Heading into the season, it certainly seemed unlikely that Luol Deng, who was the final signing of the offseason, would see any playing time whatsoever.
Indeed, Deng only appeared in four of the Minnesota Timberwolves‘ first 42 games, and all in games that were decided by 27 points or more. Ironically, by the time that Deng became a part of the regular rotation, it was after his former boss, head coach Tom Thibodeau, had already been fired.
On Jan. 12, Deng played four minutes in a close win over New Orleans. Then, he played 15 minutes the next night in a blowout.