Wednesday in Ames was a two-act play, and only one act was any good. For a half, the Wolves looked like the team we had been anticipating all summer. Ant had 19 by the break on 4-of-5 from deep, Jaden McDaniels hit four threes, LaMelo dished seven assists, and Minnesota went to the locker room up 65-61. Then the starters headed for the bench early in the third, and Indiana dropped 38 in the quarter, finished with 39 assists to Minnesota’s 22, and walked out with a 123-112 win. Preseason, sure. But the pattern is worth watching: the starters look ready, and the minutes without them look like a group still learning each other’s names.
Now the Wolves go to Miami, and this one has a little more flavor than your average October exhibition. Minnesota opens the regular season at Kaseya Center on Oct. 21. Saturday is the same building, the same opponent, 11 days early. Nobody is going to show their whole hand in a preseason game, Erik Spoelstra least of all. That makes what Minnesota does show matter even more.
This is not the Heat you remember. Giannis Antetokounmpo is in Miami now, with Bobby Portis along for the ride, and the new-look group is 2-0. They beat Toronto 129-105 in Quebec City, then hung 73 on New Orleans in the first half Thursday on the way to 128. Spoelstra opened with Davion Mitchell, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, Giannis and Bam, and Giannis put up 18 on 8-of-13 in under 18 minutes. That’s the guy the Wolves get on opening night. So here are the keys for the preview of the preview.
1. Stop feeding the break. Miami ran New Orleans off the floor, with a 23-4 fast-break edge in the first half off 14 Pelicans turnovers. Spoelstra was blunt about it: “That’s definitely part of our intentions of how we want to be disruptive.” Minnesota turned it over 19 times in Ames, and LaMelo had five of them against Indiana’s ball pressure. Expect Miami to pick him up full court and dare him to make the fancy pass. Take care of the ball, get back, and make the Heat score against a set defense with Rudy Gobert waiting at the rim. Live-ball turnovers against this group become dunks for a 6-foot-11 two-time MVP, and nobody needs that on the film.
2. Let Kuminga take the Giannis audition. Jonathan Kuminga came to Minnesota on a two-year deal to rebound and defend at the four, and there is no bigger version of that job description in the league than Giannis getting downhill. This won’t be the whole opening-night plan, and it shouldn’t be. Finch has McDaniels and Gobert to throw at him, and he’ll keep his best coverage for the 21st. But Kuminga needs reps against that size and speed, and he needs them now. Show bodies early, wall off the paint, and make Giannis earn every touch. If Kuminga can hold his own for a few possessions, that’s the most useful thing Minnesota can learn all night.
3. Win the minutes the stars sit. This was the whole story Wednesday, so it’s the whole test Saturday. Finch kept his starters on the floor into the third quarter in Ames, and they held up. Then the lead evaporated. Bones Hyland and Ayo Dosunmu gave Minnesota 10 apiece in Ames, which is fine, but Indiana’s reserves carved up a defense that looked a step behind in rotation. Rookie big Joan Beringer had a rough night, with two points and eight rebounds in 19 minutes. He’s 19, and he’ll get better. Miami’s second unit, with Portis and Tim Hardaway Jr., is a real test of whether the Wolves have a plan when Ant and LaMelo sit. With DiVincenzo out long-term (check our injury report), somebody has to steady those minutes. Saturday’s a good night to find out who.
It still doesn’t count. Ant just spent two months of the summer letting his knees heal, so nobody needs him playing 30 minutes in October. Get the starters their run, get the bench real possessions against a deep rotation, and keep the real tricks in the bag. If you’re trying to catch it, our how-to-watch guide has every option.
Handle the ball.
Find a bench.
See you on the 21st.
