Jarred Vanderbilt
Jarred Vanderbilt may be the most underrated acquisition of the Minnesota Timberwolves’ trade deadline moves as he could have some serious untapped potential at just 20 years old.
Vanderbilt rarely saw the court in Denver’s crowded rotation, but the former Kentucky big man has been able to impress in the G League since being drafted 41st overall in 2018.
One of Vanderbilt’s top traits is his tenacious rebounding, and that skill has been on full display in his first three games for the Iowa Wolves as he’s averaging 12.3 rebounds per contest. The Wolves’ franchise is deeply committed to the small-ball mentality, which means they need their lone big man on the floor to dominate in the rebounding category and Vanderbilt is capable of getting that done.
The former Nugget has shown off some solid scoring chops as well as he’s been able to score 14 points per game while shooting 50 percent from the field. He’s shown to be a decent ball-handler as well drawing a comp to a young Pascal Siakam from Key Sang on Twitter.
Vanderbilt’s versatility on both ends of the floor along with his body type and athleticism are strikingly similar to Siakam even though Vanderbilt came into the league at a much younger age than the Raptors’ All-Star wing.
I would love to see Vanderbilt get some run at the NBA level to see if the skills he has showcased in the G League can translate against better competition and get him some valuable reps in Ryan Saunders’ system.
With his age and potential skillset, getting Vanderbilt in the four-team Robert Covington trade could go down as one of Gersson Rosas’ greatest moves of his Minnesota Timberwolves tenure.