With Kevin Love out for the next 6-8 weeks, Derrick Williams will fill in for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Coach Rick Adelman will start Williams in Minnesota's next exhibition game on Wednesday, when the Timberwolves take on the Detroit Pistons in Winnipeg.
Williams will play small forward while Love is out, with Andrei Kirilenko shifting to power forward. Adelman hopes that this will help Williams' transition into the starting lineup.
The second-year forward has big shoes to fill, as Love was a key scorer, rebounder and leader. Adelman wants Williams to be more aggressive: "He's playing hard, but he can't just be a spectator on offense. He has to be a factor for us."
Last season, Williams was the only Wolves player to appear in all 66 games. Still, Williams wanted to be in the starting lineup, and this is his chance. He averaged 8.8 points and 21.5 minutes per game last year.