Minnesota Timberwolves Player Review: Josh Okogie

Minnesota Timberwolves rookie Josh Okogie had a solid rookie year. Here’s a look back at what he was able to do in his first season in the league.

Outside of a couple notable exceptions, the Minnesota Timberwolves don’t exactly have the best track record when it comes to drafting.

Picks like Wesley Johnson, Jonny Flynn, Derrick Williams and Kris Dunn are just a few names taken in the top few picks of the draft that haven’t worked out as planned.

Of course, the Wolves had success when selecting someone like Karl-Anthony Towns over Jahlil Okafor, who was reportedly the Wolves primary target at one time.

As it turns out, the 2018 NBA Draft sure might have been a home run for the team who selected at No. 20 and No. 48.

That late in the draft, it’s hard to find a player or two that will be as productive as Josh Okogie and Keita Bates-Diop were as rookies. The team was rumored to be taking a hard look at Bates-Diop in the first round, but ultimately passed on him for Okogie. Of course, they were ecstatic to find the Ohio State product in their laps in the second round.

Okogie played two seasons at Georgia Tech and showcased offense, defense and athleticism. Coming into the league, everyone was a little wary of how he would perform on the offensive end, despite his ability to average about 18 points per game and shooting around 38 percent from 3 in college.

The one knock on his pro game so far is his ability to shoot the ball. Okogie can pick up points through his athleticism, however, which was on full display all season long.

Overall in his rookie season, Okogie averaged 7.7 points, 2.9 rebounds, 1.2 assists and steals. He shot the ball at just a 38.6 percent clip from the field and 27.9 from 3-point range. He will need to work on his shooting to be a more consistent contributor in the league, but his athleticism and defense will largely make up for that right now.

His defense, however, was outstanding in his first year. It looked as if he’d been in the league for a long time and already knew opposing player tendancies instincts at a blink of an eye. One of the best scorers in this league and arguably the best iso player in the NBA, James Harden, was to be denied on this play by Mr. NonStop.

https://twitter.com/NBAonTNT/status/1095891956167782401

These are the plays that made him a fan favorite. Okogie may not of had the best season on the offensive end, but he looks like he will have a spot in this league for a long time. His energy was electric and that rubs off on his teammates.

With more experience under his belt and an offseason to work on his jumper, Okogie will look to make an even larger impact on the season as he did in his first year.