The Minnesota Timberwolves yesterday re-signed forward Jarred Vanderbilt guard Jordan McLaughlin.
Vanderbilt, 22, set career-highs across the board last season including seeing action in 64 games (30 starts) for the Timberwolves, averaging 5.4 points on 60.6% shooting, 5.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.0 steals in 17.8 minutes per game.
The Kentucky product saw one of his best games of the 2020-21 season in Minnesota’s 119-111 victory over the Miami Heat on Apr. 16, when in 21:35 of action off the bench, Vanderbilt scored nine points and grabbed a career-high and game-high 14 rebounds, including nine rebounds in the fourth quarter. His 14 rebounds equaled the most by a Timberwolves reserve since Anthony Tolliver grabbed 15 rebounds vs. Boston on Mar. 27, 2011, at Target Center.
The 6-9 forward holds career averages of 4.1 points on 59.7% shooting and 4.3 rebounds in 13.6 minutes per game with Denver and Minnesota.
Vanderbilt was originally drafted by the Orlando Magic with the 41st overall selection in the 2018 NBA Draft.
McLaughlin, 25, wrapped up his second season with the Timberwolves, appearing in 51 games (two starts), averaging 5.0 points, 2.1 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.0 steals in 18.4 minutes per game last season.
On Feb. 12 at Charlotte, he registered a career-high-tying four steals (Mar. 1, 2020, vs Dallas) in 22:15 minutes of play off the bench, becoming the 17th player in club history to have multiple games with 4+ steals off the bench. McLaughlin dished out a team-high seven assists off the bench on Jan. 20 vs Orlando while scoring six points, becoming the 14th Timberwolves players to have five or more games off the bench with at least seven assists.
The Pasadena, Calif. native played four seasons at the University of Southern California averaging 12.9 points, 3.5 rebounds, 58 assists and 1.7 steals in 128 games.
