Dunking With Wolves
Fansided

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, Mikal Bridges
PHOENIX, ARIZONA – FEBRUARY 26: Mikal Bridges #25 of the Phoenix Suns controls the ball. Copyright 2020 NBAE. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

Cutters

Mikal Bridges – 6-foot-6, 7-foot-1 wingspan
Forward, Phoenix Suns

  • DPIPM: 1.72 / 91st percentile
  • Spot-Up PPP: 0.85 / 27th
  • Cutter: 1.49 PPP / 87th

Mikal Bridges is a name that’s been thrown around a few Dunking With Wolves discussions. He makes a lot of sense as a long defender who could cause problems on the perimeter. He also moves well offensively and cuts to the basket even more frequently than Josh Okogie.

As a 3-point shooter, Bridges hasn’t been the knockdown threat some hoped he would be, but there’s still plenty of time to improve on what’s already a respectable 35.2 percent from deep.

Isaac Bonga – 6-foot-8, 7-foot-0 wingspan
Forward, Washington Wizards

  • DPIPM: 2.08 / 96th percentile
  • Spot-Up PPP: 1.3 / 61st
  • Cutter: 1.44 / 81st

The sample sizes on his spot-up shooting and cutting are small, but Bonga’s defensive impact makes him interesting for the Wolves regardless.

After playing a year for the Lakers, he was sent to Washington as part of the Anthony Davis trade in 2019. This year, he was one of the few Wizards to post a positive DPIPM, ranking in the 96th percentile league-wide.

He also showed glimpses of offensive potential, hitting 40 percent on 0.9 3-point attempts per game and scoring 1.44 points per possession on 0.4 cuts to the basket. He’ll be a restricted free agent in the summer of 2021, and the Timberwolves should take a long look if he posts another strong season.

Matisse Thybulle – 6-foot-5, 7-foot-0 wingspan
Wing, Philadelphia 76ers

  • DPIPM: 1.23 / 88th percentile
  • Spot-Up PPP: 0.94 PPP / 44th
  • Cutter: 1.46 PPP / 82nd

Thybulle would be a good fit with the Wolves, and it makes sense because he’s as close to a statistical clone of Josh Okogie as you can get. In fact, I included him in this list mainly to point out the similarities.

There would be drawbacks for sure, but a lineup featuring Okogie and Thybulle would be awesome to watch. First, a comparison of their bios and traditional shooting percentages.

  • Height
    • Okogie: 6-foot-5
    • Thybulle: 6-foot-5
  • Wingspan
    • Okogie: 7-foot
    • Thybulle: 7-foot
  • Draft Position
    • Okogie: No. 20 in 2018
    • Thybull: No. 20 in 2019
  • Field Goal Percentage
    • Okogie: 42.7 percent
    • Thybull: 41.0 percent
  • 3-Point Percentage
    • Okogie: 26.6 percent
    • Thybulle: 35.2 percent

Outside of 3-point shooting, it’s eery. Now, let’s look at some Point Per Possession numbers.

  • Pick-and-Roll Ball-Handler
    • Okogie: 0.62 PPP
    • Thybulle: 0.69 PPP
  • Spot-Up
    • Okogie: 0.89 PPP
    • Thybulle: 0.94 PPP
  • Off Screen
    • Okogie: 0.64
    • Thybulle: 0.63
  • Cutter
    • Okogie: 1.43
    • Thybulle: 1.46

Crazy, isn’t it? Lots of great defense and some overall disappointing offense with exciting moments. Again, an Okogie-Thybulle pairing would be much stronger on defense than offense, but there would remain some upside on both ends of the floor.

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