Keita Bates-Diop was the Minnesota Timberwolves second-round pick in this year’s draft. He has only two appearances in the NBA so far this season, but does Bates-Diop stand a chance at cracking the rotation?
Keita Bates-Diop was an exciting pick selection at No. 48 in last June’s draft for the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Personally, I had him listed as an option for the Timberwolves’ first-round selection, and even coach Tom Thibodeau was surprised, saying “We were very surprised he was still there.”
And that’s what makes it even more perplexing that Thibodeau has chosen not to insert Bates-Diop as a member of the Wolves’ rotation early in the season.
Bates-Diop played insignificant minutes in two appearances for the Wolves, which were both games that the team lost by at least 30 points. The forward has averaged just 2 points and 1.5 rebounds in nine minutes per appearance, shooting 1-for-4 from the floor.
Bates-Diop was sent down to the G League Iowa Wolves to play in Saturday night’s loss to Santa Cruz but was recalled immediately on Sunday after posting 20 points and 10 rebounds in 39 minutes.
#Twolves recall Keita Bates-Diop from G League affiliate Iowa Wolves. Bates-Diop scored 20 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in last night's Wolves' loss to Santa Cruz. pic.twitter.com/UfvOHO17RR
— Timberwolves PR (@Twolves_PR) November 11, 2018
A quick look at the Wolves’ roster shows it packed full with 17 players and again lays focus on Thibs’ tight rotations.
Outside of the new additions, Bates-Diop stands alongside Luol Deng and undrafted rookie and two-way contract signee Jared Terrell as the players with the least minutes played.
Although I’m sure Thibodeau chose to recall Bates-Diop for a reason, whether it was just to backup the main rotation in Butler’s absence immediately after the trade, to simply get practice time with the squad, or if he has intentions to insert the rookie into the main squad remains to be seen.
Whether Bates-Diop’s jersey switch means anything outside of satisfying the incoming Covington is unknown as well. More than likely, it just means that Covington threw some cash (or dinner) Bates-Diop’s way.
Robert Covington will now wear No. 33 (instead of No. 6). Keita Bates-Diop has switched to No. 31.
— Timberwolves PR (@Twolves_PR) November 13, 2018
It would seem to be likely that we’ll see Bates-Diop for a least a few more stretches this season, and especially if the Wolves continue to struggle.
Later in the season, Bates-Diop may see Marcus Georges-Hunt type minutes from last season. Georges-Hunt averaged 5.3 minutes per game, however appeared in 42 games throughout last season. Seven of these appearances lasted over 10 minutes, so it’ll be interesting to see how comparable Bates-Diop’s minutes look after the season ends.
One thing is for certain: Thibodeau chose to draft Bates-Diop for a reason. Whether we’ll see that reason on the court this season is up to him, but clearly the Wolves’ have faith in Bates-Diop’s talent and potential.