Former Minnesota Gopher Named to Timberwolves Summer League Roster

The NBA Summer League is upon us. Some teams have even begun playing games. Not the Minnesota Timberwolves, though. Their first matchup will come later this week (July 12) against the New Orleans Pelicans.

One thing is for sure, after president of basketball operations took two players in the first round, one top-10, this should be the most watched and highly anticipated Wolves Summer League since maybe Karl-Anthony Towns’ rookie summer? It was cancelled in Ant’s draft year (COVID).

Gabe Kalscheur makes 2024 Minnesota Timberwolves Summer League roster

On Sunday, the Wolves released their 2024 roster for Las Vegas next week. Beyond top picks Rob Dillingham and Terrance Shannon Jr ., another interesting name stands out. DeLaSalle’s own, Gabe Kalscheur, made the team.

The former Minnesota Gopher turned Iowa State Cyclone is trying to prove to NBA teams that he is worth a spot on their G-League roster and his hometown Timberwolves are giving him that shot (again).

Kalscheur has been working out with the Minnesota Timberwolves for a few months, and even ended the 2023-24 G-League season with the Iowa Wolves , where he played 14 games , averaging 4.4 points per game, in 12 minutes played.

If he wants to stay in America and have a shot at finding his way to the NBA someday, the Minnesota native will have to get back to shooting the basketball the way he did when he first stepped foot on Dinkytown campus. Back then, Gabe was one of the best outside shooting prospects to ever come out of Minnesota.

Can Gabe Kalscheur still shoot…?

As a freshman , he shot 41% from deep and looked like one of the most promising young freshman in recent program history. But during his sophomore season, Kalscheur started to struggle with the pressure of playing for his home state team.

Related: Confirmed: Rob Dillingham Will Get Run with Timberwolves Immediately

And once those three’s stopped going in, the noise only got louder, and his shooting only got worse . His 3PT% dropped to 34% in 2019-20, then 24% in 2020-21… his last in Minnesota. In his first season at Iowa State, it dropped even lower to 23%, before finally coming back up to 35% in his final college season.

Unfortunately, moving the line back further at the professional level hasn’t helped. In his first G-League season, Kalscheur shot 28% from three point land, meaning this Summer League appearance might be his final shot before being forced into the real job world, or overseas.

Related: Maybe the Timberwolves Aren’t All That Interested in More PG Help?

Gabe is a great kid and he plays STELLAR defense on the perimeter, both of which play into why he is still getting NBA opportunities. But it’s time to prove he can still shoot the basketball from deep. You can’t be a “Three and D” wing if you can’t do the former anymore.

More must-reads:

• Minnesota Timberwolves Sign Veteran Sharpshooter
• Timberwolves Sign and Trade Kyle Anderson to Golden State
• Timberwolves Lose Their Backup Point Guard to Western Conference Rival

The post Former Minnesota Gopher Named to Timberwolves Summer League Roster appeared first on MinnesotaSportsFan .