NBA G League: Eyes on Iowa Wolves - Return to Zyon

February has come and gone. The Iowa Wolves continued to experience more ups and downs, but they’re still in the fight for a playoff spot. In this edition of Eyes on Iowa Wolves, we get you caught up on last month’s action, including a new two-way contract signee.

A signing that probably should’ve happened months ago.

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December Summary (Click to open)

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February Overview

Overall Month Record: 3-4

Current Regular Season Record: 14-11
Current Standing: 7th in Western Conference

OFFRTG: 123.9 (5th)
DEFRTG: 120.9 (24th)
NETRTG: 3.0 (10th)

The Iowa Wolves started off their season back in November with a 6-3 record. Then they lost their leading scorer, Zyon Pullin to a wrist injury early December.

Iowa struggled a bit, but went on to go 4-2 in final six games of December. Then they lost their next leading scorer, Tristen Newton to a two-way contract offer by Houston in January.

Once again, Iowa took some time before readjusting to go 7-3 games to finish January. Then they lost their second leading scorer and top rebounder, Alize Johnson to a “lucrative offer” from the Chinese Basketball Association midway in February.

The Wolves are far from the only team that has dealt with sudden roster changes. This is the life cycle of the G League. That said, it still doesn’t change how tough it’s been for them to maintain a rhythm given how their top contributors have played their way to other situations. They’ve been extremely shorthanded and it’s shown in the results.

The strong play of lead guards Jules Bernard and Jalen Crutcher helped Iowa start February 2-0, but the loss of Johnson and Enrique Freeman (brief call up with the Timberwolves) crippled the frontcourt depth. They dropped four games in a row, though there was still some silver lining during their spiral.

Zyon Pullin returned.

The November G League Player of the Month returned with a bang. Though it came in a loss, he scorched former Timberwolves Daishen Nix and Tristen Newton for 33 points on 50% shooting from the field. His 41 minutes were also a game-high, indicating he was certainly in game shape despite the extended absence.

Around the same time, the Timberwolves announced the signing of Jules Bernard to a two-way contract, just to waive him days later. The official reason has yet to be announced about that decision, but what was official was the signing of Pullin to that same two-way spot on Sunday morning. A well deserved signing to the most productive player on the Iowa roster who still has upside as a prospect.

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Two-Way Wolves Update

Rocco Zikarsky
Full season stats:
36 GP | 24.2 MP | 14.0 PTS | 8.4 REB | 1.0 AST | 0.8 STL | 2.0 BLK | 2.0 TOV | 2.3 PF
53.4 FG% | 30.6 3P% | 73.2 FT%
Glass ceiling comp: Healthy Kristaps Porziņģis
Boring mezzanine comp: Less athletic Jay Huff
Dark basement comp: Shorter Tacko Fall

Despite being selected for the NBA G League Next Up game and making his official NBA debut, February was a month to forget for the 19-year-old. Rocco Zikarsky was an intriguing prospect not just for his ginormous size, but his skill at his position. He had shown a keen ability to knock down three-pointers early in the season.

That was not true for the seven-game month of February.

• November: 0.6 3PM / 1.6 3PA (38.5%)
• December: 1.0 3PM / 2.0 3PA (50.0%)
• January: 0.9 3PM / 3.1 3PA (29.7%)
• February: 0.0 3PM / 2.5 3PA (00.0%)

Your eyes do not deceive you. The Aussie missed all 15 three-point attempts last month. It tanked his season-long three-point percentage all the way down to just above 30%. He was over 37% prior to February. I had previously made the case that there should still be belief in his shooting touch due to his increased volume and increasing free throw percentage, but that all came crashing down. Even his free throw percentage was down to 55.6% in February.

Fans should still have reasonable optimism for Zikarsky though. He’s clearly adjusting to playing more minutes in the wake of Alize Johnson’s departure. Head Coach Mahmoud Abdelfattah has managed his minutes all season, but is now forced to unleash him for over 29 minutes per game this month. Zikarsky continues to offer strong rim protection and rebounding on a team that has minimal depth in the front court.

He still has to curb his turnover issues and keep growing stronger with the ball in his hands.

Enrique Freeman
Full season stats:
28 GP | 33.1 MP | 16.4 PTS | 8.6 REB | 2.0 AST | 0.8 STL | 0.9 BLK | 1.9 TOV | 3.1 PF
55.2 FG% | 30.3 3P% | 74.1 FT%
Glass ceiling comp: Poor man’s Paul Millsap
Boring mezzanine comp: Trim Jared Sullinger
Dark basement comp: Poor man’s Craig Smith

I will admit. I was down on Enrique Freeman.

To be fair, the 25-year-old sophomore had a tough season leading up to February. He was well below his career averages across the board. But the big man didn’t relent. The exit of Alize Johnson left him and Zikarsky as remaining players listed at 6’9” or taller, so he seized the opportunity.

• Before February: 33 mins, 15.4 points, 8.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists — Splits .538/.286/.711
• During February: 33 mins, 22.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists — Splits .627/.417/.846

Freeman’s ability to finish around the rim has never really been in question. It was more the perimeter scoring that was going to be his swing skill. Timberwolves President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly and Iowa Wolves General Manager Josh Gershon surely bet on that. Freeman isn’t a volume shooter from deep (3.2 3PA per game), but to be able to convert on open catch and shoot opportunities will make him very valuable.

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The Puerto Rican big man will need to continue working on his defense and ball security. Freeman’s been tasked with filling some of the playmaking responsibilities that left with Johnson, and though his assist numbers are up, he still needs to bring those turnover numbers down. He’s also struggled mightily with foul trouble in February, keeping him off the floor for a team that needs his paint presence.

Zyon Pullin
Full season stats:
14 GP | 35.3 MP | 23.8 PTS | 3.4 REB | 5.8 AST | 0.6 STL | 0.1 BLK | 2.1 TOV | 2.5 PF
56.0 FG% | 48.8 3P% | 84.1 FT%
Glass ceiling comp: Explosive Ajay Mitchell
Boring mezzanine comp: Offensively skewed Tre Jones
Dark basement comp: Devin Carter

He’s back! After missing 24 games over the span of two and a half months due to a wrist injury, the Most Interesting Man in Iowa finally returned to the court late February. As mentioned above, he didn’t look any worse for the wear. The eye test has matched the box score numbers, as Pullin is still getting into the paint at will. His quick-twitch athleticism leaves defenders at his mercy, evidenced by his team-best 4.9 FTA per game (Fourth in the league).

The soon-to-be 25-year-old also deserves credit for his playmaking. His 2.8 assist-to-turnover ratio is best on the team. He’s a low mistake player who’s turnovers come more in failed scoring attempts than passing attempts. During Pullin’s three games in February, he led the team in assists for two of them. Coach Abdelfattah trusts Pullin with the ball in his hands for good reason.

It it were up to me, I would have signed Zyon Pullin to a two-way contract back in November.

He does leave some more to be desired on the defensive end, though he’s not eye-popping poor. Pullin stands at six foot four, but he does not create many defensive plays. The simple box score numbers reflect this, but he also doesn’t get many deflections or crash the defensive glass well.

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Intriguing Prospects

Jules Bernard
Full season stats:
38 GP | 34.6 MP | 22.6 PTS | 6.5 REB | 5.2 AST | 1.0 STL | 0.5 BLK | 3.3 TOV | 2.0 PF
42.6 FG% | 34.4 3P% | 79.7 FT%
Glass ceiling comp: Norman Powell
Boring mezzanine comp: Bigger Cole Anthony
Dark basement comp: Discount Jaden Hardy

Before Jules Bernard could even have a weekend to celebrate his contract, he was subsequently released from it on a Saturday afternoon. The 26-year-old wing had earned the final two-way contract spot not just for an outstanding month of play in January, but his steady availability and reliability all season. He is one of two players to have played in every Iowa game this year, and is fifth in total minutes played in the entire G League.

Make no mistake about it. Bernard had rightfully earned that contract, so perhaps this was all just about a temporary pay bump.

On the court, Bernard continues to show off his improved jump shot, converting on 37% of 8.4 attempts per game in February. He still cleans the glass well above average for his position. He can generate shots for others by pushing the pace and relentlessly attacking the paint. The UCLA product can really do it all.

The areas for improvement for Bernard starts with (Surprise) turnovers. Despite his positive assist-to-turnover ratio (1.6), he’s fourth in the league in total turnovers and coughed it up fives times per game in February. His confidence in getting to the cup often puts him in precarious situations. Bernard has a tendency to get into the paint without a clear plan of action other than to shoot.

Therein lies his second biggest issue: Shot selection. His 37% field goal percentage in February was indicative of his prior issues with shot selection, often chucking up difficult shots. Bernard is second in the league in total field goal attempts, but his inefficiency shouldn’t warrant that volume. It’ll be interesting to see what happens with him moving forward.

Jalen Crutcher
Full season stats:
23 GP | 35.0 MP | 16.7 PTS | 2.8 REB | 5.5 AST | 0.7 STL | 0.4 BLK | 2.0 TOV | 2.0 PF
48.0 FG% | 44.9 3P% | 89.2 FT%
Glass ceiling comp: Better shooting Dennis Schröder
Boring mezzanine comp: “We Have Cameron Payne at home”
Dark basement comp: Ryan Nembhard in four years

New to the list is 26-year-old Jalen Crutcher. The fifth year G League vet is perhaps the only “true point guard” on the team. Listed as a generous six foot one inch and 175 pound soaking wet, Crutcher has actually logged a single NBA game in his career with the Pelicans in 2024. More recently, he was part of the 2025 USA Basketball Men’s AmeriCup Qualifying Team where Iowa head coach, Mahmoud Abdelfattah served as an assistant coach.

Crutcher joined Iowa right before Tristen Newton signed with the Rockets. It was a preemptive move, as he has assumed the full time starting point guard duties for the past two months. He’s generally a breath of fresh air on a team chalk full of score-first, ball dominant guards. For his career, Crutcher has a 2.7 assist-to-turnover ratio and serves up some delicious dishes every game. He generally drives to generate open looks for teammates.

Another area that Crutcher thrives in is as a perimeter threat. He’s great at both catch-and-shoot and off-the-dribble situations. He’s second on the team in both three-point percentage (44.9%) and three-point attempts (6.4). In the game above, Abdelfattah called his number out of a timeout to hit a dagger three off the dribble. There’s a lot of evidence to show that this isn’t an outlier of a season for him either, considering he’s shoots over 40% on over seven attempts from beyond the arc over his career.

Where Crutcher needs to improve is on the other end of the court. His slight size allows for opponents to target him often on switches, but he does fight. He has a plus wingspan and it’s evident by his shot blocking at his size. If he improves on that end of the court, then he could find himself in the NBA once again.

Nate Santos
Full season stats:
38 GP | 22.7 MP | 9.9 PTS | 3.1 REB | 0.8 AST | 0.6 STL | 0.2 BLK | 1.1 TOV | 2.2 PF
41.4 FG% | 35.5 3P% | 80.4 FT%
Glass ceiling comp: Puerto Rican Kelan Martin
Boring mezzanine comp: Puerto Rican Allen Crabbe
Dark basement comp: Puerto Rican Jacob Evans

I had to go deep in my bag for some player comparisons. The good ol’ 19-45 Bahama Wolves! Nate Santos probably deserves better than this, but as a three-point specialist who isn’t that special at shooting threes, this is what you get.

Sadly, Santos has continued to see his three-point numbers tail off in February. He shot just 27% from distance in February, but on an Iowa team that’s 20th in three-point attempts per game, they’ll need him to keep firing away.

Alize Johnson
Full season stats:
33 GP | 34.7 MP | 19.0 PTS | 11.1 REB | 4.8 AST | 1.0 STL | 0.1 BLK | 1.9 TOV | 3.0 PF
55.4 FG% | 38.3 3P% | 69.5 FT%
Glass ceiling comp: Discount Julius Randle
Boring mezzanine comp: More imposing Josh McRoberts
Dark basement comp: Small Kyle O’Quinn

Although Alize Johnson is no longer with Iowa, I just wanted to include him one last time for the player comparisons that I had ready for him. Shoutout Josh McRoberts (Real ones know).

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There’s only 11 games left in the season for Iowa to end their 11 year postseason drought. It’s right there for the taking. You can follow me on BlueSky for continued updates on their final playoff push.