Timberwolves vs. Lakers: Score, Reaction from Russell and Towns' Debut
The Minnesota Timberwolves topped the Los Angeles Lakers 81-68 Friday night in the teams' opener of the 2015 NBA Las Vegas Summer League, but the final score served as a footnote to the professional debuts of top picks Karl-Anthony Towns and D'Angelo Russell.
With all eyes on him as the draft's No. 1 overall pick, Towns' ability to fit seamlessly into the NBA game stole the show in a showdown flush with young talent. He scored 12 points and added three rebounds, but his impact on and off the ball went well beyond the stat sheet.
Russell dazzled as well, putting up eight points and six assists while looking comfortable on and off the ball. The No. 2 overall pick showed instant chemistry with fellow guard Jordan Clarkson, who scored a team-high 23 points to lead the Lakers.
The rookie wowed the crowd with a couple of no-look passes and alley-oop lobs, constantly attacking in the pick-and-roll and prompting this tweet from Darius Soriano of ForumBlueandGold.com:
Russell didn't exactly make it rain or stuff the stat sheet like he did at Ohio State, but nonetheless he showcased the impressive ball-handling, passing and playmaking that made him such an intriguing prospect. Still, Sam Vecenie of CBS Sports wondered why everyone was so surprised having seen this before:
Unlike Russell, passing isn't an initial Towns' strength, but he looked dangerous dishing outlet passes to teammates from the post. The rookie out of Kentucky looked to be making big strides, as Grantland's Jason Concepcion noted:
Towns eventually settled into his offensive game and showcased some nice post moves, but things didn't begin so hot for the No. 1 overall pick. He got an open look from three-point range for his first NBA shot attempt, which failed to hit the rim.
Take a look at Towns' air ball:
Towns' 12 points made an impact, but the Timberwolves wouldn't have been in Friday night's contest without Zach LaVine's huge performance. The reigning NBA Slam Dunk champion led all scorers, with 24 points on the night, adding six rebounds and going 4-of-8 from deep.
His performance allowed the T-Wolves to blow a game open that was tied at 56-all heading into the fourth quarter, before LaVine and Minnesota slowly inched in front and pulled out to a double-digit lead in the final minute.
LaVine simply looked to be above this level of basketball, as Sean Deveney of Sporting News noted:
Also joining LaVine in just being too good for the summer league was the Lakers' Clarkson, as the former second-round pick showed he can remain a force alongside Russell in the offense. He slashed and shot his way to a big performance, aided by this sick crossover the NBA's official Twitter account showed:
As far as second-year debuts go, things were a bit more tempered for Lakers power forward Julius Randle. He only saw short stints of action, scoring 11 points in 20 minutes, as he works his way back from last season's broken leg.
Randle looked to be knocking some rust off and appeared to still be on the road to recovery, so basketball analyst Nate Duncan warned Lakers fans not to overreact:
Despite the loss, there remained plenty of promising signs for the L.A. contingent in Las Vegas to cheer about and to feel good about moving forward. A starting lineup featuring Clarkson, Russell, Tarik Black, Anthony Brown and Randle looked at times like it could have competed with the Lakers team that finished last season, as ESPN.com's Larry Coon observed:
Chris Herring of the Wall Street Journal backed that observation in a sense:
The Lakers weren't the only ones in the building to showcase future star power, as Timberwolves fans can rest easy after seeing Towns thriving in his first pro action and LaVine's breakout performance. When pieces like Gorgui Dieng and Ricky Rubio get thrown in during the season alongside centerpiece Andrew Wiggins, the strides could come awfully quick.
One thing seems certain—the young stars don't mind playing with each other and giving one another props, as CBS Sports NBA pointed out:
While Friday was a solid debut for both of the first picks in this year's draft, it's just the beginning to what should serve as a crash course into the NBA game. They have as many as 11 days of games in Las Vegas to fine-tune their skills against other young talent.
Both Russell and Towns will be in action Saturday in summer league contests. The Timberwolves will go up against the Chicago Bulls at 6:30 p.m. ET, while the Lakers will face Jahlil Okafor and the Philadelphia 76ers at 8:30 p.m. ET. NBATV will televise both games.
And if both players' debuts are any indication, more promising signs are on the way for both Minnesota and Los Angeles long past Friday night's outcome.
