"Real point guard" LaMelo Ball will elevate Timberwolves teammates, brass says

The Minnesota Timberwolves formally introduced their new star point guard on Tuesday.

LaMelo Ball and his fellow acquisition from the Charlotte Hornets, Josh Green, spoke at an 11 a.m. news conference alongside head coach Chris Finch and President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly.

"I'm just coming here ready to play," Ball said. "I'm here to learn and give it my all."

The Wolves officially announced the trade last week, though it had been reported earlier. In exchange for Ball and Green, Minnesota sent fan favorite Naz Reid, a first-round pick and three second-round picks to Charlotte. The teams also agreed to three first-round pick swaps.

The deal also included the Brooklyn Nets, who received Julius Randle from the Wolves, and the Chicago Bulls.

"To get someone like Josh and LaMelo, you gotta unfortunately trade two really, really good players and great guys in Julius and Naz," Connelly said. "Without them being great players and really top-notch pros, we wouldn't get these guys."

Ball, who won Rookie of the Year over Anthony Edwards after the 2020-2021 season, averaged 20.1 points and 7.1 assists last season. Connelly called him "a real point guard, which is — they're hard to find."

The 24-year-old has missed significant time in four of his six seasons in the NBA, but when healthy, he's played at an All-Star level. Finch lauded the Wolves' health and training staff, touting that they've been "the healthiest team in the league" over the last few years. He said the team has a plan for Ball's health "and we'll try to stick to that plan as best as we can."

The Wolves haven't had a playmaker at the point during Edwards' tenure. They're betting on the young trio of Edwards, Ball and Jaden McDaniels — along with veteran center Rudy Gobert — to keep them competitive with the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference.

Connelly praised Ball's "immense skills, his playmaking, his elite shooting" on offense, and added, "With his positional size, with his instincts, with his IQ, we think he's going to be a heck of a defender. All those things at 24 years old, we're just super lucky to have him here."

Both Finch and Connelly envision Ball as a force multiplier for the Wolves' already strong roster.

"I think he can unlock Rudy to another level at the rim," Finch said. "We've gotta find a way to generate more catch-and-shoot three-point shots for Anthony, who's absolutely elite at that, and take some of the burden of handling and creating off of his hands so he can get back ... I think he can help us and help Jaden take the next step."

Green, also a 2020 first-round pick, is a bench guard who averaged 4.3 points in 15.7 minutes a game last season.