Grading the NBA Fantasy League’s Minnesota Timberwolves GM

GM Tedoe’s trio of second-round selections are smart, high-upside bets

With his first selection in the second round, at pick No. 33, Barflaan opted to take a swing on an athletic 4 with long-term 3-and-D potential.

Woodard has an NBA-ready body at 6-foot-7, 230 pounds, but also has the athleticism to go along with it that will help him matchup on the outside against stretch 4s in today’s NBA. Considering he’s a tweener, he’ll need to have a consistent jumper at the next level to find success.

Thankfully, he shot 42.9 percent from downtown on 2.3 attempts per game, which was an improvement on the 27.3 percent mark he registered on 1.3 attempts per night in his freshman campaign.

Offensively, Woodard is an excellent cutter who does not mind taking smaller defenders down to the low block and playing bully ball for easy buckets. Per Synergy, the Bulldog big averaged 1.41 PPP as a cutter, good for 86th percentile among all NCAA D-I players. Down on the block, he averaged 1.05 PPP, which placed him in the 89th percentile.

Robert would provide the most value as a versatile defender who would pair nicely at the 4 with Karl-Anthony Towns or Naz Reid patrolling the paint. He ranked in the 95th percentile or better among college defenders in defending players coming off screens, hand-off actions, roll men in the pick-and-roll, and isolations, although all came with relatively small sample sizes.

The flashes are there, as is the defensive IQ, which gives the Wolves front office an exciting foundation to help build his defensive game on.

Woodard should be a late first-rounder, so this is good value in my eyes at 33.

GRADE: A-

With back-to-back selections at No. 38 and No. 39, Tedoe took a couple of swings on prospects with lower floors than most, but higher ceilings than most, too.

If you want a high-flyer, Cassius Stanley Is your man.

Yours truly was in the building for this one against Boston College, and phew, Stanley’s hang time is something else.

Not convinced? Here’s another wild one-hander to show you it wasn’t a fluke.

https://twitter.com/Ballislife/status/1219821284084867074?s=20

He’s the most athletic player in the draft outside of Alabama point guard Kira Lewis Jr. and even broke Zion Williamson’s Duke program record with a vertical leap of 46.5 inches, besting Zion’s 45-inch vert. Anything above a 40-inch vert is very impressive, so a 46.5-inch leap is downright absurd. If he gets drafted, he would have the highest official vertical leap in the entire NBA (Zach LaVine is currently the leader at 46 inches).

Stanley offers upside as a good-sized off-ball guard who can put the ball on the deck, get to the cup, and finish in a multitude of creative, athletic ways. His creativity around the rim and awareness navigating bigs patrolling the lane are advanced for a freshman in college. He also is quick laterally and is capable of getting in the passing lanes for steals leading to epic throw-downs on the fastbreak.

The former Sierra Canyon standout also shot 36 percent from deep on 4.3 attempts per game. He has good form that should translate well to the next level thanks to a relatively effortless stroke.

Stanley’s Synergy profile is very encouraging as well.

Note: asterisks denote small sample size

Offense:

• Overall: 1.00 PPP – 85th percentile
• Transition: 1.29 PPP – 88th percentile
• Spot up: 0.99 PPP – 72nd percentile
• Isolation: 0.763 PPP – 50th percentile
• *Cut: 1.36 PPP – 83rd percentile
• *Off screen: 1.33 PPP – 94th percentile

Defense:

• Overall: 0.69 PPP as the primary defender – 85th percentile
• Spot up: 0.79 PPP – 67th percentile
• B&R Ball-Handler: 0.47 PPP – 92nd percentile
• *Isolation: 0.70 PPP – 59th percentile

Where Stanley struggles is when he gets stopped on his drives to the rim. The Duke freshman is not an adept playmaker and has to improve his vision at the next level if he wants to keep his turnover numbers down.

But, if someone as quick and powerful off the dribble as Stanley is can develop his passing ability, he will be a very tough cover as he matures and gets adjusted to the speed of the game.

He’ll almost certainly be around at No. 38 in the draft, but could very well be around near the back end of the second round as well.

I personally think that Stanley will be one of the best 20-25 prospects from this draft five years down the line, so I am a huge fan of this pick. It is not great value based on how real NBA GMs are likely to think, but I have no issue with Barf taking a swing here.

GRADE: B+ 

With his final selection, Tedoe opted to bolster defense on the wing with a dependable collegiate veteran.

From the Wolves’ perspective, it is hard to go argue with selecting a fringe first-rounder that also won Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year.

Bey, a three-year starter for Tad Boyle and the Buffaloes, was one of 10 players in Division I to register a defensive box plus-minus of at least 7.0 and a box plus-minus of at least 10.0. Among those 10, he had the third-lowest defensive rating (85.5). In summary, the dude has clamps.

He’s 6-foot-7, 215 pounds and has a 7-foot-1 wingspan, which will allow him to play a rangy, free safety-type role at the next level, similar to what former Washington standout Matisse Thybulle did in Philly this season, and utilize his excellent off-ball defense.

The Sin City native is also more than capable of staying in front of twitchy wings on the perimeter and will almost certainly be able to cause problems on the defensive end right away as a rookie.

His offensive game leaves a lot to be desired, however. Although he shot 42 percent from 3 this season, he took just 31 all season, and is a career 30.5 percent 3-point shooter. What is encouraging, though is that he shot 74.7 percent from the charity stripe during his three years in Boulder. Plus, his form improved as a junior, so one would hope he can continue that upward trend into the NBA.

He is a pretty decent finisher around the rim but is not one I would count on to consistently finish at a high level around NBA bigs. Bey did draw fouls at a very nice rate of .586, meaning that for every one field goal attempt, he averaged .586 free throw attempts. For reference, anything above a .40 is a great place to be. Tyler shot 7.6 free throws a game, which is an awesome clip. He often flashed in the paint in soft spots in the zone or sealed bottom-line defenders in zones, which allowed him to frequently draw fouls.

Bey’s primary fit in Minnesota would be on defense alongside defensive energizer Josh Okogie to make up for the defensive shortcomings of D’Angelo Russell and Juancho Hernangomez. If he can knock down the occasional wide-open 3 at a 35 percent clip in addition to providing great defense.  he could make a bigger impact for Minnesota earlier than most would think.

Bey’s stock is unquestionably lowered by his advanced age (he turned 22 in February) for a junior, but I would be surprised if the long, disruptive wing is around at 33, let alone 39. This is one of the better value picks in the entire draft.

GRADE: A