Wolves

Jake Layman happy to be back with Wolves, broken nose and all

By Chris Hine , Star Tribune
September 25, 2020 - 7:15 AM

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Last week, Timberwolves President Gersson Rosas revealed a member of the team had suffered a broken nose, but Rosas didn't name who it was.

On Thursday, Jake Layman ended the mystery.

Layman said he has the broken nose, but that isn't hampering him from participating in the Wolves' group workouts over the next few weeks at their practice facility.

Layman, who averaged 9.1 points last season, is wearing a mask while he plays, and playing is something Layman has craved after a season that began full of promise before a toe injury sidelined him from mid-November until late February.

He was back in the rotation for a few weeks until the coronavirus pandemic forced the NBA to postpone the season in March. Since then, there hasn't been a lot Layman and the Wolves could do outside of individual workouts.

There was some time for this relatively new group of teammates — which Rosas largely assembled at the February trade deadline — to bond in Miami before the season's postponement, and Layman said the team is picking up where it left off then.

''Doing this now is just going to make it even better especially with the on-court stuff," Layman said.

While the Wolves undertake these group workouts, the NBA has allowed them to wear statements in support of racial justice on the back of their practice jerseys.

Layman said he chose to put "vote" on the back of his jersey.

"I feel like that's a very important message for what's going on, just to have your voice heard and to have that freedom to do that, to take advantage of that," Layman said. "I think our team has done an amazing job, and our organization, by setting up different voter registration events and making sure that every person in our organization is registered to vote."

On his Instagram page, Layman has "vote" in his biography field. He's also been active on social media and in the community speaking out for systemic change in race relations since the death of George Floyd in late May. He participated in marches and events around Minneapolis in the wake of Floyd's death and he posted for justice in the case of Breonna Taylor, an EMT in Louisville, Ky., who was shot by police in her home.

Layman, who is white, views it as his responsibility to be an ally to the Black community.

"For me, being an ally, it's just something that I truly do believe in when it comes to that stuff," Layman said. "If you follow me on social media, especially stuff that my wife posts, too, it's just something I strongly believe in, so it's really easy for me to be a strong ally."