The Timberwolves are into the meat of preseason with four games in seven days, but during a week without games, coach Chris Finch had time in practice to develop his appreciation for new guys Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo.

Randle, a three-time All-Star with the Knicks, seems right at home with the Wolves.

"Playmaking, transition, creation, pick and roll partner with Rudy [Gobert], ballhandling, all that kind of stuff … system wise, we feel like it's been a great fit," Finch said.

DiVincenzo, who came from New York with Randle in the Karl-Anthony Towns trade officially announced Oct. 2, is known for his three-point shooting, but …

"Been very, very impressed with his playmaking," Finch said. "In our system he's found more natural playmaking opportunities and flow.

"We knew he was a great off-ball cutter, we knew he was a great spot-up shooter from his time in New York, but his all-around game has been really impressive."

What does Finch do early in camp when he gets new players?

"Kind of let them do what they do, giving them as much freedom as possible, just to see how they fit," he said. "Just see what kind of things they kind of tend to do by themselves, play to their strengths. Usually guys will do that when you give them a great amount of freedom.

"Then you look for opportunities for them to say 'Hey, maybe a little more of this, maybe a little less of that' ... talk to them about where they like the ball, and what we might already have in our system that kind of aligns with that, and then put in whatever set plays they like."

The Wolves play the 76ers in Des Moines on Friday, the Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, the Bulls in Chicago on Wednesday and the Nuggets at Target Center next Thursday. That last game was moved ahead a day to avoid an arena conflict with Game 4 of the WNBA Finals.

Rookie opens eyes

Rob Dillingham had an impressive preseason debut Friday in a 124-107 victory over the Lakers in Palm Desert, Calif. The 19-year-old rookie guard scored 21 points in 24 minutes, going 9-for-20 from the floor with four assists.

"It was a cool experience," said the eighth overall pick out of Kentucky. "I always wanted to be in the NBA, so that game just went good for me. I got a lot of shots — I missed a lot of shots, too — it was just a good start for sure."

Dillingham's floaters in the lane drew some attention, and he admitted, "'cause I'm a shorter guard, getting in there with the taller players, I'm going to have to float, or alley [oop], so that's a big part of my game."

Improving rapidly on defense could be the 6-3 Dillingham's key to playing time as he backs up point guard Mike Conley.

"Even though I'm not first string, I try to get in every rep I can behind Mike, because practice is where you play the game," Dillingham said. "If you don't do it in practice, then how you going to do it in the game? Really, I've been trying to get everything right in practice, so when the game comes, I know what I'm doing."