Sports Odds and Ends
The Minnesota Timberwolves have two “true” point guards: Mike Conley and Jordan McLaughlin. Conley, a 17-year veteran, was acquired by a trade via Utah in February 2023 and almost immediately became a starter.
McLaughlin, a 5-11, fifth-year pro out of USC, was signed as a restricted free agent in September 2021. Unlike the starter Conley, “J-Mac’s” court time varies from game to game. He is back in action after missing 15 games with a right knee MCL sprain.
Both Wolves guards are pass-first, shoot-last PGs, which is the best definition of a true point guard.
“I would say I have a high basketball IQ,” said McLaughlin after a recent practice. He told the MSR, “I know what we need when I’m on the floor, know what actions will work offensively.”
Some have criticized J-Mac’s shooting inconsistencies, but before Conley came to the Wolves, McLaughlin was the Wolves’ best point guard. His shooting woes notwithstanding, “I think just having a really high IQ and knowing different situations that are happening in the game” are what he said keep him on the roster.
The USC graduate’s path to the NBA wasn’t straight: He went undrafted despite finishing his college career first-team All-Pac-12 in 2018, only the third conference player ever to record over 600 assists and 1,600 points over a career.
McLaughlin first signed with Brooklyn and was invited to training camp in 2018, but he was waived before that season and joined the Nets’ G League affiliate, the Long Island Nets. Minnesota signed him to a two-way contract in July, 2019, and two years later he signed a standard contract with the Wolves.
Asked if frustrations ever set in as he pursued his NBA dream, he said, “Not at all. I just continue to trust in my work. Every time I was in the G League, every time you’re out there on the court, it’s an opportunity for somebody to see [you] whether that’s G League, the NBA, overseas.
“Wherever you’re at, there’s always going to be opportunity,” said McLaughlin. “So just try to make the most of any opportunity.”
McLaughlin said that Derrick Rose was his model on how to play PG in the pros. “Derrick Rose was always a favorite player of mine as far as NBA players I looked at.”
The Wolves guard knows he must become a better shooter, if for nothing more than to keep opponents’ defenses honest. “Just being able to knock down open shots” is his immediate goal,
Coaches versus Cancer
Black Americans are still more likely to die from cancer and have higher odds of losing their lives to breast and prostate cancer than do Whites, a new Duke University study says.
St. Thomas men’s basketball on Thursday, January 25 at 7 p.m., will join forces with the American Cancer Society to observe the national Coaches versus Cancer week.
The Summit League game against North Dakota State will take place at Schoenecker Arena in St. Paul, where the Tommies coaching staff will be donning suits and sneakers to raise awareness and funds for their ongoing battle against cancer.
This event carries personal significance for UST Head Coach Johnny Tauer and his wife Chancey. Chancey was initially diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2018 and then with breast cancer in 2020. The Tauer family’s personal connection with cancer amplifies their commitment to contributing to the broader effort against this disease.
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