Greg Monroe – Minnesota Timberwolves
Veterans mentioned before like Isaiah Thomas, Lance Stephenson and Joe Johnson earned hardship contracts this season, but more recently, Greg Monroe signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves after Karl-Anthony Towns, Anthony Edwards, D’Angelo Russell and others entered health protocols.
Monroe had not played in the NBA since being with the 76ers in 2018, but with 9-years of NBA experience, he was a guy that the Timberwolves felt comfortable with in their frontcourt given all of their youth.
Outside of Karl-Anthony Towns, the Timberwolves have struggled to find production in their frontcourt this season and while their expectations for the veteran big man were not high, Greg Monroe was very impressive in his first game with Minnesota.
On Monday night against the Boston Celtics, Monroe played 25 minutes off-the-bench and scored 11 points on 5-9 shooting. He also racked in 9 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals and a block. He followed that outing for the Timberwolves on the second-night of a back-to-back with 7 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 blocks in 22 minutes against the New York Knicks.
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For not playing in the NBA for years, Monroe really stood out for the Timberwolves and could be one of their missing links behind Towns for depth. His “do-it-all” approach on the floor the other night was unexpected from the veteran big man and it will be interesting to see how he plays for the rest of his 10 days.
Plenty of guys who have been out of the league have been given second chances with these hardship exceptions and Greg Monroe is just the latest name making the most of his opportunities with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
