Isn't it interesting how a change in direction during an overlooked batch of glorified exhibition games can impact a narrative?
Roughly a week ago, Wolves fans were raving about No. 5 overall pick Kris Dunn and the impact he was having in the NBA Summer League. But while Dunn was starring in the first two games, the Wolves were losing. And then Dunn sustained a concussion, forcing him out of action.
The Wolves, at 0-3, entered Summer League tournament play as the lowest of the 24 seeded teams. Dunn was hurt. It seemed likely the Wolves would bow out of the tournament quietly and the summer would proceed in low-key fashion.
But then the Summer Wolves beat the Summer Spurs. And then the Wolves kept on winning — four games in a row so far, with a different point guard playing a starring role.
Tyus Jones, a Wolves first-round pick in 2015, has been so good in the Summer League, in fact, that he was named the tournament MVP. And he still has one game left, Monday evening against Chicago in the championship — which you can watch at 8 p.m. on ESPN2.
Suddenly this question needs to be asked: is Jones in the process of developing into the kind of player who, in his second year in the NBA, will force the Timberwolves into a point guard dilemma?
Let's try to sort this out.
*First, a basic question: what does it mean to win the Las Vegas Summer League MVP? (Which leads to an even more basic question if we need to back up some more: What exactly is the Summer League, anyway?)