A conversation about the Minnesota Timberwolves’ trade deadline
JB (cont.): I think the starting five has to be Russell, Beasley, Culver, Hernangomez, and Towns.
Given that Beasley and Hernangomez are both RFAs this summer, I think they need to play as much as possible in order to give Rosas and Gupta the best evaluation of their games as possible. That being said, I think the offense is going to be extremely spaced out. Hernangomez and Johnson can both stretch the floor and knock down open threes from the wing and the corner, which is huge.
That shooting lineup you laid out could be a ton of fun. If two or three of those guys get hot, the Wolves could find themselves scoring a ton of points in a hurry.
Like you, I’m intrigued to see how what Ryan and Vanterpool want to do defensively when KAT and D’Angelo are on the floor. Like you said, the starting five will be fluid. My guess is that James Johnson will see a good number of minutes alongside KAT. He’s a junkyard dog that isn’t afraid to be physical and do the dirty work inside. That will keep him in the rotation no matter what.
I think having a Taj Gibson-like guy next to KAT will be very helpful for him. If you’re aiming for defense, Johnson is the play over Hernangomez at the 4. At the 3, I like Culver in there for some size and length. I see him doing some ball-handling even while D-Lo is on the floor (so D-Lo can be utilized off-ball coming off flares, pin-downs and curls), so maybe having him at the 3 can draw a bigger defender and present JC with the opportunity to get some blow-bys.
At the 2, you play Beasley there. Three offensive-minded players that can score from anywhere and shoot the hell out of the ball will be a big boost for this team and is something you sacrifice another defender for. Okogie is best in a bench role because of his energy. He can get the second unit going on the defensive end and I like his prospects playing alongside Turner, Johnson (or Hernangomez), and potentially Layman when he is back. I think Jake will work best off the bench because that unit will need another guy who can get you 10-15 points on any given night.
As for this summer, I would be pretty surprised if the Wolves picked and kept two players in the first round. Expect Rosas and Sachin Gupta to shop Culver to find someone who better fits this system. Culver and Towns do not mesh all that well together and Culver’s shot has not shown any signs of improvement.
Trading Culver and the Brooklyn pick could net an impact power forward or a legit starting small forward. I see Rosas holding onto the Wolves’ own first-rounder in 2020, as there is a good chance that puppy is a top-five pick. Even if the Wolves fall into the No. 6 to 10 range, I think there are still guys that can make an immediate impact.
I love Killian Hayes, obviously, but I’m not sure that he’s still there past No. 6. Deni Avdija, a 6-foot-8 forward from Macabi Tel-Aviv would be an awesome stretch-4 next to KAT. He can really shoot it and would fit this system well.
Tyrese Haliburton from Iowa State would be a great guy to have run the second unit next season as well. He’s a big playmaker with really long arms who can get in the passing lane, facilitate from all over the floor via drive and kick, and effectively run a half-court offense. Jaden McDaniels could be around as well. He’s an incredibly athletic, 6-foot-10 forward with a massive wingspan who flies all over the court on defense and can knock down the 3. He plays in a trapping zone defense for Mike Hopkins at Washington, which has helped him develop some nice off-ball skills defensively.
What type of player would you most like to see Minnesota draft in the top 10?
BH: Now that the trade has happened for Russell, the biggest need in my eyes in a PF that can play next to Towns…