The Minnesota Timberwolves opened up preseason play with a 114-110 win over the Golden State Warriors, and former league MVP Derrick Rose picked up where he left off from the 2018 playoffs.

Rose started at the shooting guard position in place of Jimmy Butler, who has requested a trade and is not with the team. Rose, who averaged 14.2 points while shooting 50.9 percent from the field and 70 percent from 3-point range in his five postseason games with Minnesota last season, scored 16 points against the Warriors and was moving around the court well. The explosive guard shot 6-of-10 from the field, 1-of-3 from beyond the arc, and 3-of-4 from the free-throw line.

Timberwolves star big man Karl-Anthony Towns liked what he saw from Rose, so much so that he told reporters postgame he saw glimpses of “MVP Rose.” Rose won the 2011 MVP with the Chicago Bulls and is the youngest player in NBA history to win the award (22 years old).

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Rose continues to show he can get to the basket at will and finish in heavy traffic, even after enduring four knee surgeries. The 29-year-old, who has never been a reliable shooter from deep, worked on his shooting mechanics this offseason and the early returns are positive. There appears to be more arc on Rose’s shot. In the past, Rose would have a line-drive shot and it wasn't that effective. The Timberwolves have yet to trade Butler and will likely start Rose at the 2-guard spot until they move the four-time All-Star.

Rose is making only $2.3 million this season. He is likely going to exceed the production of what players usually produce on veteran minimum contracts. If he can stay relatively healthy, Rose figures to be Thibodeau’s sixth man this season. His role will be to score, facilitate, and bring energy off the bench, three things he did in the playoff series against the Houston Rockets.