Greg Monroe on Teammate Jaylen Nowell: 'Not Gonna Lie ... I Had No Idea Who That Was'

With COVID-19 ravaging rosters across the NBA, players are being put in situations where they don't even know their teammates' names.

Such was the case for Greg Monroe when he watched Jaylen Nowell go off for 29 points and six rebounds to lead the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 108-103 win over the Boston Celtics on Monday.

"Not gonna lie, Jaylen Nowell played awesome tonight, but I had no idea who that was," Monroe told reporters. 

The ironic part of Monroe's comment is that he was the one playing in his first NBA game since the 2018-19 season, not Nowell. Monroe signed a 10-day hardship contract with the Timberwolves amid the team's COVID-19 issues, dropping 11 points, nine rebounds and six assists in his team debut.

"It has been a whirlwind," Monroe told reporters. "I was just so focused on being ready when my number was called, I haven't gotten a chance to digest it honestly, but in this league, you don't have much time to digest anything. We've got another game tomorrow, and the Knicks are playing well. Right now, that's what I'm focusing on."

Nowell, a 2019 second-round pick, is in his third season with the Wolves. He's appeared in 76 NBA games, averaging 7.3 points and 1.8 rebounds.