Minnesota Timberwolves: Five players to target if Wolves trade back

3. Keldon Johnson

2018-19 stats
13.5 PPG on 46.1/38.1/70.3 shooting, 5.9 REB, 1.6 AST, 0.8 STL per game

In a few years, Kentucky guard Keldon Johnson will be a player many teams look back at and wonder, “How did we not have him higher on our board?”

He’s got a great build, standing at  6-foot-6 with a 211-pound frame and skills you simply cannot teach. Johnson plays his tail off and hustles all over the place on the defensive end. While he only averaged 0.8 steals and 0.2 blocks per contest, he affects the game through making smart defensive plays, including taking charges, going through and over screens, and with aggressive,in-your-face man-to-man defense.

Keldon has the fearless, heckling defensive attitude necessary to survive and thrive at a young age in the NBA. He One other guy that possesses the same attributes, Josh Okogie, created one of the best moments of the Timberwolves’ 2018-19 season on this defensive possession against James Harden. 

At the college level, the Kentucky product was an bully on D. No offensive players wanted to go through Johnson on the drive because of his strong frame and physical nature on the defensive end, which is a big upside. He also channels this aggression and physicality on the glass, averaging nearly six rebounds per game.

On the offensive end of the floor at Kentucky, Keldon was a solid shooter from beyond the arc at 38.1 percent, and used his long strides to smartly attack close outs and get to the rim at will. His athleticism and length was also on display in transition, where he consistently covered crazy amounts of space in transition and finished through contact at the rim.

At only 19 years of age, the sky is the limit for Keldon Johnson. I would absolutely trade down and take a swing on a guy with the attitude, motor, and foundational skillset he showed in his one season playing for John Calipari.

While he does not have the same hype as Kentucky teammates P.J. Washington and Tyler Herro, Johnson’s tape will make you daydream about seeing him excite crowds at Target Center next season.

And he’s only number five on this list.