When the Minnesota Timberwolves' starters were announced for Monday's preseason game against the defending champion New York Knicks, there was one big surprise: Cody Williams . With Jonathan Kuminga out due to "general soreness," the Wolves turned to Williams to fill in the power forward role in their 122-104 win. That was unexpected, given that Williams was a late addition to the roster who projected more as a long-term development project than an immediate candidate to start. Here are three possible reasons he was in the starting lineup.
It's always worth remembering not to read too much into what teams do in the preseason. The games don't count, after all. It's possible that Williams was plugged in with the Timberwolves' starters on Monday simply to try him out with the first unit.
In a game with actual stakes, maybe the team would have opted to go small, start their best bench player, Ayo Dosunmu , and play Jaden McDaniels at power forward. That was the lineup most pundits predicted before the Wolves got Kuminga in the offseason. Or maybe they would have plugged in a traditional stretch four like Trey Lyles .
However, with Williams' long, athletic build and intriguing potential, it's possible the Wolves wanted to see how he fit alongside LaMelo Ball , Anthony Edwards , McDaniels, and Rudy Gobert . Even though he started, he still ended up playing fewer total minutes (15) than both Dosunmu (20) and Lyles (16).
Oct 7, 2026; Ames, Iowa, USA; Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam (43) defends Minnesota Timberwolves forward Cody Williams (9) at James H. Hilton Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-Imagn Images
It's also possible that the Timberwolves' starters included Williams on Monday specifically because they were playing the Knicks. Though it was just preseason, the Wolves seemed like they wanted to prove themselves against the reigning champs, and the television announcers remarked late in the game that both teams seemed to be ratcheting up the intensity.
If the Timberwolves were intent on going out and trying to get a win, it's possible that they saw Williams as the best matchup for the Knicks' power forward OG Anunoby . That makes some sense, given that Anunoby is thicker and stronger than McDaniels, and quicker and more athletic than Lyles. Williams, while only slightly more muscled than McDaniels, might have been seen as the better matchup.
The most optimistic take on why Williams was among the Timberwolves' starters is that the team has already seen something in him that leads them to believe he can start for a squad with championship aspirations. He did start 62 total games in his two seasons in Utah, but that was a team mired near the bottom of the standings that was playing mostly for pride. The standards and the competition for starting jobs are much higher in Minnesota.
His previous preseason games in a Wolves uniform had been pretty nondescript, with five points against Milwaukee, six against Indiana and four against Miami . But it's possible that the coaching staff saw something in him that didn't show up in the box score, such as on-ball defense or ball movement (he did have a team-high four assists against Milwaukee).
Williams' turn with the Timberwolves' starters was mixed. He took three shots, making two three-pointers and missing a two-pointer. He had one rebound, one assist, and one block, but he also had one turnover and three fouls in limited minutes. Anunoby scored 15 points in 22 minutes on fairly efficient 4/8 shooting, got to the line a team-high six times and made all six free throws. He won the matchup.
Williams is still unlikely to be among the Timberwolves' starters most nights once the regular season begins, but it's clear the team sees a role for the promising youngster — not only in the future, but probably this year.
Featured Image: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images
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