In terms of offensive pace — the number of possessions a team uses per game — Tom Thibodeau's Bulls never ranked higher than 20th in the NBA in his five seasons in Chicago. In his first season in Minnesota, Thibodeau's squad finished tied for 22nd in that category.

So it was interesting to see the Timberwolves' preseason debut over the weekend. One thing that struck beat writer Jerry Zgoda — which we talked about on this week's Timberwolves Talk podcast — was the speed at which Minnesota played.

The Wolves and Lakers finished the first quarter tied 31-31. For the game, Minnesota attempted 89 field goals and 35 free throws. The Wolves took early shots, grabbed 14 offensive rebounds and generally played fast in a 108-99 victory.

It will be interesting to see if that trend continues in the preseason and throughout the 82-game regular season or if Thibodeau reins things in as time goes on.

Read Michael Rand's blog at startribune.com/randball. michael.rand@startribune.com.