MANKATO, Minn. (AP) — Derrick Williams spent most of his rookie season in Minnesota trying to find his way.
With a shortened training camp, precious little practice time once the season began and up to five games a week, it was perhaps the most challenging season ever for rookies. The No. 2 overall draft choice had to do a lot of searching — for the right times to be aggressive in Rick Adelman’s offense, for the correct reads on defense when the ball rotated quickly, for consistent playing time to get into a rhythm on both ends.
The Timberwolves’ veteran coaching staff, meanwhile, kept waiting for Williams to kick it into gear. Early in his second training camp, Williams is giving them what they want.
On the first day of training camp, Williams’ intensity and commitment on both ends stood out perhaps more than any other development on a team with only five players on the roster from a year ago.
