Minnesota Timberwolves Draft Profile: De’Andre Hunter
By Tomos Berry
De’Andre Hunter is an incredible talent in the NBA Draft. Although he is sliding down big boards, what can he offer the Minnesota Timberwolves?
De’Andre Hunter is a high-caliber prospect out of the University of Virginia. After a breakout season and certifying himself as a huge prospect in this year’s NBA Draft, he still might fall into the hands of the Minnesota Timberwolves.
With how uncertain this draft class is, anybody outside of the top three picks will rise and fall up until draft day itself. De’Andre Hunter is one of the stars who could end up plummeting outside of the top ten and fall to the Minnesota Timberwolves at No. 11.
In the new Bleacher Report Top 50 Prospects, Jonathan Wasserman has Hunter as the twelfth best prospect. The Timberwolves should jump at the chance to acquire this excellent prospect who could easily slot into the starting five.
If this were to somehow happen, what would the Timberwolves be getting?
De’Andre Hunter is an incredibly physical presence, standing at 6-foot-8 with a 7-2 wingspan. Not only does he have an NBA-ready frame, but his actual basketball ability is of a high quality too.
Arguably one of the best defenders coming out of college, alongside other former teammate Brandon Clarke, Hunter excels when tasked with switching on the defensive end.
He is able to defend well against the dribble and is not afraid to take on ball handlers or bang in the paint against the big men.
This alone sounds like a perfect match for the Timberwolves, with new assistant coach David Vanterpool in charge of the defensive side of the team. Vanterpool would thrive in having specialist defenders to throw at teams such as Hunter, Robert Covington and Josh Okogie.
On top of this, Hunter has proven he can score in bunches, but more importantly score efficiently. With a True Shooting Percentage of 61 percent, Hunter is definitely an elite shooter among this draft class.
A versatile scorer, he averaged 15.2 points per game during his 32.5 minutes on the court, which is an impressive return for a player who’s potential is through the roof. Due to his size, he was able to bring a toughness and physical dominance onto the court, averaging 5.1 rebounds per game.
Just like any college prospect, there are also some concerns about Hunter. Although his talent is undoubted, he is the second oldest player expected to go within the top 20 of the draft, behind Brandon Clarke. He also lacked in his average assists (2.0) , blocks (0.6) and steals (0.6) per game in college.
Hunter wasn’t a large threat in terms of 3-point shooting, with only 67 made threes during his time at college. Although he wasn’t a volume 3-point shooter in college, he was able to knock down 43.8 percent of his deep balls, showing he can space the floor when needed.
The areas of concern are not to be ignored, but the positives that come with managing to acquire Hunter far outweigh them. With the coaching staff available in Minnesota and the other talent he will be linking up with, the sky is the limit for Hunter who could thrive and become a possible NBA All-Star down the road.
Feeding off the interior plays and becoming a prolific scorer inside, Hunter would prove to be a perfect fit next to Karl-Anthony Towns and could even provide more outlets for Andrew Wiggins to enable him to become a new playmaker in the NBA.
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The opportunities and positives are endless, but De’Andre Hunter is for sure one to watch if he manages to fall into the hands of the patiently waiting Timberwolves.