All Things 2024 Minnesota Timberwolves Off-Season Thread

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The biggest factor in the 27th pick is what the Timberwolves think of Jaylen Clark's recovery and ability to back up and eventually take over for Mike Conley.

If they think he is ready for the responsibility, they probably will go for another wing.
 

Ski U Mah Gopher said:
The biggest factor in the 27th pick is what the Timberwolves think of Jaylen Clark's recovery and ability to back up and eventually take over for Mike Conley.

If they think he is ready for the responsibility, they probably will go for another wing.
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I like the potential of Ka'el Ware. I could see them going big too. They really need a legit scoring wing and i don't think they'll find that with the 27th pick of a weak draft
 


short ornery norwegian said:
dude looks like the leader of some alien race in a bad sci-fi movie.

on the draft - from ESPN+, here's what their "experts" predict for the Wolves at #27.

Givony's pick that fills the biggest need: Juan Nunez | Ratiopharm Ulm (Germany) | PG | Age: 20.0

With starting point guard Mike Conley turning 37 in October, finding a successor to pair with Anthony Edwards in the backcourt will likely be a priority for Minnesota. Nunez has dimensions closer to that of an NBA wing than a point guard, but he is one of the best passers in this draft class, an absolute pick-and-roll maestro thanks to his outstanding creativity and feel for the game. The Timberwolves might feel like they could get him with their No. 37 pick rather than drafting him here, but there might not be many great point guard options available in the second round.

Woo's pick that gets the best value: Tyler Kolek, Marquette, PG age 23

Although some scouts find it hard to see past Kolek's limited measurables and athleticism, he has the chops to run a team at a high level and a strong college career under his belt at Marquette. Just a handful of experienced, quality point guards are in this class, and at this range, a playoff-caliber team should take a shot on him as a developmental backup.

FWIW - this Woo guy mocked Cam Christie to the Wizards at #26 in the 1st round as the "best value" pick. Woo said if Christie had played for a blue-blood program instead of Minnesota, he would be considered a solid 1st-round option.
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Problem with that claim is that if Christie would have played for a blue blood.....he probably wouldn't have seen anywhere near the floor time he got with the Gophers.
 


Ski U Mah Gopher said:
The biggest factor in the 27th pick is what the Timberwolves think of Jaylen Clark's recovery and ability to back up and eventually take over for Mike Conley.

If they think he is ready for the responsibility, they probably will go for another wing.
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Clark is a small SG that lacks PG skills but is a defensive menace. I love his potential but it won't be running the offense.
 

JimmyJamesMD said:
I like the potential of Ka'el Ware. I could see them going big too. They really need a legit scoring wing and i don't think they'll find that with the 27th pick of a weak draft
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SF Terrance Shannon Jr is the guy I want them to move up for. He might be the best pure scorer in the Draft.
 


Ski U Mah Gopher said:
The biggest factor in the 27th pick is what the Timberwolves think of Jaylen Clark's recovery and ability to back up and eventually take over for Mike Conley.

If they think he is ready for the responsibility, they probably will go for another wing.
Click to expand...
He's not really a pg. I saw something on canis about him the other day. He will guard guards and wings, but he won't be running an offense.
 











jamiche said:
Based on my authoritative five minute YouTube scouting report, he looks small and could be exposed on defense. Will the wolves carry three (Conley, Kolek, J-Mac) undersized pg's on their roster?
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Kolek Is 6’3” two bills
 

Gopher_In_NYC said:
Kolek Is 6’3” two bills
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ESPN has him at 6'1". Wiki and 247 have him at 6'3". I have no idea. On my highly authoritative five minute review of his entire basketball career on YouTube the only two things I can report are that he shoots 100% from the field and he looks small. :)
 

jamiche said:
ESPN has him at 6'1". Wiki and 247 have him at 6'3". I have no idea. On my highly authoritative five minute review of his entire basketball career on YouTube the only two things I can report are that he shoots 100% from the field and he looks small. :)
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Size is regularly overestimated for players, I should have realized I was being bamboozled - my bad!

Per the Sporting News measurement results from the combine, he’s 6’1 1/4” and 196 - so on the smaller size than 6’ 3”

So what do you consider small for a PG? It’s a bit subjective, so I’m curious. 😃
 

jamiche said:
Based on my authoritative five minute YouTube scouting report, he looks small and could be exposed on defense. Will the wolves carry three (Conley, Kolek, J-Mac) undersized pg's on their roster?
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He's 6'3", can run an offense, passes well, hits open 3s, and is ready to contribute right away.

What else do you need from a backup PG?
 

TruthSeeker said:
He's 6'3", can run an offense, passes well, hits open 3s, and is ready to contribute right away.

What else do you need from a backup PG?
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He reminds me of Luke Kennard and we could do a lot worse at 27 (paging Ndudi Ebi).

Athletic ability can compensate for lack of height but the problem is, he doesn't have it and will get torched on defense in the NBA.

Still, for our "win now" roster, I completely agree with you that Kolek would be a very solid pick. I'm still holding out hope for a trade-up that will land us a Wing scorer like Shannon or da Silva.

At 6'8 and only 19, SG Kyshawn George from Miami is also a very interesting prospect expected to be around at 27.
 

I saw the follkwing on ESPN. Note the only playoff team that didn't exploit Doncic's ineptitude

According to Second Spectrum, Doncic has allowed the three highest blow-by percentages on drives in a playoff series in the past 10 years. In the first round, the LA Clippers drove past him 65.2% of the time. In the second round, the Oklahoma City Thunder blew past him on defense 59% of the time. Against the Celtics, that percentage has ballooned to 67.7%.
 

Gopher_In_NYC said:
Size is regularly overestimated for players, I should have realized I was being bamboozled - my bad!

Per the Sporting News measurement results from the combine, he’s 6’1 1/4” and 196 - so on the smaller size than 6’ 3”

So what do you consider small for a PG? It’s a bit subjective, so I’m curious. 😃
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I must have had too much time on my hands yesterday. I researched your question on pg height and learned that the average NBA pg height is 6'2.75". Conley and J-Mac are 6'0". If Kolek is 6'1" that's three short pg's. Probably a defensive liability.
 

jamiche said:
I must have had too much time on my hands yesterday. I researched your question on pg height and learned that the average NBA pg height is 6'2.75". Conley and J-Mac are 6'0". If Kolek is 6'1" that's three short pg's. Probably a defensive liability.
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Impressive info - thanks!
 

jamiche said:
I must have had too much time on my hands yesterday. I researched your question on pg height and learned that the average NBA pg height is 6'2.75". Conley and J-Mac are 6'0". If Kolek is 6'1" that's three short pg's. Probably a defensive liability.
Click to expand...
 

NBA Power Rankings, way-too-early edition: Our post-Finals look at all 30 teams' 2024-25​


4. Minnesota Timberwolves
2023-24 record: 56-26
Result: Eliminated in the West finals
2024 draft picks: No. 27 (own) and No. 37 (via MEM)

After a run to the Western Conference finals -- first sweeping the Phoenix Suns, then taking out the defending-champion Nuggets in Game 7 -- the Wolves were overwhelmed by the Mavericks. However, Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards showcased an improved partnership throughout the playoffs, backed by team president Tim Connelly, who reupped his contract for another year. What's still unsettled is the battle for ownership between Glen Taylor and Alex Rodriguez, Marc Lore and Michael Bloomberg. -- Dave McMenamin
www.espn.com

Way-too-early NBA Power Rankings: Who can challenge Boston in 2024-25?

With the Celtics claiming the 2024 NBA title, let's see where all 30 teams stand in the NBA Power Rankings ahead of an important offseason.
www.espn.com www.espn.com

Howl Wolves!!
 

Kolek is a super interesting prospect.

He is not the player you think he might be at first glance. He gets almost 5 rebounds per game (meaning he sees the floor REALLY well and is probably quicker than you might think) and while he is a really good shooter, only about a quarter of his shots are from 3. So he is able to get by his man, probably has a good mid range game and again, he is probably more athletic than he might appear. You can almost always get a pretty good FA backup PG for cheap, but Kolek would be interesting.

There are guys like Kris Dunn, Jose Alvarado, and Dennis Smith who could probably be had for real cheap and are all + defenders at the PG position too. However, unlike Kolek, they have zero shot at being anything other than depth in their future,

So the PG position is one to watch.
 
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Per Shama:

When Golden Gophers freshman guard Cam Christie, who averaged 11.3 points per game last season, announced this spring he was exploring interest in being drafted by the NBA, Minnesota fans proclaimed this a too soon endeavor. The opinion from this keyboard was the smooth shooting 6-foot-5 Christie could be worthy of a second-round selection in the June 26 and 27 NBA Draft, and it was logical to declare his interest in turning pro.

Now the breaking news: Mock drafts this from FanSided and The Athletic have the NBA champion Celtics taking the 18-year-old on the 30th and last pick of the first round. Yahoo can top that, predicting he will be selected by the Timberwolves with their No. 27 spot in the first round.

“That wouldn’t surprise me,” a former Big Ten coach told Sports Headliners. “He’s a good offensive player.”


Go Gophers!!
 

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