NBA Draft: Timberwolves add toughness, select Josh Okogie at No. 20

The Minnesota Timberwolves stood pat at pick No. 20 of the NBA Draft, adding a degree of toughness by selecting Georgia Tech shooting guard Josh Okogie.

There were plenty of scenarios for the Minnesota Timberwolves at No. 20 of the 2018 NBA Draft, and they chose the path of least resistence: staying put and selecting whom they deemed to be the best player on teh board.

Josh Okogie, a shooting guard from Georgia Tech, is not a name that has been talked about much surrounding the Timberwolves, and the majority of mock drafts had him going later in the first round.

As the draft got to the mid-teens, the likes of Zhaire Smith, Donte DiVincenzo, Lonnie Walker, and Kevin Huerter were all still on the board, and it seemed like at least one of the four would remain at No. 20. But they went in succession from Nos. 16 to 19, and while it seemed like the Wolves could have safely traded down and picked up an asset, they stayed in their slot and picked up Okogie.

Okogie, who played two years at Georgia Tech, is a 6-foot-5 shooting guard with a massive 7-foot wingspan. He should be able to step in and be a solid defender immediately, with the perfect combination of size, length, and toughness to compete in Tom Thibodeau’s defensive scheme from Day One.

Offensively, the narrative is that Okogie is raw, and while there were clearly some ball-handling and shot selection issues at the college level, it’s worth noting that there wasn’t a whole lot of talent around Okogie with the Yellow Jackets. He shot 38.4 percent on 3-point attempts as a freshman and 38 percent last year, so there’s certainly consistency there.

He’s also a 77.7 percent career free throw shooter with a free throw rate of .539 over his two-year college career, showing his natural shooting touch and an ability to get to the rim.

Okogie’s career 10 percent rebounding rate as a shooting guard in the ACC is significant, nearly doubling the likes of Grayson Allen and Lonnie Walker in that category and proving his toughness and willingness to battle in the paint.

This seems to be a prototypical Thibodeau selection, and there are some clear similarities between Jimmy Butler‘s three years at Marquette and Okogie’s two at Georgia Tech. More to come on that, but let’s just say that Okogie fits the mold.

Next: Will Jimmy Butler consider joining the Nets next summer?

Stay tuned to find out what happens with the Timberwolves next pick at No. 48.