Minnesota Timberwolves: Complete 2018 offseason grades
By Luke Askew
Drafting Keita Bates-Diop
The Minnesota Timberwolves weren’t done with their draft night decisions after drafting Josh Okogie. They also had the No. 48 overall pick which they used to select Keita Bates-Diop out of Ohio State University.
The 6’7″ forward had a breakout senior season for the Buckeyes, where he averaged 19.8 points, 8.7 rebounds and 1.6 assists on 48.0 percent shooting from the field 35.9 percent shooting from 3-point territory.
His stellar senior season was enough to earn him the Big Ten Player of the Year award.
Going into the offseason, many people thought Bates-Diop would be drafted somewhere in the late first round or early second round. He ended up falling to the Wolves at No. 48, which is incredibly lucky for them. He’s going to have a really solid career.
Keita Bates-Diop getting it done with the block on one end and the corner 3⃣at the other!#NBASummer pic.twitter.com/WgmCMTsWPu
— NBA (@NBA) July 8, 2018
He’s long, can defend, stretch the floor and put pressure on opposing defenses. He’s exactly what the Timberwolves need coming off the bench (and as a possible replacement for a guy like Taj Gibson when his time on the Wolves is up).
Grade: A+