NBA Draft: The experts on the Minnesota Timberwolves’ draft night

Now that the 2018 NBA Draft is done and in the books, what are the experts saying about the Minnesota Timberwolves’ performance?

Prior to the draft, we broke down a number of scenarios for the Minnesota Timberwolves, who came into the evening holding the No. 20 and No. 48 selections.

It was fair to expect a wild night, but instead, the Timberwolves stood pat and made their two selections without making a trade of any kind.

At No. 20, the Wolves picked Georgia Tech’s Josh Okogie, a tough, 6-foot-7 shooting guard with a 7-foot wingspan and impressive leaping ability. In the second round, the Wolves were fortunate enough to have Ohio State’s Keita Bates-Diop, who was once thought of as a late-lottery to late-first-round pick and someone that Minnesota could have considered at No. 20, fall into their lap all the way down at No. 48.

What are the NBA and draft experts from around the web saying about the performance of head coach and front office boss Tom Thibodeau and general manager Scott Layden after their third draft night at the helm?

Sports Illustrated’s Jeremy Woo (Grade: A-)

Woo gave the Wolves an A-minus, saying the following, in part:

"[Okogie] offers a lot more upside than some of the guys in this part of the draft. Although he will require some polish to reach his full potential, given the Wolves’ need for a defensive-minded player to take some pressure off their stars, he fits that bill nicely…"

Woo also has a great synopsis of Okogie’s strengths and weaknesses, so be sure to check out the link.

USA Today’s Michael Singer (Grade: C+)

It’s unclear why this grade came in at a C+ … perhaps it was a typo? Here’s what Singer says…

"Okogie’s a psychical, versatile defender who’ll take time to develop his offensive game with the T-Wolves. With that said, who better to learn from than Jimmy Butler?"

So … he’s exactly what the Timberwolves needed at the wing? Weird.

The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor (Grade: B+)

The Ringer was giving rapid reactions on Twitter, courtesy of Kevin O’Connor. Here’s another short and sweet synopsis.

CBS Sports’ Reid Forgrave (Grade: B+)

Lastly, we have another B+ grade, this time from CBS Sports. Here’s part of the analysis:

"Okogie was kind of hidden on a mediocre college team, but he wowed at the NBA Draft Combine. He has all the tools to be a standout role player or even more, and he probably is among the best upside picks left…"

So that’s an A-minus, two B-pluses, and an inexplicable C-plus if you’re scoring at home. Not too bad.

Not very many sites score the second round, and understandably so, but if we come across anyone willing to give Thibs his due for getting the Big Ten Player of the Year at No. 48, we’ll let you know.

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

Stay tuned for a cascade of follow-up NBA Draft coverage throughout the weekend and into next week from Dunking With Wolves.