All Things 2022 Minnesota Timberwolves Off-Season Thread

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They said future 2nd pick given to Memphis. I'm assuming we keep all 3 of the ones we have this year.
 


So, which picks that they possess in the second round will actually be for the T-Wolves?
 




Looks like the Wolves wanted to strengthen their defense first and foremost.


Minnesota nabbed Auburn center Walker Kessler at No. 22 and Duke wing Wendell Moore at No. 26 on a busy first night of real action for the Timberwolves’ basketball boss in Thursday’s NBA Draft..

At 7-foot-1, 245 pounds, Kessler is an imposing defensive presence in the paint. He led all of Division I basketball with 155 blocked shots en route to claiming national defensive player of the year honors. Kessler, who will be 21 years old next month, averaged 11.4 points and 8.1 rebounds last season as a sophomore for the Tigers. He showed the nimbleness necessary to defend at all levels and also was a strong finisher around the rim.

The selection of Kessler suggests Minnesota is serious about its willingness to play Karl-Anthony Towns at power forward, at least at times. Towns has operated in that type of role alongside certain other Wolves forwards in the past but rarely alongside a true center such as Kessler.

The pick is a pivot from the Gersson Rosas regime, in which Towns was rarely placed alongside even a legitimate power forward. Playing Towns at power forward takes defensive pressure off the all-star forward in certain matchups and could shore up Minnesota’s rebounding issues..

Moore was a three-year player at Duke, with his 3-point percentage rising each year to where he shot 41 percent from deep as a junior. He also averaged 5.3 rebounds and 4.4 assists, displaying some playmaking chops. Moore is a well-rounded player who is an apt defender and could contribute early in his NBA career.

And in a league where wings win, the Wolves were able to add a depth piece behind the likes of Jaden McDaniels and Anthony Edwards — the latter was working out at the team facility during the draft Thursday.

The selections of Kessler and Moore show a commitment for Minnesota to the defensive end, adding to a roster that largely featured offense-first players as recently as last season..

www.twincities.com

Timberwolves wheel and deal, select Auburn center Walker Kessler and Duke’s Wendell Moore in first round of NBA Draft

In the end, Tim Connelly turned what was one first-round pick into the reigning national defensive player of the year and a two-way wing out of Duke.
www.twincities.com www.twincities.com
 
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Sports Illustrated weighs in:

22. Timberwolves (traded from Grizzlies): Walker Kessler​

Grade: B-

Minnesota traded back to grab Kessler and the 29th pick, and while this was a tad higher than I would have taken him there’s a chance this pays off for the Wolves, who have been seeking a rim protector to help anchor bench lineups and deploy alongside Karl-Anthony Towns. Kessler was the best shot-blocker in college basketball last season and has terrific instincts contesting drivers and making life difficult for opponents. He’s not going to defend well in space, but in the right scheme, it’s easy to see him being pretty valuable. We’ll see how this experiment works in lineups where Towns slides over to power forward.

26. Timberwolves (from Rockets): Wendell Moore​

Grade: A

As I understand the situation, Minnesota had heavy interest in Moore at No. 19, but saw an opportunity for a value play and converted on that gamble here. They successfully traded back to No. 29, then back up, to grab their guy. Moore is one of my favorite players in this class and someone I’m confident will wind up delivering value as a long-term role player for the Timberwolves, where he should be a nice fit as a swiss-army-knife wing alongside Anthony Edwards.

www.si.com

2022 NBA draft grades: Analysis for every team's picks - Sports Illustrated

Which teams earned high marks and which teams disappointed in the first round of Thursday’s draft? The Crossover breaks it down.
www.si.com www.si.com
 

JimmyJamesMD said:
I would have liked to take a chance on Baldwin
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one of the difficult parts about this draft was the shear amount of players, like Baldwin, with lots of talent, but limited/no data.

I'm guessing future Gopherholers are going to be shocked at a couple of the "one that got away."

i imagine it will lead to "I can't believe we passed on "Blah.

I was thinking similar to you. It seems like we have someone we can stash in Minnot that intrigues the Wolves.
 



atsgopher said:
one of the difficult parts about this draft was the shear amount of players, like Baldwin, with lots of talent, but limited/no data.

I'm guessing future Gopherholers are going to be shocked at a couple of the "one that got away."

i imagine it will lead to "I can't believe we passed on "Blah.

I was thinking similar to you. It seems like we have someone we can stash in Minnot that intrigues the Wolves.
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I just have a tough time taking guys to be role players unless youre already a championship contender.
 

I'm probably drinking the Kool-Aid after last night, but I like the Kessler pick more now than I did a couple of days ago. One of the reasons I like it is that it will save us from overspending ($ and assets) on Capela, Myles Turner, etc. I also assumed he had super slow feet, but I'm not so sure he will be a pnr liability. He moves way better than I originally thought. Hopefully he can move in and eat up all of Naz's minutes.

Wendall Moore was a great pick. If his shot wasn't a one year mirage, he'll be a pretty versatile guard. If his shot doesn't, he still defends, dribbles, and distributes enough to be effective. In my opinion, best case scenario - a poor man's Malcolm Brogdon. His worst case scenario - - a rich man's Josh Okogie. Either way, at #26, I think we got a player who can really help us.

The interesting thing to me is that there does seem to be some redundancy in our team.

We didn't specifically address PF, could their be a PF in the mix in FA?
We really seem to be well positioned to move on from one of our guards.
Naz seems expendable to me and might have some (limited value) while he is still super cheap.
San Antonio sure added a lot of guards - - could their be some smoke to the Murray rumors?

At the end of the day, I think the most likely scenario is that we run it back again next year with almost the exact same roster and then have enough cap space to add a max player (through FA or trade) next off season. Unless something jumps out to us (Dejounte Murray), I think that makes the most sense.
 

JimmyJamesMD said:
I just have a tough time taking guys to be role players unless youre already a championship contender.
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atsgopher said:
one of the difficult parts about this draft was the shear amount of players, like Baldwin, with lots of talent, but limited/no data.

I'm guessing future Gopherholers are going to be shocked at a couple of the "one that got away."

i imagine it will lead to "I can't believe we passed on "Blah.

I was thinking similar to you. It seems like we have someone we can stash in Minnot that intrigues the Wolves.
Click to expand...

Problem is with the one-and-done, after the lottery, no one really knows who is or isn't gonna be an NBA caliber starter. As you go further down the Draft 15-20-30 teams have already passed on the guy you chose.

The last part always allows fans to complain about the "one that got away".

Last 3 seasons the Wolves have gone from 19 wins to 23 to 46 (49 total). Hope Connelly's maneuverings got them the right couple of guys. His track record suggests he may have.
 

JimmyJamesMD said:
I just have a tough time taking guys to be role players unless youre already a championship contender.
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Iceland12 said:
Problem is with the one-and-done, after the lottery, no one really knows who is or isn't gonna be an NBA caliber starter. As you go further down the Draft 15-20-30 teams have already passed on the guy you chose.

The last part always allows fans to complain about the "one that got away".

Last 3 seasons the Wolves have gone from 19 wins to 23 to 46 (49 total). Hope Connelly's maneuverings got them the right couple of guys. His track record suggests he may have.
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I kind of the think the economics of the salaray cap in the NBA demands at least some depth picks.

The free agents process (when considering bird rights negotiations) doesn't limit scaricty. Thus, depth guys in the free agent process are often "old stars" or are overpaid; as teams try to meet minimums. Whereby drafted players can be kept cheaper longer.

I think Iceland is also right in he one and done. The 2nd rounders that can be stashed are where home runs can be hit. While still cheaply addressing the overall quality of the bench.
 

atsgopher said:
I kind of the think the economics of the salaray cap in the NBA demands at least some depth picks.

The free agents process (when considering bird rights negotiations) doesn't limit scaricty. Thus, depth guys in the free agent process are often "old stars" or are overpaid; as teams try to meet minimums. Whereby drafted players can be kept cheaper longer.

I think Iceland is also right in he one and done. The 2nd rounders that can be stashed are where home runs can be hit. While still cheaply addressing the overall quality of the bench.
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Bolded point is a good one
 

CBS Sports:



Timberwolves
  • 22. Walker Kessler, C, Auburn
  • 26. Wendell Moore Jr., F, Duke
The Wolves moved their picks around but ultimately landed an elite rim protector in Kessler and a prototypical 3-and-D wing in Moore. Kessler may have some trouble staying on the floor against quicker teams, but he was an elite shot-blocker in college and can eat up minutes with Karl-Anthony Towns on the bench. Moore should compete for playing time immediately on a team desperately craving wings. Overall Minnesota filled two needs with solid players. Grade: B+ (Ward-Henninger)

www.cbssports.com

2022 NBA Draft team grades: Pistons nearly perfect; Knicks escape with passing mark; Kings outthink themselves

Let's take a look at how each team fared on draft night
www.cbssports.com www.cbssports.com
 

Iceland12 said:
Sports Illustrated weighs in:

22. Timberwolves (traded from Grizzlies): Walker Kessler​

Grade: B-

Minnesota traded back to grab Kessler and the 29th pick, and while this was a tad higher than I would have taken him there’s a chance this pays off for the Wolves, who have been seeking a rim protector to help anchor bench lineups and deploy alongside Karl-Anthony Towns. Kessler was the best shot-blocker in college basketball last season and has terrific instincts contesting drivers and making life difficult for opponents. He’s not going to defend well in space, but in the right scheme, it’s easy to see him being pretty valuable. We’ll see how this experiment works in lineups where Towns slides over to power forward.

26. Timberwolves (from Rockets): Wendell Moore​

Grade: A

As I understand the situation, Minnesota had heavy interest in Moore at No. 19, but saw an opportunity for a value play and converted on that gamble here. They successfully traded back to No. 29, then back up, to grab their guy. Moore is one of my favorite players in this class and someone I’m confident will wind up delivering value as a long-term role player for the Timberwolves, where he should be a nice fit as a swiss-army-knife wing alongside Anthony Edwards.

www.si.com

2022 NBA draft grades: Analysis for every team's picks - Sports Illustrated

Which teams earned high marks and which teams disappointed in the first round of Thursday’s draft? The Crossover breaks it down.
www.si.com www.si.com
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I'm a big fan of both of these picks. The best shot blocker in college, and a good shooter off the bench.
 


Biggest surprises and value​


5. Minnesota Timberwolves do a lot: The Wolves had an active evening. They moved from No. 19 down to No. 22 in a trade with Memphis, picking up pick No. 29 in the process. At No. 22, they picked up Walker Kessler, a player who was on Minnesota’s shortlist had it just stayed at No. 19, sources told The Athletic before draft day. Then, they moved up from No. 29 to No. 26 and picked up Wendell Moore, another player whom sources throughout the pre-draft process connected to Minnesota at No. 19. In his first draft night as general manager, Tim Connelly did a phenomenal job of moving up and down the board and acquiring multiple players who appealed to him rather than just one. On top of it, the Wolves ended up taking two interesting fliers in the second round in Josh Minott and Matteo Spagnolo. I’m a bit higher on Spagnolo (with apologies to John Hollinger). I love his creativity at his size and think he could be an interesting bench guard down the road. But Minott also fits as an interesting defensive flier for a team that could always use more athleticism at the four next to Karl-Anthony Towns. I loved what Minnesota did on Thursday, even if I don’t necessarily love the two players they took at the places they took them. Their process was right.

theathletic.com

Magic stun everyone, Pistons' backcourt rules and 23 other final draft thoughts

Let's take one last look at the 2022 draft, which was defined by a curveball at the top and some intriguing fits everywhere else.
theathletic.com theathletic.com
 


Auburn coach Bruce Pearl is adamant that Walker Kessler is more than just a rim protector and shot blocker, that Kessler isn't just valuable defensively because of what he can do with his 7-foot-1, 256-pound frame around the basket.

During Kessler's lone year with the Tigers, he averaged 4.6 blocks per game, but he didn't garner Naismith National Defensive Player of the Year honors on that alone.

"Where he grew the most was his own confidence in his ability to switch on guards and allowed guards to attack him," Pearl said in a phone interview Friday. "He became more confident pressing up on the perimeter and retreating and getting to the rim.

"I don't think he surprised himself, but we just forced him to be more aggressive in his ball screen defense and he embraced it."

That will be one of, if not the biggest questions for Kessler as he embarks on his NBA career. Will his defensive prowess translate to the NBA, and can he keep up with teams that will try to isolate him in pick-and-roll defense? The Wolves certainly think so, or else they would not have spent the No. 22 selection to get him as the first draft pick in the Tim Connelly era.

Pearl also doesn't seem to think that will be a problem.

"He definitely can switch and guard multiple positions," Pearl said. "He can recover, and I think the thing I always had to remind Walker of was he didn't need to play like he was 7-1. That he's faster, quicker and he's a better athlete than [most think]."..

www.startribune.com

Auburn's Bruce Pearl: Timberwolves draft pick Walker Kessler more than a rim protector

Kessler's college coach says the center is able to defend multiple positions along the perimeter and has a good shooting form despite lackluster numbers.
www.startribune.com www.startribune.com
 



short ornery norwegian said:
I'm going to have to see or hear something from a more reliable source than Phil Mackey.

If this is part of a D-Lo deal, then I want to see the whole deal.
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He can't shoot, but he can do everything else well. His defense is especially helpful.
 




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