Timberwolves: 5 players to watch in the 2018 NCAA Tournament

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PHILADELPHIA PA- FEBRUARY 01: Khyri Thomas #2. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /

5. Khyri Thomas, PG, Creighton

An interesting note to make before we get too far along: Thomas has played at Creighton for three seasons and played with Minnesota rookie and 2017 first-round pick Justin Patton. There’s undoubtedly some chemistry there.

Minnesota doesn’t necessarily need a guard at the moment, but he would be a nice addition to the team. He’d be great off the bench, playing either the one or two spot. Jamal Crawford‘s days in Minnesota are limited because of his age, which would allow Thomas to come in and play valuable minutes in the next year or two.

We’ve seen great and improved play from Tyus Jones that has given us enough evidence that he should be a starter at some point in his career. Will that happen in Minnesota? That we’re unsure of, with Jeff Teague signing a large contract last offseason.

It would be hard to trade Teague because of that contract, and while I don’t think he would be traded this summer, you never know anymore in the NBA.

Thomas would be a great addition if the Wolves are drafting best-player-available and looking at depth. He’s a ‘3-and-D’-type guard, which is something Minnesota hasn’t seen in a long time. Minnesota needs to improve their bench, 3-point shooting and defense, and he could fix all three of those issues.

This season he’s averaging 15.3 points (54.1 field goal and 41.9 3-point percentages), 4.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.7 steals per game. He would need to improve his facilitating game, but if he never does, you’re still getting a good scorer that can stretch the floor and play great defense – two valuable assets in the NBA.