DALLAS – Timberwolves rookie Josh Okogie wasn't nervous when coach Tom Thibodeau told him he would be starting in place of the resting Jimmy Butler.
Okogie said his time playing with the first unit during the preseason was enough preparation for his NBA regular-season debut on Saturday in the Mavericks' 140-136 victory over the Wolves.
After not playing a minute in the first two games, Okogie played over 28 minutes, and it likely would have been more had he not picked up his fifth foul in the third quarter.
"I knew where to pick my spots and what my role is when I'm on the court with them," Okogie said. "I came in the game ready to make an impact. I knew I just had to come to the game, rebound, do the dirty stuff, let the others shine."
Okogie picked up six points on 2-for-5 shooting while grabbing five rebounds.
Karl-Anthony Towns said Okogie was an "amazing" fit with the first group.
"I thought he gave us great energy," Towns said. "His defensive presence was there. He's playing tremendously hard, and that's what you need. You need someone running around like a chicken with no head."
Instead of complaining about his foul calls, multiple times Okogie approached the referees and seemed to have a constructive dialogue with them about what he did wrong, ending one conversation with a head nod and a thumbs up.
