A Way Too Early Look at the Timberwolves’ 2016 Draft

Apr 3, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach John Calipari speaks during a press conference for the 2015 NCAA Men

Jamal Murray, Guard, Kentucky

Murray’s stock has seen a staggering meteoric rise over the past few months. He dominated Canadian high school basketball but was never really considered a top prospect until the Nike Hoops Summit in April. Then he scored 30 points and led the international team to a 103-101 win over the top prospects from the US, and that changed.

Since then, he’s led the Canadian national team to a silver medal in the Pan Am games. The Canadian team did have Anthony Bennett but was lacking Andrew Wiggins for that tournament, leaving the door open for someone to take on a bigger scoring role. Murray did just that, and in a game against Team USA, Murray led them to a 111-108 win in overtime, scoring all 22 of his points in the fourth quarter and extra session.

He also nearly made the Canadian roster for the FIBA Americas tournament, this one boasting NBA talent such as Andrew Wiggins and Cory Joseph. Ultimately he did not land on the roster, largely because he then would have had to wait until mid-December to enroll at Kentucky due to the timing of the tournament.

Murray is an electric scoring point guard, as evidenced by his explosive play in that victory over team USA. He also showcased good vision and passing instincts, but remains scorer first. With his Canadian ties, he could be a close teammate with Wiggins for years to come. However, based on his last couple months, he may rise to the near top of draft boards by the end of the year, leaving him out of range for the Wolves.

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