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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Showing posts with label minnesota. Show all posts
Showing posts with label minnesota. Show all posts
Friday, June 30, 2017
Thursday, February 25, 2016
How Do Brandon Ingram and Ben Simmons Fit With The Teams at the Top of the Draft?
Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram seem to have separated themselves in the battle for the number one overall pick (though don't count out a surprise either), so how do they fit on the teams that could potentially pick them?
Simmons
With Jahlil Okafor, Nerlens Noel, and Joel Embiid currently on the roster, not to mention the similarly skilled Dario Saric likely coming to Philly next season, Simmons fit on the Sixers is not ideal, either from a roster construction standpoint, or on the floor. Simmons best position is power forward, where he would be completing with all four of those players for minutes. A trade could obviously happen if they really want to give the reigns to Simmons, but it is still uncertain whether he is actually more talented than those others and deserving of minutes over them. On the court, the fit is just as questionable, considering what Philly needs most is shooting and perimeter scoring, areas where Simmons will not be a help. Play him at power forward and you have to sit one of those other four, play him at small forward and you might have the worst spacing of all time. Defensively, if you played him next to Okafor you'd be awful, or if you played him on the perimeter more, it would create too much pressure on Okafor to cut off penetration. Simmons is undoubtedly talented, but his flaws match up with Philadelphia's flaws, at a position where they are log-jammed.
Ingram
As bad as Simmons fit is with the Sixers is, Ingram's is good. He fills a major hole at small forward for them and is a knock-down 40% three point shooter. He would be groomed to grow into a primary perimeter scorer alongside Philly's big men while providing them will valuable room to work on the block, or in pick and roll. Defensively, his length and toughness would be an asset to help shield Okafor from too much penetration, while his flaws, mainly struggling to score inside, wouldn't be an issue because they wouldn't need that of him. Philadelphia is several pieces away from being a competitive team, but Ingram's shooting and length on defense would be a boon to their competency.
Los Angeles Lakers
Simmons
The Lakers really don't have much in the way of sure-fire starting level players, D'Angelo Russell is the closest thing they have, but he will need to improve his defense to be a starter on a good team. Julius Randle has potential, but he might be best suited as a bench player that can take advantage of back-ups while being protected from defending starters. Simmons is just as questionable a defender and shooter as Randle, but he is a more creative offensive player that the Lakers can build their offense around, particularly with good shooters like Russell on the floor. Because their roster is such a blank slate, LA is an ideal location for Simmons, who is difficult fit into many existing offenses and is better suited being built around, which the Lakers presumably could do. If they draft Simmons, the Lakers will want to surround him and presumably Russell with plus shooters and defenders, as you'll have enough creators on the floor with those two, but defense and spacing would be potential issues. The only downside to Simmons in LA is the inevitable asinine comparisons to Magic Johnson.
Ingram
Ingram fits just as well in LA, which will have a Kobe Bryant-sized hole at small forward and are mostly a blank-slate when it comes to starter level players. Ingram's shooting and defensive potential would give the Lakers any number of ways to build, the most effective would be finding a strong pick-and-roll partner for Russell, a mobile, defensive center, and another wing-shooter. Spread the floor offensively, run pick-and-roll, with Ingram and another shooter spotting up, waiting for a kick-out to shoot or attack with the center waiting on the baseline. This is a very do-able offense where Ingram would be a key piece because he can shoot, attack close-outs and eventually run pick-and-roll himself as either the ball-handler or the screener.
Boston Celtics (via Brooklyn Nets)
Simmons
With how flexible Boston is both on the court and from an asset standpoint, Simmons would work with the Celtics simply because they would make it work. They have the pieces and creativity to either make their offense work around him or move players and picks to get players that work with him, if they are certain that he is the star they have been waiting for. As far as the current roster fit, Avery Bradley and Jae Crowder are absolutely ideal fits with Simmons because they can shoot and defend, areas where Simmons struggles significantly. Kelly Olynyk as center is an ideal offensive fit but their defense might be pretty terrible. For Boston, I think acquiring a defense and pick-and-roll proficient center (Dwight Howard perhaps?) and use Simmons as the ball-handler while playing Crowder, Bradley, and Isaiah Thomas could be a deadly offensive lineup that doesn't get killed defensively.
Ingram
Like with Simmons, Boston will find a way to make it work with Ingram if they think he is a foundational piece. Ingram and Crowder would be a deadly interchangeable offensive and defense pairing, especially when Ingram gets stronger. Boston has so many players that can play in a multiplicity of ways, that adding a player like Ingram who can shoot, has amazing length, and should be able to handle the ball effectively and guard multiple positions down the line, would only serve to make them more versatile. An interesting side story with Ingram, and really Simmons too, is that neither is really what you would call a franchise changer, so Boston may look to move either in a package for a more proven superstar.
Phoenix Suns
Simmons
If Phoenix doesn't blowup their roster over the Summer, Simmons isn't an ideal fit. The Suns do have a hole at power forward, but they already have a too many ballhandlers in the kitchen issue with Brandon Knight and Eric Bledsoe, both of whom can shoot but aren't exactly knockdown in that area. Now, if one of those two is traded it might be a better fit, but I still don't necessarily see it, Phoenix has imploded before because of struggles sharing the point guard duties, they need less ball-dominant players and more overall well-rounded offensive players. The Suns need more of a shooter/defender at power forward that doesn't need to ball to be effective, which isn't Simmons at all.
Ingram
Not to sound like a broken record, but Ingram again fits really well in Phoenix. He is a player that doesn't need the ball to succeed and can effect the game just by being on the floor. Playing Ingram at small forward, with a new power forward or P.J. Tucker next to him and Devin Booker around a Bledsoe Tyson Chandler pick and roll would be devastating and a return to the classic Suns style. Eventually, when Ingram is stronger (and in some match-ups now) and you can play him at power forward with all three of Phoenix's guards, that would be something to see indeed. If neither Simmons or Ingram end up in Phoenix, Dragan Bender would be nice longterm fit at power forward.
Minnesota Timberwolves
Simmons
Considering two of Minnesota's young starters are pretty ineffective shooters, adding Simmons who is a completely ineffective shooter would not be ideal. Karl-Anthony Towns is actually the ideal center to player next to Simmons because he can protect the rim and shoot, but Andrew Wiggins and Ricky Rubio would just a be a spacing mess, especially because Simmons needs the ball to be effective, making Rubio entirely redundant. If Minnesota decides to trade Rubio, then Simmons would be a more interesting fit, especially if the Timberwolves find a point guard that is a knock-down shooter, with Zach LaVine at shooting guard.
Ingram
The Timberwolves main need is shooting, though Ingram is not an ideal fit because play small forward right now, which is Andrew Wiggins best natural position. Once Ingram fills out, he could definitely see significant time at power forward, which would work really well with Wiggins, Towns, Rubio, and LaVine, however right now I think it still might not be ideal. Though you could potentially player Ingram as the shooting guard offensively and small forward defensively, with Wiggins doing the opposite. If they don't end up with Ingram or Simmons, what Minnesota needs is a knockdown shooter at off-guard that can also be a secondary creator, like what Jamal Murray would provide. Still, Ingram's shooting and length would be a definite plus addition to the Timberwolves
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Saturday, June 27, 2015
2015 Draft Review: Minnesota Timbewolves
PG: Ricky Rubio/Tyus Jones/Lorenzo Brown
SG: Kevin Martin/Zach LaVine
SF: Andrew Wiggins/Shabazz Muhammad/Chase Budinger
PF: Gorgui Dieng/Adreian Payne/Anthony Bennett
C: Karl Towns/Nikola Pekovic
2015 Free Agents
PF Kevin Garnett
G Gary Neal
G Jorge Gutierrez (RFA)
C Arinze Onuaku (RFA)
C Justin Hamilton (RFA)
F Robbie Hummel (RFA)
What They Did On Draft Night
Drafted Kentucky center Karl-Anthony Towns 1st overall
The obvious pick and the correct one. Towns and Andrew Wiggins give Minnesota a pair of the most promising two-way players in the NBA both under the age of 21. The next step for Minnesota is filling out the roster around them and Ricky Rubio. Zach LaVine has shown that he can make 3s and score in transition, so his long-term fit at shooting guard seems solid. At power forward Adreian Payne needs to get the range he showed in college back or else he'll top out as an energy/defense big man off of the bench and Minnesota will need to find a more suitable power forward to play next to Towns. They seem to have given up on Anthony Bennett, but there is still a lot of talent there if a team can get him in shape and taking (and hopefully making) smart shots. Minnesota's top priority should be finding shooters to space the floor and another ball-handler/creator on the perimeter. With their next pick, Minnesota did just that.
Drafted Duke point guard Tyus Jones 24th overall
The Timberwolves used their two second round picks (31 and 36) to trade with Cleveland into the first round and select Jones. In the upper two-thirds of the first round, a player like Jones who is a below-average NBA athlete, is a risk but at this point that is mitigated because the expectation of Jones is to just be a very good backup to Ricky Rubio, which is what he is best suited to do. With LaVine clearly better suited playing off the ball, Minnesota had a need for a back-up point guard and because of their post-up heavy offense, a guard that can shoot and knows how to feed the post would be ideal. Jones fits that description very well, in his lone season at Duke Jones shot 38% on threes and 89% from the line, suggesting he can be an above-average shooter in the NBA. At Duke, Jones played with the best post player in the country, Jahlil Okafor, and was very good getting him the ball in the correct spots. Jones is also a polished ball-handler who always seems to make the correct decisions in the pick-and-roll; a Jones/Towns pick-and-pop could be a devastating attack to sustain offense when Rubio is on the bench. Therefore it is easy to see how Jones fits in Minnesota on the offensive end, and though defense is Jones' biggest weakness that should be mitigated some as Wiggins, LaVine, Payne, and Towns develop into the above-average or better defenders they have the potential to. This isn't a high upside pick because Jones is physically limited, but he fits what Minnesota wants to do and should be a quality backup for them. Jones, a Minnesota native, also provides the Wolves with some free local good will.
What to do next?
Assuming that Minnesota brings back Kevin Garnett as a player/mentor, they should be relatively quite in the free agent market because they have a lot of young players that need to get playing time and not a ton of pressure to win now. When Towns and Wiggins are ready to carry this team to the next level and they have one or two more lottery picks in the fold, perhaps next year, most likely 2017, that's when Minnesota should be filling holes with veterans and spending free agent money. This summer, their focus should be finding trade partners for Pekovic, Martin, and Bennett, looking for future assets or a more established back-up veteran or two in order to keep the team from becoming Garnett and the Muppet babies.
A bonus trade sure to never happen
Kevin Martin to Memphis for Courtney Lee
OR
Nikola Pekovic to Milwaukee for O.J. Mayo
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Thursday, June 11, 2015
2015 Draft Preview: Minnesota Timberwolves
2015-16 Depth Chart
PG: Ricky Rubio/Lorenzo Brown
SG: Kevin Martin/Zach LaVine
SF: Andrew Wiggins/Shabazz Muhammad/Chase Budinger
PF: Anthony Bennett/Adreian Payne
C: Nikola Pekovic/Gorgui Dieng
2015 Free Agents
G Jorge Gutierrez (RFA)
C Justin Hamilton (RFA)
C Arinze Onuaku (RFA)
F Robbie Hummel (RFA)
PF Kevin Garnett
G Gary Neal
2015 Draft Picks
1-1
2-1(31)
2-6(36) via Sacramento
Team Needs
The Timberwolves have two definitive foundational pieces in Andrew Wiggins and Ricky Rubio to go along with several young, inexperienced talents that could become part of that foundation if they continue to develop. On the court, Minnesota utilizes a lot of post-ups, so shooting and spacing are crucial to success. The lack of said shooting last season contributed to Minnesota's offensive woes; "lack" is an appropriate term: Minnesota finished dead last in both makes and attempts from behind the 3-point line. If the Wolves resign Kevin Garnett, their starting lineup will essential be set; however, they may try to trade both Nikola Pekovic and Kevin Martin. Pekovic would be replaced with the number 1 pick, whether is be Karl Towns or Jahlil Okafor, but if Martin is traded, a need at shooting guard would open up. A strong spot-up shooting 2-guard would be a tremendous boon to Minnesota's offense.
Potential Fits
With the number 1 pick, Minnesota needs to take whomever they think the best prospect is; we can debate whether that prospect actually is the best, but not the process behind the selection. With their two early second round picks, shooting needs to be a priority. Anthony Brown of Stanford can ably defend both wing positions and is a 40%+ 3-point shooter; there is a good chance he will be available then. Cyprien international Aleksandar Vezenkov isn't a shooting guard, but he might be the best shooter in the whole draft, though there is a chance he won't be coming to the NBA right away. Florida's Michael Frazier is another excellent shooter, but at 6-4 he lacks ideal shooting guard size, which will likely contribute to his availability in the second round. There are some questions about UNLV's Rashad Vaughn's ability to make 3s, but he shot a good percentage as a Freshman and is just 18; however he may be drafted in the late first. If Minnesota is able to trade for another first rounder this season, both Kentucky's Devin Booker and R.J. Hunter of Georgia State would be great fits. Because of Ricky Rubio's size and ability to defend 2-guards, a non-traditional option like point guard Cameron Payne of Murray State could work.
Mock
1. Towns/Okafor
31. Johnathan Holmes, F, Texas
Tuesday, July 1, 2014
Minnesota Timberwolves Draft Review
I am not a huge fan of LaVine, who got on radars because he started the season on a hot shooting streak then ended it by jumping really high at the NBA combine. Still, with all that said I get this pick and am okay with it. Minnesota is in a bad spot, they're likely going to lose their superstar Kevin Love and want to trade him, but don't know if they're going to get any good offers. Their first round pick was outside the area where you can get a sure fire star, but before where you'd be satisfied just getting a role player. Therefore, I understand the desire to swing for the fences with LaVine, and gamble on his shooting becoming more consistent and that he can unlock his athleticism to be a top shooting guard, or that (and this is a longer shot) he can become a full time point guard. If everything works out, he might be a star; I wouldn't bet on it but the chances he becomes a useful player is more likely than not.
40. Glenn Robinson III, SF Michigan So. (6-7, 211)
Like LaVine, Robinson III is a raw athlete who has a long ways to go to reach his upside. He isn't particularly skilled at this point, struggling to create his own shot at times and not shooting from the outside with a ton of consistency. All this wouldn't be as big of an issue if he played hard all the time, but he doesn't which limits the impact that his considerable athleticism can have on the game. Robinson III will likely spend the year in the D-League honing his offense and defense, if he improves there I can see him having an impact, but it is a tough road ahead for him.
53. Alessandro Gentile, SG Italy (6-7, 227)
Gentile is an intruiging international selection because he is a big 2 guard with a serious scorers mentality and the skills to execute on that end. He is a classic offensive player who will attack the basket aggressively but if his jumper starts falling he can really get on a role. The issue is that the shot isn't always dropping from the outside and he may not have the athleticism to attack the rim as successfully in the NBA. That lack of athleticism may also hinder him defensively. Whether he ever comes to the NBA remains to be seen, but Gentile will need to improve his jumpshot to succeed there.
Projected Lineup
PG: Ricky Rubio/J.J. Barea
SG: Kevin Martin/Zach LaVine
SF: Corey Brewer/Chase Budinger/Shabazz Muhammad
PF: Kevin Love/Luc Richard Mbah a Moute
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