Minnesota Timberwolves Draft Review

Current Roster
PG: Ricky Rubio/Tyus Jones
SG: Andrew Wiggins
SF: Jimmy Butler
PF: Gorgui Dieng/Nemanja Bjelica
C: Karl Towns/Cole Aldrich

2017 Free Agents
Unrestricted
F Omri Casspi
C Adreian Payne
G Brandon Rush

Restricted
F Shabazz Muhammad

Who They Drafted
1-16 Justin Patton, C Creighton
After trading the number 7 pick in a package to get Jimmy Butler, the Timberwolves took Justin Patton, a high upside center that doesn't fit too well on their roster. The issue is that Patton, even if he reaches his potential, is a straight center which means he'd either have to play behind Karl Towns for 10-15 a night, or play beside him which would make Towns much less valuable. Patton, though not a super athlete, moves well and has a lot of nice tools, good hands and feet, as well as tremendous speed running the floor. When given the ball in a good spot he is a close to automatic finisher and has flashed a bit of range on his jumper. Defensively, he moves pretty well for a big guy and has great length, which he's used to block shots at a decent rate, though he's not elite in this area. As a rebounder, Patton leaves a lot to be desired, grabbing 13.8% of available rebounds, a bad number for a center. If he reaches his upside, Patton could be average on both ends of the court which doesn't seem like much but is a solid NBA player.

What They Need Going Forward
Shooting, shooting, shooting. With Butler now on the team the Wolves need to find better shooters at point guard and power forward. Ricky Rubio, as good of a player as he is, doesn't fit their current team needs and will likely be flipped for a better fit (Thad Young makes sense) or dumped for cap space so they can pursue Kyle Lowry, George Hill, Jrue Holiday, Jeff Teague, Paul Millsap, Patrick Patterson, or others.

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New Orleans Pelicans Draft Review

Current Roster
PG: Frank Jackson/Quinn Cook
SG: E'Twaun Moore/Jordan Crawford
SF: Solomon Hill/Axel Toupane/Quiny Pondexter
PF: Anthony Davis/Cheick Diallo
C: DeMarcus Cousins/Alexis Ajinca/Omer Asik

2017 Free Agents
Unrestricted
G Jrue Holiday
F Dante Cunningham
C Donantas Motiejunas

Restricted
None

Who They Drafted
2-31 Frank Jackson, PG/SG Duke
The Pelicans traded up to the first pick of the second round to draft Frank Jackson, a combo guard that many believed could be a first round pick due to his age and athletic testing results. Just barely tuned 19, Jackson is young for a first year player and has good size and length for a combo guard, in addition to registering a 42-inch max vertical at the combine as well as other great testing numbers. The problem is that Jackson doesn't utilize that athletic ability very well. He can finish well above the rim and is explosive in a straight line, but doesn't have the wiggle and shake you'd want from a lead ball-handling guard, a fact that is exacerbated by his handle, which lacks advanced moves and breaks down when pressured. He is more of a scoring threat than passer, but he isn't myopic as an offensive player. Where he will likely provide the most value in the NBA is as a shooter, after canning .392% of 130 three-pointers his one season at Duke. That ability to space the floor will be extra important in New Orleans, where spacing will be at a premium around big men Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins. That will be Jackson's role, plus be opportunistic fast breaking and getting the ball to the Pelicans' stars.

What They Need Going Forward
Bringing back Jrue Holiday or replacing him with a competent player to play point guard, as well as whatever they can find on the wing with the space they have. This is a make or break season for the Pelicans (and presumably their front office and coaching staff) and going into the season without an above-average player at point guard and on the wing could spell doom for a lot of people and DeMarcus Cousins' time in New Orleans.

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Ready to Take Off: Anthony Davis

In the Pelicans Saturday night win over the Charlotte Bobcats, Anthony Davis scored 25 points (9/13 FG, 7/8 FT), with 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 6 steals and 6 blocks. This remarkable performance is becoming par-for-the-course for Davis who is averaging 23.7 points, 13.3 rebounds, 4 blocks, and 2.7 steals on the young season. It's not just that the 2012 number 1 overall pick is putting up big numbers, he looks like his game has grown considerably since last season. We all know about the terrific hands, length, and athleticism that give Davis the ability to block shots and throw down outrageous alley-oops, but now the skill is starting to catch up to the elite physical ability. Part of his big improvement offensively has been his jumper, he hit 4-of-5 outside the paint from against Charlotte, and is shooting 50% from there this season. His stroke in general is improved, as demonstrated by his terrific 95% shooting from the free throw line so far this season. If his jumper continues to fall, it will open up his offense even more, allowing him to use his explosive first step to take slower bigs off the dribble from the high post. This quickness, along with more aggressiveness, strength, and seeking of contact this year, also allows Davis to draw more fouls, nearly doubling his total from 3.5 last year to 6.7 this. There is no reason that he shouldn't average 8+ free throws a game in time. Add to that his improved shooting, plus buckets of put-backs and of course alley-oops and you have a recipe for a very efficient and reliable offensive game. Defensively, we know Davis can block shots and has very active hands, but his ability to guard on the perimeter and switch, as well as guard in ISO situations are also becoming elite skills. That is why I think Davis fits better at power forward than center, because he causes so much havoc all over the floor when he plays there, but is limited when he plays center, not to mention the wear and tear having to check bigger players. What is even more amazing is that Davis is only 20 years old and has a ton of room for growth in both physically and in his abilities, despite being playing at an All-NBA caliber right now. If this level of growth continues, Davis could be a top 5-10 player in this league. The Pelicans have playoff asspirations and the talent to get there, but they need to be careful that ball-dominant players like Jrue Holiday, Tyreke Evans, and Eric Gordon don't neglect Davis, because he is their best player.

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