In efforts to fill out their roster, the Minnesota Timberwolves have agreed to sign undrafted guard Melo Trimble out of Maryland to a partially guaranteed deal.
With all the moves the Minnesota Timberwolves made this offseason, they still have one problem: They need to fill their roster before the season starts. The Wolves definitely improved their starting lineup this offseason. By adding new starting-caliber players, their bench will have more talent as well. Now they just need to find cheap, serviceable guys for that bench.
On Tuesday, ESPN‘s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the Timberwolves had agreed to sign undrafted guard Melo Trimble to a partially guaranteed deal.
Melo Trimble spent the last three years in the Big 10 playing for Maryland. During his time he had a very successful career. Last season, he averaged 16.2 points and 3.0 assists per game while shooting 41 percent from three. He led Maryland to a 23-9 record and a third consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance.
Trimble finished in the top 10 for total points in the Big 10 during all three of his seasons. He received national recognition several times and was a finalist for the Wooden Award after the 2015-16 season.
Why didn’t Trimble get drafted?
Despite a successful collegiate career, Melo did not get selected in the 2017 NBA Draft. The Philadelphia 76ers signed him after the draft to a Summer League deal. He had a couple good performances in Summer League, including a 16-point performance against the Chicago Bulls.
Trimble is not an NBA-ready point guard, and that is concerning since he is already the same age as Andrew Wiggins. He was projected by many to go undrafted because of the work he needs and a poor NBA Draft Combine showing.
Tajh Jenkins of NBAdraft.net said the following about his weaknesses after picking Jarrett Jack as his player comparison.
"“The age factor plays against him, as he’s already 22 years old…More than likely already a finished product…Has good but not great speed…Doesn’t lack athleticism but he isn’t going to wow anyone with his athletic ability either…Streaky shooter 3-point shooter…More of a below the rim player…lacks shooting consistency…Limited by his lack of length and vertical leap…Sometimes can get caught up with holding onto the ball too long…“He’ll miss opportunities to push the ball up the court for easy baskets in favor of slowing the game down to a halt…Is sometimes too focused on scoring instead of getting his teammates involved…Will miss chances at making easy passes to open teammates because of his tunnel vision to score…Can be turnover prone due to reckless play…Will need to improve his assist to turnover ratio…Struggles to finish at the rim over taller defenders (but has shown improvement with his floaters)…”"
What about Trimble’s strengths?
Unfortunately, NBA GMs felt his weaknesses overtook his strengths during the draft, but he still has the ability to do some things well on the court. Jenkins said the following about his strengths:
"“Even-keeled player…Leads his teammates by example…Trimble is a strong and compact, score-first combo guard…A big-shot maker who wants the ball when the game is on the line…Confidence doesn’t wane even when he’s struggling to make shots…Has good enough size to play the point guard spot at the next level…“A prolific scorer who can score points in bunches, he thrives at creating scoring opportunities for himself off the dribble…One of the best aspects of his offensive skill set is his ability to score on strong, aggressive drives to the basket…Good shooter and has NBA range …Shooting form has no fundamental issues…Shoots well off pull ups, curls, catch and shoot, and spot ups…”"
What does this mean for the Minnesota Timberwolves?
The Minnesota Timberwolves need to fill their roster up right now. They are going to have to gamble on a couple of players like Melo Trimble in the hopes of finding a diamond in the rough. He will likely end up spending time with the Iowa Wolves in the G League to develop after Minnesota’s training camp.
MIN needs to fill out roster. Only 11 players under contract and Justin Patton is recovering from a broken foot & may not play for a bit. https://t.co/cnhW2YkbUC
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) August 1, 2017
Additionally, Wolves rookie Justin Patton is still recovering from a foot injury and there is no time-table on his return. That makes these signings very important, because there may come a time in the season where the partial or two-way signings may be called on to step up.
Next: The biggest winners and losers of 2017 NBA free agency
Trimble had an excellent college career and is fighting for his opportunity in the NBA. He now has the chance to go to the Minnesota Timberwolves training camp and keep continue that fight.