Josh Minott confirms Finch's hype after a preseason game

The Minnesota Timberwolves are now 1-0 in their preseason game after defeating the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, California. The Wolves won 124-107 against the Lakers, although Anthony Edwards was out and newcomer Donte DiVincenzo took his place in the starting lineup.

Julius Randle also didn't appear in this film. Chris Finch made the decision to wait at least one more game before revealing the debut of the Timberwolves' new starting power forward. Naz Reid took Randle's place in the starting lineup.

From there, it was the usual suspects: Mike Conley, Rudy Gobert and Jaden McDaniels who filled the other three starting spots. And although DiVincenzo scored 11 points on 4-for-4 shooting, none of these guys were the story of the night. That title would belong to one Josh Minott.

Those who watched media day in Minnesota on Monday may remember Finch making the eyebrow-raising remark that Minott had been “one of the best players in the building” over the course of the last six weeks. A big statement that would require confirmation from Number Eight.

Four quarters of the way through the preseason, wow. We can safely say that Finch knew what he was talking about. Josh finished the game against the Lakers with a game-high 22 points on 9-for-11 shooting, including an impressive 4-for-6 from three-point range. He also had eight rebounds, three steals, two blocks and one assist in 29 minutes.

Josh also scored style points by throwing down multiple dunks and showing off his athleticism. Another positive aspect was the fact that his grip seemed to be much tighter and he felt like the ball was more secure in his hands than before. Minott also showed solid and improved shooting form on his jump shots.

As a reminder, we're saying all this after Game 1 of the preseason. This competition was hardly a preview of what the future of this team will look like this season, but there are still positives we can take from it. If Josh Minott manages to get real minutes this season and put in anything close to a performance like he did against the Lakers, it will be clear that the Timberwolves have a very special talent.