In their hopes of having a much better season, the Minnesota Timberwolves began with their starting unit making reigning slam dunk champion Zach LaVine the starter at the shooting guard position.
LaVine is entering his second season in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and is coming off a great year performance-wise.
The 20-year-old shooting guard was one of the most notable players in the Timberwolves roster in the 2014–15 season and was known for his high-flying plays which helped him win the slam dunk championship during the 2015 All-Star Weekend.
Last season, LaVine played in 77 regular season games and started in 40, averaging 10.1 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per contest in 24.7 minutes of action.
After spending his rookie year as a backup, LaVine's hard work especially in this year's training camp earned him the starting nod at the number two spot over veteran Kevin Martin.
According to the Associated Press, the announcement was made by interim head coach Sam Mitchell last Wednesday before their preseason opener loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
"It's not necessarily about earning (the spot), it's about where you are as an organization and where you're trying to go," Mitchell said about LaVine's appointment as a starter according to the report.
Meanwhile, LaVine said, "I feel like I proved myself throughout training camp. I've had a really good training camp, and I'm just out to prove something."
The Timberwolves finished last season with the worst record in the league at 16–66 making them miss the playoffs for the 11th consecutive season.
But Minnesota made roster moves in the offseason putting a combination of veteran leadership and youth in one squad.
The Timberwolves re-signed franchise star Kevin Garnett, who returned last season, to a two-year deal. The team also signed another veteran in point guard Andre Miller last August.
These veterans will join forces with the young core of Andrew Wiggins, Karl Anthony-Towns, LaVine, Ricky Rubio, Tyus Jones, Gorgui Dieng, Shabazz Muhammad, and others.
The Timberwolves will open the 2015–16 regular season against the Los Angeles Lakers at the Staples Center on Oct. 28.
