Minnesota Timberwolves: Noah Vonleh a subtle but impactful signing

His name might not grab headlines, but Noah Vonleh’s presence on the Minnesota Timberwolves could pay nice dividends down the line.

Heading into the 2019 NBA free agency period, the Minnesota Timberwolves weren’t expected to participate in the bottomless pit of spending like some of their contemporaries. Having locked in the duo of Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins to max contracts, whatever additions Minnesota planned on making to improve its 36-win season wouldn’t grab any headlines.

There were talks about freeing up the money to go after All-Star D’Angelo Russell, but that seemed more like a pipe dream than anything else with little financial flexibility to work with. Instead, the Wolves would have to scour the bargain bin underneath all the superstars and sign a player to help fill in the gaps around their young core.

Since entering the league back in 2014, Noah Vonleh hasn’t quite lived up to the billing of a No. 9 overall pick. The former Indiana Hoosier has bounced around to four different teams in five seasons and has yet to crack double-digit scoring averages in any of those campaigns.

After posting career-high marks in points and rebounds this past season for the New York Knicks, the Wolves decided to bring him in on a one-year deal, per The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski‏. He doesn’t round out a Big 3, but Vonleh has the chance to make a real impact on a team looking to regain its footing in the Western Conference.

Vonleh was part of a Knicks squad that wasn’t competing for much last season. It wound up being the perfect low-pressure environment — yes, even in New York — for him to play through the inevitable ups and downs in order to grow through whatever struggles he may faced.

His 8.4 points and 7.4 rebounds per game were, as mentioned before, the best of his five-year career, but they don’t exactly jump off the stat sheet. It’s important to note, however, that Vonleh has never been one to stuff a box score with big minutes, instead, serving best with spurts of relentless energy at both ends.

Per 36 minutes, those numbers increase to a double-double of 11.9 points and 11.0 rebounds along with 2.7 assists per game. Projections should always be taken with a grain of salt given the non-inclusion of factors such as fatigue and matchups, but they paint a solid picture of the type of production Vonleh brings to the table in limited playing time.

Standing 6’9” and weighing roughly 250 pounds, Vonleh possesses the ideal frame necessary to guard multiple positions. He’s got arms that stretch out to 7’4” with solid lateral quickness. Of the power forwards who logged over 1,700 minutes last season, he ranked 10th in Defensive Real Plus-Minus.

He won’t be one to stretch the defense, having hit just 33.6 percent of his 2.0 3-point attempts per game last season. Whatever struggles Vonleh may have from beyond the arc, though, could be hidden by KAT’s career 39.2 3-point percentage, depending on how often they share the floor together.

Where exactly the Timberwolves project in the Western Conference is not an easy question to answer. A number of teams have thrown their chips into the middle of the table with the inevitable dominance of the Golden State Warriors nowhere to be found, while others like the Dallas Mavericks and New Orleans Pelicans seem sure to prosper from their youth movements.

Minnesota doesn’t need another player to score 20-plus on a nightly basis. What the team has needed for the longest time is a supporting cast to mold around the leaders and provide just about everything else.

He can score inside, defend at a high level and provides a little-known ability to handle the rock. The Timberwolves couldn’t afford to go big this summer. In Noah Vonleh, they may have found a diamond in the rough, someone whose multiple contributions could wind up snowballing into bigger dividends as the season progresses.