Minnesota Timberwolves: 5 goals for Justin Patton’s rookie season

2. Work on advancing his playmaking skills

Justin Patton is considered a project because he has so much he can still polish up in his overall game. Most of the skills he excels at now — rim-running, blocking shots, and finishing — are what he will most likely be known for long-term. That doesn’t mean that Patton shouldn’t work on expanding his game though.

He averaged 1.9 assists per 40 minutes, and considering how much he tried to create on the perimeter, that number should be higher. Patton moves like a gazelle in the open floor, and the amount attention he draws is considerable. His next step will be consistently hitting the shooter in the corner with the “extra pass.” Playing with veterans like Jeff Teague and Jimmy Butler will help him learn the intricacies of the pick-and-roll.

If Patton plays on the floor with Karl-Anthony Towns, he would be able to work on big-to-big passing — in the short roll specifically — that would go a long way towards building his confidence in his passing skills.

His playmaking development is very dependent on him possessing the ball a lot, which is not very likely. But in the pick-and-roll — a play he will likely perform at a high-rate no matter his minute situation — he will have easy passes available to him. The question is: Will he take advantage of them?