LaMelo Ball scores 21 in Timberwolves debut after strong preseason
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The gist
Timberwolves point guard LaMelo Ball had 21 points and 6 assists in his Minnesota debut at Miami.
His preseason turnovers and modest rankings are the questions hanging over the move.
Background
LaMelo Ball is a Minnesota Timberwolves point guard, the No. 3 overall pick in 2020, age 25, in his seventh NBA season. He spent his first five years with the Charlotte Hornets before joining Minnesota, where the team bet big on his talent and on its winning infrastructure bringing out a different side of him, per The Ringer. Last season he averaged 25.8 points, 9.2 assists and 6.2 rebounds in 36 minutes, one of just four players to average at least 25-8-6 alongside Nikola Jokic, Cade Cunningham and Luka Doncic, per Pioneer Press reporter Jace Frederick. The stats update is trending because his production sits well above his preseason rankings of 33rd (The Ringer), 35th (ESPN) and 41st (CBS Sports).
How it unfolded
- Oct 14, 2026Ball played in a preseason game against the Detroit Pistons in Minneapolis.
- Oct 17, 2026Ball, held out for rest, was expected to suit up for the regular-season opener against Miami after sitting out the preseason finale. He averaged 9.5 points, 5.8 assists and 3.3 rebounds in 19.4 minutes across four preseason appearances.
- Oct 18, 2026A report noted Ball turned the ball over 3.5 times per game in four preseason games while playing less than 20 minutes per game.
- Oct 19, 2026Ball ranked 33rd in The Ringer's top 100, 35th on ESPN's list and 41st for CBS Sports.
- Oct 21, 2026In his Timberwolves debut at Miami, Ball had 21 points, 6 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 steals and 1 turnover in 28 minutes, shooting 7/17 from the field, 5/13 from three and 2/3 from the line.
- Oct 22, 2026Season stats were listed at 20.1 points, 7.1 assists, 1.2 steals, 36.8% from three, 54.6% true shooting and 2.8 turnovers per game; SI graded his Heat performance an A-.
Who’s saying what
- Analysts
- Pioneer Press reporter Jace Frederick argues Ball's numbers don't jibe with his rankings of 33rd, 35th and 41st, noting he led the NBA's top offense last season in Charlotte.
- Expert
- The Ringer's Rob Mahoney calls Ball a visionary point guard who sometimes drifts to another plane of existence, framing the season as an experiment in whether a change of circumstances quiets his maverick instincts.
- Caution
- Yahoo Sports flagged turnovers as the only downside of Ball's preseason, at 3.5 per game in four games while playing less than 20 minutes per game.
- Support
- SI noted Ball's shooting wasn't efficient overall but much of that came on unserious shots with the game well in hand, and called his one turnover a positive sign.
Still unverified
The Ringer framed as an open question whether Ball can play with real basketball stakes and whether Minnesota's infrastructure changes his instincts, writing "Maybe that's just a pipe dream." Yahoo Sports reported Ball got away with an obvious travel in the second quarter with no whistle from officials.