Justin Patton found his feet in the G-League
Minnesota Timberwolves unseen rookie Justin Patton has been recalled from a long G-League stint, with that in mind let’s take a closer look at how he has fared in the NBA’s minor league.
There was plenty of hype around Justin Patton when the Minnesota Timberwolves took his rights on board along with Jimmy Butler on draft night, but a broken fifth metatarsal (a bone in the foot) set his rookie development back a hefty chunk.
Patton spent the first few months of the season recovering, before heading to Minnesota’s G-League affiliate Iowa to hone his skills in preparation for his debut in the big leagues. Now, he has been recalled to the Timberwolves roster, but it seems it may just be for training purposes.
Coach and President Of Basketball Operations Tom Thibodeau had this to say to 5 Eyewitness News’ Darren Wolfson in terms of the 7-foot center’s progression toward NBA game time:
"He hasn’t been cleared to play the full amount of minutes, which is what’ll be the final step, so he close … the big thing for us with Justin is the health part of it, because he has missed so much time we think it is better for him to develop playing down there. So I think he has got a lot out of it."
So it seems Patton may see more G-League minutes this season, and with what he has done lately there, the Iowa Wolves brass will be gleaming to have the rookie back.
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The 20-year-old has averaged 12 points and 5 rebounds in his 24 games for Iowa, but since his minute restriction was lifted past the 20-minute threshold, he has been a different beast. The former Creighton product has put up 14.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.4 blocks and a steal per night in the 13-game span, shooting a blistering 55 percent from the field and 50 percent from the 3-point arc.
Projected early as a rim-running, shot-blocking talent in the DeAndre Jordan or Hassan Whiteside mold, Justin Patton has proven his skill set reaches far beyond that. The big man has a silky looking jumper with some nifty handles to boot.
In this game against the Texas Legends, Patton took over with 19 points, 12 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and a blocked shot. He flashed extreme potential with his short fadeaway, mid-range and 3-point jumper, while still throwing down rim-denting jams off the pick-and-roll and impacting the game defensively:
Along with his budding jump-shot, the rookie has clearly worked hard on adding and improving his post-moves, showing that he can be an all-around offensive force with reps and experience.
In his 12-point, 4-rebound, 2-block performance against Grand Rapids, Patton dominated on both ends in the post – hitting the opposition with some mouthwatering drop-steps and spins on offense and acting as the rock of Gibraltar on defense:
The shot-swatting and dunking is fun. The jump-shooting is dripping with potential. However, it’s the ability to act as the offense’s playmaker that is truly the most intriguing thing about Patton.
The 7-foot ball of energy seemingly has his eyes everywhere on the court at once when in possession, and he wants to make every pass that those eyes catch in their peripherals. This may be explained with his past, where Patton was a 6-foot-2 high schooler with guard skills.
He spoke with SLAM Online last May about his Anthony Davis-like growth spurt
"“I was 6-2 as a high school freshman and now I’m 7-feet tall,” says Patton. “I grew seven inches my sophomore year. I had a little growth spurt. I don’t think my game caught up to my body until my redshirt season at Creighton. [Before that year] I was falling down on the court and I would get tired easily. Now my conditioning has caught up with my growth and I feel like I’m a much better ballplayer than I was two years ago.” he said."
You can see it here on this fast break behind-the-back dish that Patton isn’t your average lumbering big man:
It isn’t just showtime passes in transition that the 16th pick excels in, however, he has an uncanny knack to find an open shooter or cutter from both the high post and the low block. This kind of unselfishness has led to three games with 4+ assists since January 17th and a host of 2+ assist games over his G-League campaign.
To go along with his 10 points and 5 rebounds, Patton posted a career-high 7 assists in Iowa’s blowout win over the South Bay Lakers. Flashing his crazy vision by throwing multiple jaw-dropping dimes including a no-look bullet bounce pass to a streaking teammate and a couple of unreal low block missiles:
And just in case you thought the Lakers game was a fluke, J-Pat backed it up the very next game with more of the same. He finished with 10 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists, 2 steals and a block against the Santa Cruz Warriors, highlighted by his defensive prowess, extreme athleticism and ability to sling one hand moneymaking passes out of the low post:
This kid has promise oozing into Minnesota all the way from Iowa, it’s not hard to pick. His game has transformed into one that seems to have little holes in it and when he does put on the muscle and strength to be able to compete every night with the big boys in the NBA, Justin Patton is going to blow fans away with his skill level.
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Although it may seem unlikely we see the big man in the 2017-18 season, it’s extremely encouraging to see how he has grown over his G-League stint.