The Timberwolves may be walking into Monday night even thinner in the backcourt than they were expected to be.
Minnesota already had Anthony Edwards and Donte DiVincenzo on the injury report, both ruled out as they work back from major procedures. Edwards is out after arthroscopic surgery on his right knee, while DiVincenzo is still recovering from right Achilles tendon repair. Those two were the only names on the initial report Sunday, but the picture changed later in the day.
The team’s PR account posted an updated status report ahead of the matchup with the Milwaukee Bucks, and it brought two more question marks with it: LaMelo Ball is questionable with a right wrist contusion, and Terrence Shannon Jr. is questionable with a left hip contusion.
The timing comes at a rough moment for Minnesota, which is 4-3 after a 121-111 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday.
Ball’s night in San Antonio was short and frustrating. He fouled out after 20 minutes, finishing with 10 points on 2-of-10 shooting and five turnovers. Shannon didn’t have much better luck, scoring two points on 1-of-8 shooting in 18 minutes.
Ball has been a fixture in the starting lineup through his first seven games in Minnesota, averaging 14.4 points and 6.3 assists in 25.1 minutes per game. He’s shooting 34.5% from three-point range, going 20-of-58, and his 13 steals are tied for fourth in the NBA. His best scoring performance came Friday against the LA Clippers, when he poured in 24 points and hit 6-of-14 from deep in a 127-101 win with Edwards out.
The foul trouble has been a constant issue. Ball has been whistled for 30 fouls in seven games, a career-high 4.3 per game, and he hasn’t played more than 31 minutes in any contest.
After Saturday’s loss, head coach Chris Finch defended his point guard and said Ball has been getting a tough whistle on both ends. Rudy Gobert echoed that view, saying Ball is competing hard defensively and then getting called for fouls after doing his part.
“He’s gotta get through it … But to be fair they’re fouling him all over the floor. They got their hands on him, they’re holding him, they’re riding him off his line. At the other end, he’s being whistled for a bunch of touch fouls.”
Gobert also said, “I think a lot of them are coming (from) competing hard, you know, he wants to compete defensively which is amazing, and that’s what we need from him. In his situation, he’s already done a good job, and then he try’s to get the extra grab or the extra push or the hit on the elbow on the shot.
I tell him, once you’ve done your job, then you got to live with the results. If they make a tough shot, they make a tough shot.
I think he’s going to settle in and take away some of those fouls”
Shannon has been one of the first players off the bench all season, appearing in all seven games and averaging 12.0 points and 3.6 rebounds in 22.0 minutes. He’s shooting 39.4% from three, hitting 13 of 33 attempts. Last season, he averaged 5.6 points in 12.5 minutes over 43 games, and his season high is 19 points against the Golden State Warriors.
This is the first time Shannon has appeared on the injury report this season. If he or Ball can’t go, Minnesota will lean even more heavily on Ayo Dosunmu, Bones Hyland and Jaylen Clark. Dosunmu led the Wolves with 27 points on 11-of-17 shooting against San Antonio.
Tip-off against Milwaukee is set for 7 p.m. CT, and the game will stream locally on DAZN. After that, Minnesota heads to Houston on Wednesday and New Orleans on Friday.
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Timberwolves Suddenly Have Real Hope For A Backcourt Boost
Donte DiVincenzos recovery has become one of the more encouraging storylines around Minnesota as the Timberwolves continue to navigate the ripple effects of injuries to key players. The guard has been sidelined since the first round of the playoffs after suffering an Achilles tendon injury in April, but a recent update from his doctor suggested the rehab process is moving in the right direction and that his timeline is not lagging behind expectations.
For a team that has already felt how thin the margin can be when the rotation gets hit, any sign of progress from DiVincenzo matters. His eventual return is viewed as a potential boost to Minnesotas backcourt depth and overall competitiveness, and the latest outlook at least gives the Timberwolves reason to think the wait may not be as long or as uncertain as it once seemed. [Read more 🡒]
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Timberwolves Are Making A Bold Long Term Bet On Joan Beringer
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For a team trying to build around a young core, that kind of commitment says plenty about how the front office sees his future. Beringer is not just another promising reserve getting a longer look, he is being positioned as a long-term fit with the group. The bigger question now is how far Minnesota is willing to go to keep that belief intact as the rest of the league starts to notice. [Read more 🡒]