Trey Lyles says the Wolves got on him for turning down shots — and Madrid gave him his confidence back

MINNEAPOLIS — Oct. 15, 2026 — Trey Lyles has spent five preseason games trying to work out where he fits in Minnesota, and the Timberwolves have already given him one clear note: shoot the ball. The 30-year-old forward, back in the NBA on a one-year deal after a season with Real Madrid, has taken 22 shots in 77 exhibition minutes, and he said the staff has told him that is not enough.

Lyles spoke after practice at Mayo Clinic Square on Wednesday, Oct. 14, hours before Detroit beat Minnesota 128-106 at Target Center. That night he scored five points on 2-of-4 shooting in 15 minutes. His preseason line now stands at 23 points, 17 rebounds and 6-of-17 from three across five games.

‘He got on me a couple nights ago’

Asked whether the Wolves want more offense from him, Lyles said the message has already come through. “Yeah, he got on me a couple nights ago about turning down a couple,” he said. “So he definitely wants me to continue to get those shots up, especially when I have the opportunity. That’s just about me being more aggressive, making sure I’m ready for the ball.”

The numbers back up the coaching point. Lyles went 1-of-8 in 22 minutes of the 125-124 win in Miami on Oct. 11, then took only two shots in 16 minutes of the 122-104 win at New York a night later. He said reading the floor has never been his issue. “I think I have a good understanding of how to read the game, so I’m able to notice where my spots are at — or maybe if I don’t have this one, somebody else needs the ball,” Lyles said. “But overall I just think I probably need to be a little bit more aggressive anyway.”

Figuring out Bones and Ayo

The second unit wants to run, and Lyles said that suits him. Asked about playing next to Bones Hyland and Ayo Dosunmu, he described a feel-out process that is still going on. “Just figuring them out still — figuring out where they like the screens, where they like the ball, and what kind of situations they want to be in, and whether I’m setting the screen or spacing the floor,” he said. “I think playing fast is a little bit better for my type of play, so I’m pretty easily adjusted to that.”

He said the staff has moved the rotation around enough that his role is not settled. For now he is leaning on defense: “making sure I’m in the right spots, rebounding, and then being a positional guy, being able to switch out.” His bottom line was simple: “I can always bring energy and effort. It don’t matter who’s on the floor, I can always control that.”

What Madrid gave back

Lyles called the year in Spain a reset. “Just being able to play freely and do some things that I wasn’t able to do my 10 years prior in the league,” he said. “Being able to go back to the post-up game and playing the mid-range … just realizing that I’m still able to do the things that I’ve always been able to do. So it was a good confidence year for me.”

He has also landed back next to Rudy Gobert, a veteran in Utah when Lyles arrived as a rookie. “Rudy was in his third year or second year when I got there,” Lyles said, “but just being on the team with him again and seeing how he’s grown and matured as an individual and as a basketball player, it’s cool to see.” Gobert had mentioned that Lyles reads a lot. Lyles said he ran a book club in Sacramento and is now reading Andrew Huberman’s Protocols, and that Gobert is one of the teammates he goes to with questions.

The veteran in a young room

On a roster built around Anthony Edwards and a group of players in their mid-20s, Lyles is now one of the older voices. “They’re quite a bit younger than me now, so it’s a new role for me,” he said. “Coming in the league, I had guys that were very vocal and consistent with how they spoke to me, so it’s just about me picking up that role.” In practice, he said, that means huddle details: “making sure guys are paying attention and knowing where the game is at, and fouls that we have to give.”

He talked openly about how he has changed since his first season. “It’s a whole new person,” Lyles said. “If I had known the things that I know now, maybe if I was 24 or 23, just how much more open my mind would have been — understanding the longevity of a season and the ups and downs.” He said he tells the younger players the same thing: “being honest with them and being honest with myself about where I was emotionally and mentally at that young age … and just saying that you guys aren’t the first ones to go through that.”

Utah, Denver, San Antonio, Detroit, Sacramento and Madrid have all asked him to start over. “It definitely sucks not being able to build strong roots or foundations in places, which I had in Sacramento — it was the longest place I had been,” Lyles said. “But being confident in my adaptability has helped a lot.”

Why it matters

Minnesota needs frontcourt minutes behind Gobert and Jonathan Kuminga, both at backup power forward and in small-ball center looks. Lyles has played in five preseason games, and he says the staff has given him the green light. What’s left is the part he admitted himself: taking the shots when they come before the regular season opens next week.