The wait is finally over. The Minnesota Timberwolves will release their preseason schedule for the 2024-2025 season on Friday evening, with a road game against the Los Angeles Lakers just a few hours away.

It will be the first of five preseason games for Minnesota. After facing the same foe they will face on opening night of the regular season in Los Angeles, the Timberwolves will have a full week off before hosting Philadelphia at the Iowa Wolves facility, then traveling to New York and Chicago before they return home. to face Denver in the preseason finale.

These games are the first chance we’ll get to see the new Wolves with Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo in the mix with the rest of the roster. It will also be the first time that everyone on the roster can compete in five-on-five action in a true NBA setting, against opponents other than their own teammates.

As of this writing, there are no official reports that Minnesota plans to keep anyone out of preseason action. The Timberwolves will likely go with the starting lineup they plan to use at the start of the regular season, with Julius Randle taking over Karl-Anthony Towns’ old spot as the starting power forward.

That said, we can also expect Chris Finch to pull most or all of the starters relatively early. This starting five could play most of the first quarter, but don’t expect to see much action ahead of them after that. Preseason is all about trying different formations, playing younger and less experienced guys and figuring things out on the fly, with the games not counting towards the standings.

Outside of the five starters, minutes could be on the table for almost everyone currently on the Wolves roster. After training camp ends Friday, Finch likely already has a good idea of ​​where he thinks certain guys can help, and he’ll implement newer players in whatever way he sees fit.

Look for Rob Dillingham and Terrence Shannon Jr. for a few important minutes. Additionally, the three new players that Minnesota specifically signed to training camp deals should also get some juice: Skylar Mays, Jaedon LeDee and Eugene Omoruyi. Once Finch calls his first timeout and breaks the lineup, expect everything to be in play when it comes to who gets minutes.