The Timberwolves' plan this offseason was to ease center Rudy Gobert back into action after he led France to a silver medal in the Eurobasket tournament.
Gobert sat out the Wolves' first preseason game at Miami before playing in Thursday night's 114-99 victory over the split-squad Lakers, who sat LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Russell Westbrook and Patrick Beverley in Las Vegas.
Here are some observations from Gobert's debut and the Wolves' second preseason victory.
Immediate impact on the glass
The Wolves had the NBA's 13th-best defensive efficiency last season. But that number could have been better if their defensive rebounding percentage was better than 28th (.