Where each Minnesota Timberwolves player would land in a re-draft
By Logan Alten
2015 NBA Draft
The 2015 draft was the first year draft after the Kevin Love trade. For the first time in franchise history, Minnesota had won the lottery.
The Timberwolves selected future superstar Karl-Anthony Towns. His good friend and the team’s current starting point guard D’Angelo Russell went right after him to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Towns has averaged 22.7 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game over his four-plus seasons in the league while making a claim to be the best 3-point shooting center in NBA history. Since being in the league, Towns has made two All-Star games, one All-NBA team, and was Rookie of the Year during the 2015-16 season.
Russell initially struggled both on and off the court before he was traded to the Brooklyn Nets. He turned his career around there, making his first and only All-Star Game while a member of the Nets. Just last offseason, Russell signed with the Golden State Warriors before being traded to the Timberwolves during the trade deadline.
Overall, Russell has averaged 17.5 points, 5.3 assists, and 3.7 rebounds per game in his career across his four stops.
Once again, our tiers:
All-Stars
- Karl-Anthony Towns
- D’Angelo Russell
- Kristaps Porzingis
- Devin Booker
Starters
Towns would still likely be the top selection. There is some merit to arguing for Porzingis ahead of him, however, with Porzingis’ injury history, it’s hard to not want the Wolves center over him.
D’Angelo Russell would fall behind the aforementioned Porzingis and Devin Booker. There’s also the potential for teams to want to take Indiana Pacers big man Myles Turner over him.
Turner fits into what every team in the NBA wants from their center: a defensive anchor that can shoot threes, and his niche role may be enough to put him above the better Russell, meaning that Russell could fall three spots to No. 5.
Overall, this draft was fairly top-heavy, with only three starting-caliber players drafted who have not been named to an All-Star team.
Next up: Layman, Beasley, and Hernangomez in the 2016 draft…