Minnesota Timberwolves: A positive light on a non-Jimmy Butler lineup

Jimmy Butler has already missed two game this season due to “rest”. But, behind all the drama, there is a positive outlook on the Minnesota Timberwolves’ non-Butler lineup. Let’s dive in.

Jimmy Butler didn’t play in the Minnesota Timberwolves’ thrilling win over the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night.

Many fans would like to interpret this as the team looking to trade him. After all, it would be nice for all this drama to come to an end, giving the Wolves the opportunity to roll with a new squad.

But, at the end of the dark and never-ending tunnel, there’s light. And that light is rookie first-round pick Josh Okogie being given the opportunity to play in more games.

The Timberwolves drafted him with the 20th pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, and in what is an admittedly small sample size, the pick is looking to be a major steal.

He’s appeared in six games, averaging 9.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.7 steals, 1.3 assists and 0.7 blocks. Okogie posted a career-high 17 points and added three steals in a win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night with Andrew Wiggins out of the lineup due to injury.

Coming into Wednesday night’s game, Okogie has been one of the better rookies in his class.

Having Okogie on the floor has been nothing but good for the Wolves. Among starters, he posts the best defensive rating with 109.7 points per 100 possessions. It’s not a pretty number, of course, but the scoring in the NBA has been a lot higher. Plus, the Timberwolves are not the best defensive team.

He also plays with a lot of energy, giving nonstop hustle (hence, his Twitter handle). Plenty of folks have started to take notice in his hard work as well.

Jace Frederick of the Pioneer Press wrote up a story on Okogie’s early success.

"“When you see him, he’s aggressive, but if anything I think it’s going to help him, because you can’t teach that,” Rose said. “You either have it or you don’t.”"

Even the head coach Tom Thibodeau has liked what he’s seen.

"“I’ve said this to you guys from the start: you just like him. You just like his energy and he makes things happen."

Does that mean that he will get minutes when Andrew Wiggins and Butler are at full strength? That’s still to be determined. If it were any other coach, that answer would likely be yes. But Thibs has shown that he’s not always as willing to play younger players heavy minutes.

Okogie’s offense is still a work in progress, but that was known coming into the season. He’s shooting just 38.3 percent from the field and 20.8 percent from 3-point range. That should increase as he develops and finds his footing in the NBA, but despite not being able shoot efficiently, he has been able to find ways to score.

Instead, Okogie has provided great defense this early in his career.

These are the plays that have become more and more common. He’s only six games into his career and finding success on that end of the floor. Usually younger players need to figure things out, but not him.

For now, let’s enjoy the play of the young rookie. The Timberwolves found a gem at No. 20 and he should continue to develop into a nice role player or potential starter someday.

The Butler drama may be annoying, but at least the Wolves have Josh Okogie to soften the pain.