Minnesota Timberwolves: 3 players the Timberwolves should target in the 2019 NBA Draft
Rui Hachimura
According to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders, rumors from the NBA Draft Combine last week stated the Timberwolves had already promised Rui Hachimura that he would be selected with their 11th overall pick.
Heard Rui got a commitment in the lottery (Minnesota was the buzz at the Combine) — usually when you take a commitment you shut down workouts and meetings with teams. https://t.co/uCOe1wtILs
— Steve Kyler (@stevekylerNBA) May 19, 2019
While these rumors should always be taken with a grain of salt, Hachiura would actually make sense with for the Timberwolves.
The Timberwolves lack frontcourt depth, and Hachimura could definitely help fill that void. While he is an extremely raw talent, Hachimura progressed considerably in college and became a versatile scorer for his position. He proved to be reliable shooting off the dribble from the midrange and continued to show improvement on his spot-up shooting.
While his scoring is impressive, its Hachimura’s length and athleticism that is arguably most promising. He can finish in the paint, uses his athleticism to blow by defenders and drive to the rim, and shows all the tools to be a versatile defender.
Hachimura does have his flaws. He often makes poor decisions offensively as the game moves too fast for him, his defense needs significant improvement, and his rebounding isn’t ideal.
But for a player who didn’t start playing basketball until the age of 14, Hachimura has tremendous upside and is a player who could thrive growing into a role next to Karl-Anthony Towns.