Minnesota Timberwolves: Pros and Cons of drafting Lauri Markkanen

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Mar 10, 2017; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Arizona Wildcats head coach Sean Miller talks to forward Lauri Markkanen (10) during a game against the UCLA Bruins in the Pac-12 Conference Tournament at T-Mobile Arena. Arizona won the game 86-75. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports /

Lauri Markkanen is a seven-footer who is deadly from the outside. But what else does he bring to the table?

As we get closer and closer to draft day, most experts are predicting Lauri Markkanen to be the man the Minnesota Timberwolves select.

Some fans are disappointed by this but they shouldn’t be. Markkanen brings valuable skills to the table and will be more ready than Jonathan Isaac from day one to be a contributor. Markkanen’s floor is also higher than Isaac’s floor.

Even though the big man is already 20 years old, he only played one year at Arizona. That one year was spectacular as Markkanen was a Wooden Award finalist and led the Wildcats to a 32-5 record.

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Although it ended in a loss in the Sweet 16 to Xavier, Markkanen showed that he is a force to be reckoned with. He averaged 20.2 points per 40 minutes and 9.3 rebounds while shooting at an extremely high rate from all over the field. Most impressively was Markkanen’s 3-point percentage which came in at 42.3 percent. I’ll dive further into his shooting details later on but it’s important to note that Markkanen can flat out shoot.

The Ringer‘s NBA Draft Guide compares Markkanen’s best case scenario to Dirk Nowitzki. This would be amazing for Wolves fans as it gives Minnesota great scoring threats in the frontcourt.

Markkanen has a long way to go before truly living up to that name, however, he has a good base to build off.

He also comes with downfalls, mostly rebounding, defense and toughness, which we will get into later.

For now, let’s focus on a positive.