Grading Minnesota Timberwolves through 11-game losing streak
By Ethan Becker
2. Josh Okogie
When the Minnesota Timberwolves picked up Josh Okogie in the 2018 draft, he was a fairly unheralded prospect. Certainly not on the same level as a Trae Young, Luka Doncic, or DeAndre Ayton, Okogie didn’t even have the dark horse potential that a player like Kevin Knox did. However, Okogie has grown into one of the more promising young talents on the Timberwolves squad.
Over this dreadful 11-game stretch, the biggest advantage Okogie brought to the Timberwolves is his defense. He recorded a steal or a block in seven games and in that sample, he’s gotten both a steal and a block in four of those games. His rebound numbers have been solid lately too, averaging 3.6 a game over the last 11 games.
The biggest area of his game that needs improvement from Okogie is his 3-point shooting ability. Okogie shot below 33 percent from the 3-point range in seven of the team’s last 11 games, including six games where he made no deep balls, with multiple 3-point attempts in four of those six games.
Okogie’s 3-point woes are also affecting his overall shooting numbers. Over the last 11 games, Okogie has shot 30.3 percent from 3-point range and 32.4 percent from the field. But when you take the 3-point shots out of the equation, that field goal number raises up to 35.1 percent.
Add in the fact that part of his woes could be caused by him going cold from missed 3-point shots and there’s a real case that Okogie should stay inside the arc.