Dunking With Wolves
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Using advanced stats to find 8 perfect role-player fits for the Minnesota Timberwolves

By Tyler Walton

PHILADELPHIA, PA - OCTOBER 30: Matisse Thybulle #22 of the Philadelphia 76ers attempts a lay up against Robert Covington #33 and Treveon Graham #12 of the Minnesota Timberwolves. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - OCTOBER 30: Matisse Thybulle #22 of the Philadelphia 76ers attempts a lay up against Robert Covington #33 and Treveon Graham #12 of the Minnesota Timberwolves. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /
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Minnesota Timberwolves, Royce O'Neale
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MARCH 04: Royce O’Neale #23 of the Utah Jazz attempts a shot. (Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images) /

Spot-Up Shooters

Royce O’Neale – 6-foot-4, 6-foot-10 wingspan
Forward, Utah Jazz

  • DPIPM (Defensive Player Impact Plus-Minus): 1.78 / 92nd percentile
  • Spot-Up Points Per Possession (PPP): 1.16 / 83rd
  • Cutter PPP: 1.33 / 62nd

Royce O’Neale might be hard to pry away from Utah, but he’s exactly the type of player the Wolves should be looking for.

After going undrafted in 2015 out of Baylor, he played in Germany and Spain before landing with the Jazz.

O’Neale is a classic 3-and-D small forward who can play multiple positions and has shot 39 percent from beyond the arc two years in a row. He’s a difference-maker on both ends, despite scoring only 6.3 points per contest.

If O’Neale were to somehow become available, the Wolves should be the first ones on the phone.

Dennis Schröder – 6-foot-1, 6-foot-8 wingspan
Guard, Oklahoma City Thunder

  • DPIPM: 1.04 / 86th percentile
  • Spot-Up PPP: 1.12 / 78th
  • Cutter PPP: 1.54 / 91st

Dennis Schröder was one of only five players to rank in the top 25 percent in DPIPM, spot-up PPP, and cutter PPP (the others were Kawhi Leonard, Duncan Robinson, Tobias Harris and Will Barton — not bad company).

Playing alongside guards Chris Paul and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Schröder had the most efficient season of his career with a slash of .468/.381/.839 (field goal, 3-point, and free throw percentages) and showed that he could play off-ball in addition to his on-ball skills.

He is a free agent in 2021 and the Wolves might have to overpay to get him to come to Minnesota as a secondary option. In terms of statistical fit, though, he is near the top of the list.

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