I, like Ogee, tend towards the optimistic side of things and I can see the makings of a solid plan ahead with the franchise.
Let's start with Towns and Russell. Both extremely talented, with Towns being a really unique talent. To this point, both have not played to their talent levels-Towns has been poor on defense and questions about the work ethic are present; Russell's been a knucklehead who's bounced around to four teams in five seasons. They're 25 and 24 years old respectively; Towns lost his mother to COVID-19 this past year. It seems to me that this is a pivotal year for both to determine what kind of players they will be in this league moving forward. I've read things here and there about both that alludes to both maturing. If so, those are two wonderfully talented building blocks for the TWolves moving forward.
Edwards-I was skeptical all through the process leading up to the draft and although Jon K's article in The Athletic needs to be taken with guarded optimism, I am optimistic. No matter the criticism he's faced, the mental strength and discipline he's needed since to rise to the status of top pick of the NBA draft, having lost his mother and grandmother at age 14 should not be underestimated. He possesses the athletic talent and if he can develop the skills and defensive acumen, well, that's a pretty potent three top players on this squad.
Rubio-loved this trade. He still has a lot in the tank, is happy to be coming back to MN, Towns is happy to have him back and between his defense and distribution of the ball, he is a great add. It also seems he's become a nice veteran mentor to the likes of Donovan Mitchell, Devin Booker and others. This team can benefit from solid veterans.
The rest of the squad-who knows? Is Beasley going to still be a part of this team? How are they going to supplement the bigs around Towns? What will they do in free agency?
I did like what they chose to do at the end of the draft with Bolsanaro and McDaniels. High ceilings, seemingly, that could be afterthoughts in a couple years-but I'd rather the team take a swing at pick #28 with the likes of McDaniels. Take a look historically at the tail end of round 1's-it's a crapshoot.
Ultimately, it will come down to Towns and Russell, and hopefully, in a year or two, Edwards. We're talking about two #1 overall picks and a #2 overall. No matter the limitations/needs to improve of each, there's a lot of talent there, all quite young. If this franchise wasn't so star-crossed, I'd feel better
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