Minnesota Timberwolves draft profile: Desmond Bane

The Minnesota Timberwolves need to hit on their second-round pick as well as acquire some talent in the undrafted free agent market after the draft. Desmond Bane is a shooter that is worth a shot.

There are only a few skills that translate seamlessly to the NBA. The first is passing ability and floor vision. Even if you are not an elite athlete, being a high-level passer will make you playable in a lot of cases. Of course, you have to have other skills, but being a passer helps a lot of point guards stick. The next is defense. Most rookies find themselves on the bench more often than not simply due to a lack of defense. It is players like Matisse Thybulle and Brandon Clarke that show defense typically translates to the NBA with ease.

The last of the three main skills that almost always translate from the college level is elite shooting. More often than not, high-level shooters continue their success at the NBA level. Having consistent touch from long-range translates very well.

Desmond Bane is one of those elite-level shooters. He shot 44.2% from three this past season (6.5 attempts per game). Bane has great size for the two-guard position and can find a role spacing the floor for almost any NBA team. He brings consistency from beyond the three-point line, decent playmaking, and enough defensively to where he will not be a minus on either side of the floor.

Bane is not perfect, though. He is not a good ball-handler and that likely will be the case in the NBA, as well. He needs to improve with decision making, too. He can come across as too passive, which is something he needs to fix as a shooter. Bane is not an elite athlete and may have trouble guarding some point guards.

Fit with the Timberwolves

In the second round and in the UDFA market, the Timberwolves need to focus on targeting players that can stick in the NBA. A lot of the draft is taking the best player available, and there’s a good chance he will be one of the best players on the market immediately following the draft. If you want a shooter that can play consistent minutes, he is not a bad option.

Bane helps space the floor for a team that has its slasher and center (D’Angelo Russell and Karl-Anthony Towns). He provides a skill that the Timberwolves desperately need, in being a two-way player on the wing (unlike Josh Okogie and Jarrett Culver). Should he be a hit in the NBA, he could play consistent minutes right away.

Desmond Bane is never going to be a top-100 NBA player, but his consistency as a shooter and upside as a defender make him someone that has a very high chance of succeeding at the next level, wherever that may be.