Draft prospect discussion

[Heir Rose]

The Timberwolves could go into the draft with three first round picks, as they own Charlotte's (lottery protected, although nbadraft.net still has the pick going to the Wolves ) and Utah's (top-17 protected) first round picks. Most importantly, they will have a lot of flexibility due to needs at every position but power forward and point guard (and if Wall's on the board, they're not passing on him), and their plethora of picks will allow them to move around and/or get pick up some assets/cash via trade.

 

Assuming they keep their picks, let's discuss who should be in the running for their respective first round selections. Starting off with the #2 pick, which they're slated to get right now, the debate comes down to Wesley Johnson and Evan Turner. Turner has excellent size and ball handling ability, making him a versatile scoring threat. His jumper is a work in progress, but once he develops that aspect of his game, he should be a complete offensive player. Johnson is the complete opposite type of wing player, as he relies more on his athleticism and jump shot to be effective. He's not yet developed a strong game off the dribble, and he seems to have more bust potential than Turner in my eyes. I like Turner more because he adds a guy that can create on the perimeter, something the Wolves lack outside of Johnny Flynn.

 

At #11, I like a few of the bigs in this year's crop. Cousins is probably out of reach, and I see him as a "dump the ball down low and isolate" type, a constant double-double threat that Minnesota already has with Jefferson. What the Wolves need are players with a high basketball IQ to fit the Triangle Offense, preferably with length and athleticism. Greg Monroe is my favorite of the three that I believe could be around at #11, as he is smart, talented, and has good post skills. He's got NBA size, and with two years under his belt at a reputable school like Georgetown, he'll be more ready than most of his peers. Minnesota is struggling to rebuild its fanbase, and it can't afford another 20-win season after this year. Progress needs to be made, so any player that can step in right away will be valuable.

 

Donatas Motiejunas of Lithuania is exactly the opposite of NBA-ready, as he is 19 years old, needs to bulk up, and has poor defense. He draws comparisons to Andrea Bargnani, but I also think of Pau Gasol, who is a great fit in the Lakers' Triangle Offense. Motiejunas is versatile offensively, as he can pass, shoot, dribble, and score inside, and he's also quick and agile. Considering the Wolves already have a top-five pick all but locked up, taking a flyer on him at #11 would be well worth the risk. Finally, we get to Cole Aldrich. Aldrich makes me think of Kevin Love because of his high basketball IQ, rebounding ability, and ability to hit a jumper. He's also got 2+ inches on him, and would add a strong anchor in the paint defensively to alter shots next to Jefferson and Love. I don't see any star potential in him, but he could be a great fit as a role player in the Wolves system, and doesn't seem like he'll turn into a bust. A very safe pick.

 

Finally, we get to the third and final pick of round one. Many things are going to change in this area between now and the draft, so I'll just mention a few names without going into much detail: Solomon Alabi is an athletic shot blocker and rebounder that could be a solid role player in the future, Stanley Robinson is an athletic hustle player that every championship team would love, Paul George of Fresno State is a low-risk, high-reward wing with great size and athleticism, and Willie Warren of Oklahoma was once touted as a potential lottery pick before a poor sophomore season with the Sooners. Maybe he could turn it around with the Wolves. Alternatively, they could choose another international player to stash overseas with Rubio and Nikola Pekovic, or even sell the pick for cash, which has happened a few times recently in this range with other teams.

 

This draft is a solid one for big men, and the Wolves should try to come out of the draft with a solid rebounder/shot blocker like Aldrich or Alabi, or an offensive-minded big with good intangibles like Motiejunas or Monroe. With their top five pick, drafting a scorer is a must, as Corey Brewer can't be your PPG leader on the wings for much longer. The beauty of this draft is that for the Wolves, it's not "Wall or Bust," as Johnson/Turner would actually fit their needs even better. As long as they don't get one of those guys, I'll be a happy camper. :glasses:

[Dash]

According to Realgm, the Jazz pick is top 15 protected and the Bobcats pick is only top 12 protected.

 

Evan Turner hands down. I haven't seen too much of Wesley Johnson but Turner is looking more and more like the top wing in the country.

 

Here is how I rank the big men that might be within reach of the Bobcats pick.

 

1. Hassan Whiteside

2. Donatas Motiejunas

3. Greg Monroe

4. Ekpe Udoh/Cole Aldrich

5. Jan Vesely/Stanley Robinson

 

Although I'd be pretty ticked off if the Wolves snatched one of them before Houston gets to pick (why I'm hoping we continue our losing ways). Normally I wouldn't have a power forward on the draft list for the Wolves but both Vesely and Robinson have the ability to play the 3. I'm not a huge fan of Alabi, he might be good down the road but this tweet from draftexpress has been bothering me.

 

Solomon Alabi dribbling ball off his foot, not even looking for on ball offense. Whoever drafts him is going to have to be REALLY patient.

 

Yeah...pass.

 

With the Jazz pick, there are a few prospects I would LOVE for Minny to grab before the end of the first round (no way Alabi and Robinson are still available). I'm a huge fan of Damion James, just an incredible NBA body and the guy plays damn hard every night. Another guy I like it Willie Warren, he's been slipping in a lot of mocks and to pick up a guy with as much talent as he has would be an absolute steal.

[Lone Wolf]

Here's how the Wolves should look at it.....

 

Wall: Obvious choice.

Turner: Player of the year, in my opinion. He's like a Brandon Roy type player. He can play defense, pass, shoot, slash and rebound.

Whiteside: Defensive center who can score a decent amount.

Monroe: Can score, rebound, block a bit and pass. A very good choice for the Triangle. My problem is, is he 6 foot 10, or 6 foot 11? He will need a good wingspan for center purposes.

Aldrich: Defensively good. Offensively, he could improve.