Minnesota Timberwolves at Milwaukee Bucks

·Mon Oct 5·7:00 PM CT·Milwaukee, WI

By JR·2 min read

Timberwolves(0-0)

Bucks(0-0)

Monday 10/057:00 PM

TLDR: Monday's preseason opener at Fiserv Forum is the first live look at two franchises that blew themselves up over the summer. Minnesota now has LaMelo Ball next to Anthony Edwards, and Milwaukee has nobody named Antetokounmpo for the first time since 2012.

TUE OCT 6, 7:00 PM

Timberwolves

(0-0)

Bucks

(0-0)

Minnesota opens the preseason at Milwaukee with a rebuilt roster. LaMelo Ball and Jonathan Kuminga replace Julius Randle and Naz Reid, and Donte DiVincenzo is out with an Achilles injury. Milwaukee is in its first camp without Giannis Antetokounmpo, with Tyler Herro coming back from foot surgery as the main option and too many guards for the minutes under new coach Taylor Jenkins. As an exhibition, the game is about fit and auditions more than the result, and no lines are posted yet.

Minnesota Timberwolves

Ball and Edwards give two shot-creators on the floor
Gobert still anchors a proven defensive frame
Kuminga adds size and athleticism on the wing
DiVincenzo out with the Achilles injury, thinning the guard depth
Ball–Edwards fit is untested in a real game
Randle and Reid scoring gone from the frontcourt

Milwaukee Bucks

Crowded guard room means everyone is auditioning
Ware's stretch-big game pairs with Turner
Home floor for the first post-Giannis look
Herro back from foot surgery, minutes likely managed
New coach and system on day one
Coming off a 32-50 season with no superstar

Start with Minnesota, because the Wolves are the more interesting experiment. Julius Randle and Naz Reid are gone, and LaMelo Ball and Jonathan Kuminga are in. Chris Finch has to figure out how two ball-dominant guards share one ball, and how Kuminga fits on offense in a contract year, with Edwards still the guy. Not much of that gets answered in an October 5 exhibition. It's still the first time anyone sees the pieces on a floor together.

Milwaukee's version of the same question has a different name on it. Tyler Herro came over in the Giannis trade, and the offense now runs through a Milwaukee native who played only 33 games last season after left foot surgery. Taylor Jenkins takes over a 32-50 team, and he has more guards than minutes to give them. The Bucks are carrying 17 players on standard contracts for 15 roster spots. There's no board on this one yet, which is normal for a preseason opener when nobody knows how long the regulars will play.

That guard logjam is the subplot worth watching in Milwaukee. Ryan Rollins shot 40.6% from three across 74 games last year. Kevin Porter Jr. is coming back from April knee surgery. No. 10 pick Brayden Burries, Kasparas Jakučionis, A.J. Green, Gary Trent Jr. and Caris LeVert are all chasing the same minutes. In an exhibition, the second and third units are where jobs get won, and Milwaukee has more people auditioning.

Minnesota's only listed absence is Donte DiVincenzo, who is out with the Achilles injury. Team president Tim Connelly believes DiVincenzo will return at some point this season. In the meantime, the backcourt minutes behind Ball and Edwards go to guys like Ayo Dosunmu, Bones Hyland and Terrence Shannon Jr. Up front, Rudy Gobert still anchors the defense, and Joan Beringer is one of the young bigs Finch has to find a role for.

On Milwaukee's side, Kel'el Ware is the young piece with real upside. He averaged 11.1 points and 9.0 rebounds with Miami and hit 39.5% from three, and he'll share the frontcourt with Myles Turner. No. 13 pick Nate Ament makes his first appearance at Fiserv Forum. Jaime Jaquez Jr. is playing for an extension, with an October 19 deadline.

Tip is 7:00 PM CT. Don't expect a verdict on either team. It's a first draft: how Ball and Edwards split the ball, what Herro looks like after the foot surgery, and which Bucks guard makes the roster.

Minnesota Timberwolves at Milwaukee Bucks

Live Odds