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The NBA officially announced the 2021 All-Summer League Teams earlier on Wednesday morning, and to the surprise of many (myself included), none of the Minnesota Timberwolves made the cut:
The 2021 All-Summer League Teams pic.twitter.com/9nTqZqt6wS
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) August 18, 2021
Before you (or I) get too heated, it should definitely be mentioned that getting riled up about NBA awards in general is a pretty big waste of time, let alone getting riled up about NBA awards for Summer League.
...with that said, it’s a bit of a head-scratcher that Jaden McDaniels didn’t make one of the two honorary teams, especially when you consider not only did he perform at a high level, but he also went a perfect 4-0 during competition (he was a healthy scratch for Minnesota’s fifth and final game when they got spanked by New Orleans).
With Summer League officially over, we are truly about to enter the real NBA offseason (i.e. limited transactions, no live games, etc.), so while a big waste of time, debating All-Summer League teams is really all we’ve got for the next few weeks.
Tre Jones wasn’t first team? Or second team? Come on now…
— Jack Borman (@jrborman13) August 18, 2021
Surprised to not see Jaylen Nowell’s or Jaden McDaniels’ names on here either https://t.co/0vejVgcpDI
As Jack mentioned above, outside of the lack of love for both Jaden and Jaylen, another fairly big “snub” was Tre Jones, who looked like a completely different player as he starts his second year with San Antonio. Immanuel Quickley, who finished second in assists per game at 2021 Summer League, is another guy who probably should have made one of the two teams.
Again, honorary awards for exhibition games is all we’ve really got right now as we trend towards the end of August, and until the Timberwolves officially announce the signing of Leandro Bolmaro or Jarred Vanderbilt or Paul Millsap of Cole Aldrich, the #kahntent barrel is pretty dry. I still expect plenty of Wolves-related news to come out over the next month or so, including not only additional signings/trades, but also the possibility of additions to Chris Finch’s coaching staff as well as possible additions (or subtractions?) to the front office.
2021 media day is set to occur in late September, so while we bemoan the lack of major Wolves-related stories right now, the start of the upcoming season is simultaneously right around the corner. We know the Wolves will play four preseason games, and on Friday we will officially know the dates and times of Minnesota’s 82 regular season games as well, so be on the lookout for that.
Until then, stay safe, be well, and enjoy your summer.