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Minnesota Timberwolves: How a good offseason could have been great

By Josh Cornelissen

Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images
Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images /
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MINNEAPOLIS, MN – JUNE 27: Justin Patton of the Minnesota Timberwolves is introduced to the media by head coach Tom Thibodeau and GM Scott Layden on June 27, 2017 at the Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx Courts at Mayo Clinic Square in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – JUNE 27: Justin Patton of the Minnesota Timberwolves is introduced to the media by head coach Tom Thibodeau and GM Scott Layden on June 27, 2017 at the Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx Courts at Mayo Clinic Square in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Draft pick

The first move of the Minnesota offseason was trading for Jimmy Butler. Even for Zach LaVine apologists, the cost to add Butler was well worth it to add a two-way superstar in his prime. Short of stretching into the realm of fantasy, that deal was as good as it gets.

Getting back not only Butler but the 16th pick of the draft was a coup, but how Minnesota used that pick was not. They selected Justin Patton, a center out of Creighton. The freshman big has upside as a center who can rebound and shoot from beyond the arc, but given Minnesota’s roster and the players available around him, the front office could have done better.

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Karl-Anthony Towns is the most gifted young center in the league, able to score inside and outside with above average passing skills. Defensively he has the mobility to guard on the perimeter and the instincts to protect the rim. While he has work to do, he is near a lock for a long career as a perennial All-NBA center.

Also on the roster are Gorgui Dieng and Cole Aldrich, each signed for at least two more seasons on deals that are unlikely to be easily moved (Aldrich has a lower salary but is also the worst player). Both Dieng and Aldrich are best deployed as centers, although it is likely Thibodeau will play them alongside Towns at points. Even if Aldrich leaves in two years when his contract is up, the Timberwolves project to have two centers locked up and on the roster. There is no need for another center such as Patton.

The team had plenty of options at No. 16, at any of a number of positions. If they wanted a big, taking a player with stretch-4 potential — the team’s biggest need both then and now — would have been a much more strategic play. D.J. Wilson went one pick later to the Milwaukee Bucks, and he has impressed in Las Vegas Summer League play thus far. T.J. Leaf, Jonah Bolden or Kyle Kuzma all fit that role as well.

They could have gone for a guard, a player who could come off the bench as a shooter – Terrance Ferguson (No. 21) or Josh Hart (No. 30) were both available. A more traditional power forward in the Tom Thibodeau mold would be John Collins (No. 19) who looks like a dark horse Rookie of the Year candidate for Atlanta. Even if the team wanted to go for the best player available, swinging for the fences with Harry Giles or OG Anunoby would have made more sense.

Justin Patton may grow into a fine player, but even if he does there is no future role on this roster for him. Maximizing the pick to select a player who fits the roster today and in the future would have been the best move to make here.

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