Timberwolves' Adreian Payne: Stars in summer league
Payne averaged 15.5 points, 7.6 rebounds and 0.9 assists in 28.6 minutes per game with the Timberwolves across eight Las Vegas Summer League contests.
Analysis:
Tyus Jones led the Timberwolves' attack for much of the summer and finished as the MVP of the Vegas league, but Payne was a capable sidekick, finishing with double-doubles in each of the team's final three games. The former first-round pick only shot 41.3 percent from the floor and 27.3 percent from three-point range, however, and doesn't project to serve as much more than a deep reserve in 2016-17. Karl-Anthony Towns, Gorgui Dieng, Jordan Hill, Cole Aldrich and Nemanja Bjelica all rank ahead of Payne on the frontcourt depth chart, and the third-year big man's minutes could grow even scarcer if Kevin Garnett (knee) and Nikola Pekovic (Achilles) return to the team.