Minnesota Timberwolves: Top 15 draft picks in franchise history

• Three seasons with Timberwolves (1993-95)
• Averaged 18.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists per game

Isaiah Rider, also known as J.R., came to the Timberwolves as the fifth-overall draft pick in 1993, following a 19-win campaign in 1992-93. The team wasn’t much better in 1993-94, winning just 20 games despite a stellar rookie campaign by Rider.

Outside of Allan Houston and Sam Cassell, who were both picked later in the first round, the 1993 draft was relatively thin, and Rider wasn’t terrible value at No. 5.

J.R. averaged 16.6 points per game as a rookie, barely trailing team leader Christian Laettner‘s mark of 16.8. He was consistent, too, playing 75 or more games per season during each of his first three years in the NBA.

Rider was scorer, reaching 20.4 points per game in just his second season and averaging 18.8 points per game overall during his three seasons in a Timberwolves uniform. He shot 35.9 percent from beyond the arc and 82.2 percent from the free throw line as a Wolf.

Similar to LaVine — although not the same, of course — Rider made an impact in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest as a rookie.

Despite a strong first three years in the league, the relatively inefficient shooting guard was shipped to the Portland Trail Blazers for what should have been a solid haul: James Robinson, Bill Curley, and a first-round pick, although the draft pick was used to take Paul Grant, who appeared in all of four games for the Wolves.

Rider’s swift peak, high scoring numbers and durability over three seasons, plus the return that the Wolves received via trade, is enough to put him 11th on the list of the Wolves’ best all-time draft picks.