Wendell Moore Jr. earned his first career start on Wednesday and helped the Minnesota Timberwolves to a win over Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies at home.
Moore produced a career-high seven points, three rebounds, two assists, one steal and one blocked shot in the 109-101 win at home. He went 3-of-6 from the field, including 1-of-3 from 3-point range, in 20 minutes of work as the Timberwolves snapped a three-game losing streak.
The 26th pick earned the start after Jaden McDaniels was a late scratch due to an illness. He gave the starting group a boost of energy and didn’t force things on the court. He had a couple of layups in transition and dropped in a 3-pointer.
Timberwolves coach Chris Finch liked what Moore gave the team.
He was great. I thought he was really, really good. He took the challenge. He got off to a good start. We wrestled (with the decision), there were a lot of different ways we could go when Jaden was the late scratch but the reality of it was we wanted somebody who could give us good defense.
Give all of the shout-outs to Wendell Moore. He did everything he needed to do. The rookie got his first start tonight. He was big for us. Shout out to him.
Wendell letting it fly! 🎯#RaisedByWolves | @thewendellmoore pic.twitter.com/QObwA7jJ8d
— Bally Sports North (@BallySportsNOR) December 1, 2022
The game was just the fifth appearance of the season by Moore. He had totaled 12 minutes of work prior to Wednesday and only found out about 10 minutes before the team’s pre-game meeting that he would be playing and starting.
Moore has even played five games in the NBA G League with the Iowa Wolves. He credited his time in Iowa for preparing him to be able to step in and contribute on Wednesday.
He was excited to start for the first time and was ready to go.
Once (coach) told me the news, I was, obviously, beyond excited (to start) but at the same time, I knew I had to lock in. You never know when your time is going to come so, for me, I’m always going to be ready. Everybody in this locker room has supreme confidence in me, which allowed me to go out there and play free.
With a few players out, the Timberwolves turned to Moore and the rookie responded with a solid, all-around game. His role will likely continue to fluctuate, but the 21-year-old showed that he can step in and contribute when called upon.
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