Many Timberwolves fans were unhappy when Minnesota was knocked back a spot to pick No. 7 in the upcoming draft, so what does that number mean to the Wolves?
The Minnesota Timberwolves have not had a lot of experience at pick No. 7, with only two prior selections at this position.
The first was in 1991, in which we selected Australian Luc Longley. The center completed two seasons with the Timberwolves before being traded to the Chicago Bulls partway through his third year, where he would win three NBA championships alongside Michael Jordan.
In his time in Minnesota, Longley averaged 5.4 points in 17.8 minutes per game, starting 57 of 170 appearances.
The second time the Timberwolves had the seventh pick was in 2007, in which we selected Corey Brewer. In his stints with the Timberwolves, Brewer averaged 9.9 points in 27.4 minutes, starting 244 of his 337 appearances.
The only correlation these two picks showed is that we were picking the best available player at our spot in the draft, which can be expected this year too.
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Neither pick stayed in Minnesota in the long run either. The Timberwolves drafted both in their third and fourth years respectively, and both enjoyed arguably more-successful careers after leaving.
Our post-lottery mock draft here at Dunking With Wolves has the Timberwolves down to select Lauri Markkanen from Arizona with the seventh pick, however, Malik Monk was also in the conversation.
Should Jayson Tatum, Jonathan Isaac, Josh Jackson or De’Aaron Fox still be around when Minnesota’s time comes, they could also be in contention to take the number seven pick.
The last few number seven picks in the NBA draft have been solid contributors for their teams.
Last year it was Jamal Murray, who played all 82 games for Denver this year and averaged 9.9 points. The year before it was Emmanuel Mudiay, who also went to Denver and has averaged 12 points and started 107 of his 123 appearances.
With the amount of young talent already in Minnesota, a player like these two would be coming off the bench, but there’s nothing wrong with that. The Timberwolves are in need of bench strength, after ranking dead last in bench-points last season.
My hope for this draft is that we manage to get a solid contributor to be a part of a developing second unit. With more firepower off the bench, those leads Minnesota became notorious for blowing last season won’t be as easily lost and the Timberwolves could be a serious candidate for a postseason run.
The Timberwolves lost 19 games last season which they had led by 10-or-more points, the most in the league for last year, and ranked second-worst with six losses after leading by 15-or-more.
In comparison, the Warriors blew just two games in which they had a 10-point lead. If the Timberwolves managed the same number, we would’ve gained 17 more wins for a total record of 48-34, good for the 6th seed in the West ahead of Oklahoma and Minnesota’s first playoff appearance in 12 (now 13) seasons.
Some added talent off the bench will strengthen scoring when the Wolves starters need to rest, hopefully maintaining these big leads and pushing the Timberwolves into a playoff position.
There are a number of strong players in this years draft, so many so that with the seventh pick Minnesota is sure to grab one.
However, it is important that the Timberwolves grab the right player that can both contribute right away, as well as in the long run. With contract extensions for the Big Three approaching soon, cap space in Minnesota is going to get tight and new signings are going to become further and far between.
The number 7 pick in this years draft could very well change the fortunes of a franchise, as Minnesota make a pivotal pick that could swing the balance of the Timberwolves’ playoff chances this season.