wolves feels different already.
“We referred to ourselves as a moody team in the last couple of years at times, and it’s probably gotten in our way,” Finch said. “We’ve traded moodiness for giddiness, so we’ve got to kind of get back to some sort of equilibrium. But it’s been fun to go to work every day so far.”
Elsewhere in the West, Jordan McLaughlin said he had other options before deciding to return to San Antonio. The veteran point guard, who re-signed with the Spurs on a minimum-salary deal this summer, said Monday that he briefly weighed the Hawks, Celtics, and Jazz before sticking with the Spurs. McLaughlin pointed to the way the organization treats its players as a major draw.
“You hear nothing but good things before coming into the organization, but when you’re in it and you actually see it, they take care of their players,” McLaughlin said.
In Oklahoma City, Thunder coach Mark Daigneault addressed the organization’s pride in developing homegrown players such as Luguentz Dort and Aaron Wiggins, both of whom were traded this offseason. Daigneault said he has a voice in team discussions, but made it clear the final call belongs to Sam Presti.
“It’s definitely Sam (Presti’s) decision, but I wouldn’t describe it as that I’m totally separated from it. One of Sam’s gifts as a decision-maker is his ability to take information in from a lot of different sources, and I’m one of those sources.
Sam and I talk regularly about the team, the roster. But, at the end of the day, the roster decisions are Sam’s decisions,” Daigneault said.
And in New Orleans, the Pelicans are now officially listing Jordan Dumars - the son of executive VP of basketball operations Joe Dumars - as an “executive advisor” heading into the 2026/27 season. Shamit Dua of In The NO noted last November that Dumars had already become part of the team’s inner circle, even though the team never formally announced his hiring. At that time, New Orleans described him as a “basketball operations consultant.”
In Other News...
Drew Timme Picked The Wolves For A Reason Fans Will Appreciate
Drew Timmes path into Timberwolves camp comes with no promises attached, but that is part of what makes the fit interesting. The former Gonzaga forward has joined Minnesota looking to earn his way onto the roster, and the early signs have been encouraging in limited preseason action as he tries to show he can help right away.
For a player in that spot, the appeal of Minnesota is easy to see. The Wolves have built a reputation for helping veteran players find their footing, and that kind of environment can matter when camp is about earning trust one possession at a time. Timme has already flashed enough to keep the conversation going, but the rest of his case will have to be made on the floor. [Read more 🡒]
Timberwolves Are Betting A New Vibe Helps Anthony Edwards Win More
Before a preseason game, Chris Finch sounded less interested in the box score than in the mood around the Timberwolves. The coach praised LaMelo Balls upbeat personality and shooting touch, and the bigger point was clear: Minnesota believes the right kind of energy can matter just as much as the right lineup when it comes to helping Anthony Edwards and the rest of the core play cleaner, looser basketball.
That belief has come with a real roster reset this summer, one built around shaking up the groups feel as much as its talent. Finch said the teams vibe has shifted after the changes, and the Wolves are trying to find the right balance between edge and joy as they head into a season where chemistry may be as important as shot-making. [Read more 🡒]
Timberwolves May Have An Early Defensive Burden For Anthony Edwards
Jaylen Clark has flashed the kind of point-of-attack defense that can make a coach lean in, but the early preseason minutes suggest Minnesota may be prioritizing more offense-heavy options as it sorts out the rotation. Bones Hyland, Trey Lyles and Cody Williams have all been getting more run, which puts Clark in a tough spot even though his defensive identity is already clear.
If that trend holds, the Timberwolves could need more from Anthony Edwards on the ball earlier than they might prefer, with the burden of guarding top perimeter threats shifting around the roster. It is the kind of early-season tradeoff Minnesota is trying to balance now, because a lineup that creates enough scoring still has to hold up at the point of attack once the games start to count. [Read more 🡒]