Minnesota Timberwolves: Winning the lottery can fix the Wolves

The NBA Draft Lottery is right around the corner. Do the hopes of the franchise rest on the fate of the ping-pong balls this time around?

Last week, I wrote a post lamenting the lousy luck Minnesota has experienced in the NBA Draft Lottery.

This week, the ping-pong balls go a-bouncing again, but would landing the top spot fix the Wolves current woes?

That depends: You know…like…what does it really mean to be fixed, man?

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Before we chase the Wolves down that rabbit hole, let’s set some parameters for what fixed may look like for the current club.

The fix is in

Looking at the upcoming season, a fixed Wolves team might have these qualities:

1. Consistent play on defense
2. Shooting, and making, more threes
3. A bench that plays, produces and meshes with the young stars
4. A team that’s playing up to its potential
5. A true home court advantage in front of a raucous Target Center crowd (too much to ask?)

In other words, fans must be able to envision a championship-contending future with the current group of Wolves.

Contending won’t be taking place next year, but it should start by the end of the decade, or when LeBron and the Warriors ride off into the sunset, whichever comes first.

Tom Thibodeau, head coach/president of basketball operations for the Wolves, has been hard at work this past week at the NBA draft combine in search of a player to help make that vision a reality.

“Shooting is the big thing & how well do they complement our primary scorers,” Thibodeau shared with Zgoda in Chicago.

According to the StarTribune’s Jerry Zgoda, shooting, defense, and depth are what Thibodeau and general manager Scott Layden have focused on as they interview potential Wolves’ rookies.

Finding all of those qualities in one player is a tall task, especially for a club that only won 31 games this past season.

You’re number one

Because of this draft’s depth, many experts, along with our own Brian Sampson, predict that the Wolves will find a player to suit their needs even if they fail to move up in the lottery.

Many highly-touted prospects — Jonathan Isaac, Lauri Markkenen, and Malik Monk — will be available for the Timberwolves if they stand pat in their pre-lottery position.

However, if the Wolves land at number one, the names Markelle Fultz, Lonzo Ball, and Josh Jackson will be bandied about from now until the draft.

Realistically, any of the above prospects could make a positive impact on the Wolves’ bench next season.

At first glance, it may not look like choosing at the top of the board would be all that different from selecting sixth, especially when one considers the aforementioned needs of the squad.

Any one of those talented draft entrees, could essentially, start fixing the team.

Lottery history, however, tells a different story.