The Minnesota Timberwolves can’t afford to mess up with pick No. 20

The Minnesota Timberwolves must face a tough reality in the coming week before the 2018 NBA Draft: They can’t afford to mess up with pick No. 20.

The 2018 NBA Draft is looming just around the corner for the Minnesota Timberwolves. They are at a point in their franchise where they can’t afford to miss on their first round pick.

The Wolves made the playoffs this year for the first time since the 2003-04 season. While that was an awesome hurdle for the franchise to leap, it’s time to get serious and focus on winning in more than just the regular season. That’s right, Minnesota. I’m talking about postseason wins.

(Shocking, I know.)

Minnesota’s weaknesses got exposed on national television during the 2018 NBA Playoffs. That tends to happen when you have gaping holes in your team. There’s a way better chance that the Houston Rockets will expose those weaknesses in the playoffs than the Sacramento Kings on a Tuesday night in February.

Most Wolves fans know the weaknesses I’m talking about. For starters, their 3-point shooting was atrocious and their defensive rating was 22nd in the league despite adding Taj Gibson and Jimmy Butler. Oh yeah, and their bench production was abysmal.

These problems will take more than just one mid-to-late first round draft pick to solve, but it’s definitely a place the Wolves can start.

Why the Wolves have to hit on pick No. 20

Jimmy Butler is entering the final year of his contract before becoming an unrestricted free agent. Who’s to say that the All-Star swingman won’t want to leave the cold Minneapolis winters for the glitz and glamor that a city like L.A. has to offer? Maybe he’d even want to go back home to Texas and play for the Houston Rockets. He will definitely have options, and that’s bad news for Minnesota.

Of course, he might re-sign with the Wolves. After all, he’s changed the culture there, plays under his former, longtime head coach and has developed into an icon in the Twin Cities. However, Butler will be 30 years old when he becomes an unrestricted free agent. He’s also been vocal about how serious he is about winning. The Wolves will have to show him that they have what it takes to be a contender or I’m guessing he walks away next summer.

They also have incredible young talent in Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins. While both players are still developing, they’re also plenty capable of being on a winning team now. Not to mention, key players like Jeff Teague, Jamal Crawford and Taj Gibson are all getting older.

The time to win in Minnesota is now.

The Wolves have the luxury of not needing a superstar in the draft in order to compete in the playoffs. They already have two superstars. However, unlike most years, the 2018 NBA Draft is absolutely loaded with deep talent that will be available when the Wolves are on the clock at pick No. 20.

It’s imperative to the success of the Minnesota Timberwolves’ franchise that they don’t mess up that selection.

The Wolves need shooting, playmaking ability off the bench and defense. While it may be tough to find all three of those things at No. 20, it’s definitely possible to find one or two of those qualities. Whoever they draft is going to be expected to step in right away and provide some sort of production off the bench. I mean, they finished last in the league in bench scoring. I have to assume they will draft with that in mind.

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So unlike most teams drafting in the 20s, the Wolves absolutely need to nail this pick. The alternative is a road that the Wolves definitely don’t want to go down.