NBA Twitter is the most active fan base on social media. Find out what they had to say about the Minnesota Timberwolves’ draft.
The Minnesota Timberwolves began the day with the seventh pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. They ended up making a huge trade and did not pick at that spot.
They traded Zach LaVine, Kris Dunn and the seventh pick to the Chicago Bulls for Jimmy Butler and the 16th pick.
The Butler addition was the biggest news, which does not come as a surprise, considering he is a three-time All-Star and a three-time All-NBA Defensive second-team member. The Wolves still added a rookie to the piece.
The Wolves selected Arizona power forward Lauri Markkanen for the Bulls, while the Bulls selected Creighton center Justin Patton for the Wolves.
The 7-foot redshirt freshman averaged 12.9 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. Given that Karl-Anthony Towns is the team’s starting center, Patton will not be asked to play much but will provide some nice depth off the bench. The play of the bench is an area the Wolves need to improve on.
Here is his scouting report via ESPN:
Here are some of the experts’ takes on Twitter:
Justin Patton runs the floor incredibly well. He is a tremendous shot blocker. Most of all I like that he PLAYS HARD! Very important skill!
— Jim Petersen (@JimPeteHoops) June 23, 2017
Now I don't like the trade for Jimmy Butler...I LOVE the trade. Huge Justin Patton fan! Great job Thibs & Scott!
— Jim Petersen (@JimPeteHoops) June 23, 2017
Scout to me on Patton: "Very raw. No offers until junior year. Can really do anything out there but has a lot to learn. Reminds of Bosh."
— Jon Krawczynski (@JonKrawczynski) June 23, 2017
The "elastic man" Justin Patton will remind Tibs & Wolves of a young Camby, who he coached in NewYork. Will have time to develop.
— Fran Fraschilla (@franfraschilla) June 23, 2017
Time will tell how Patton does, but given the addition of Butler to go along with Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins, if Patton even turns out to be decent, it will be a big help to this team.
The Wolves have not made it to the playoffs since 2004 and they have a great shot at ending the biggest current drought in the NBA.
During the previous 12 years, they needed some big productions from their rookies to help them improve. Outside of Towns, Wiggins and LaVine, the other first rounders they had were either ok or complete busts.
Patton will not need to be a star. He will just need to be “one of the guys” and that will help the team. Obviously the better he plays, the better it will be for the team, but he will not be asked to come in and all of a sudden try to turn the team around like they did with the likes of Rashad McCants, Randy Foye, Corey Brewer, Jonny Flynn and Wes Johnson.
Next: Grading the Minnesota Timberwolves draft
At the moment those days are gone and Wolves fans are very excited. What they do in free agency will be interesting. So far Tom Thibodeau and Scott Layden are off to a strong start this offseason.