Minnesota Timberwolves DVOA, Stats, & NBA Rankings

Minnesota Timberwolves forward Julius Randle (shoulder) won't suit up for Sunday's preseason matchup against the New York Knicks. It would be nice to see Randle get into action against his former team, but it won't happen here. Randle is still recovering from surgery on his shoulder from January. His timetable remains unclear, but the hope is that Randle is ready to go by the beginning of the regular season. In the meantime, Naz Reid will see a boost in fantasy value. Reid is expected to come off the bench this season, but proven himself to be a viable option in that role.

Los Angeles Clippers guard Bones Hyland missed Tuesday's preseason clash against Brooklyn with left hip soreness. Hyland could really use a good preseason to boost his stock in Los Angeles, and the hip problem is definitely a setback for him. The 24-year-old did well in the Clippers' preseason opener against Golden State at the weekend, tallying seven points and four rebounds in 13 minutes. Hyland's next chance to play comes on Friday against Portland.

Minnesota Timberwolves forward/center Naz Reid will remain a bench piece in 2024-25. The 25-year-old was voted the NBA Sixth Man of the Year last season and will continue to roll with the second unit behind starting big men Rudy Gobert and Julius Randle (shoulder). Reid notched 13.5 points with 5.2 rebounds in 24.2 minutes last season, boosting his numbers to 17.6 points and 7.0 boards in 14 games as a starter. He will likely see him as a starter again at some point this season, considering Randle's injury history -- he has averaged 64 games per season during his 10-year NBA career.

Minnesota Timberwolves power forward Julius Randle (shoulder) will remain a starter on his new team. Randle hasn't come off the bench since the 2018-19 campaign, and Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch has now confirmed that the veteran will continue to start in Minnesota. Randle has been an All-Star in back-to-back campaigns, so it would have been quite a shock if he had landed on the bench with the Timberwolves, although Naz Reid offers a good alternative to Finch. Assuming he stays healthy, fantasy managers should get another productive campaign out of Randle. He averaged 24.0 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 5.0 assists last season.

New York Knicks guard Donte DiVincenzo won't be able to play with the full Villanova squad this season as he was part of a trade package to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Shams Charania of The Athletic reports that DiVincenzo, along with Julius Randle and a first-round pick, are being traded to the Timberwolves in return for star big man Karl-Anthony Towns. Reportedly, neither side of the trade requested a move, which is important to note as Towns has played all nine seasons of his career for Minnesota. DiVincenzo, on the other hand, came off of his best season yet as he averaged 15.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 44.3% from the floor and 40.1% from beyond the arc. He proved to be an important and talented role player while seeing a changing role with the team that went from sixth man to starting guard. Now, he'll look to continue that supporting guard role alongside Anthony Edwards in the Timberwolves' quest to make another deep playoff run.