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Minnesota Timberwolves Draft Profile: Charleston’s Grant Riller

By Dylan Jackson

TOWSON, MD - JANUARY 03: Grant Riller #1 of the Charleston Cougars takes a foul shot during a college basketball game against the Towson Tigers at the SECU Arena on January 3, 2019 in Towson, Maryland. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
TOWSON, MD - JANUARY 03: Grant Riller #1 of the Charleston Cougars takes a foul shot during a college basketball game against the Towson Tigers at the SECU Arena on January 3, 2019 in Towson, Maryland. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /
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The Minnesota Timberwolves need a lot of things. Scoring is not one of those things. Regardless, when it comes to the second round of the NBA Draft, teams just need value.

The Minnesota Timberwolves need talent. Grant Riller is a gifted scorer in every single way. Despite being a somewhat undersized point guard, he should be able to find a role on any NBA team.

Offensively, Riller can score at all three levels. He is an excellent shooter that can create separation with ease. Riller is also great at both driving and finishing at the rim. Despite playing as the primary ball-handler for the entirety of his college career, he has also proven that he can hit spot-up jump shots fairly well. Riller may not be the best pure facilitator, but he is great at recognizing certain situations and his offensive game allowed him to excel in drive-and-kick scenarios. Riller is also a phenomenal ball-handler, and could absolutely be the primary initiator at the next level.

Defensively, Riller needs a little bit more work. At 23 years old, he is unlikely to build his frame up much more from where he stands now (6-foot-2, 190 pounds). He can also lack defensive attention at times. However, even when he is locked in, Riller is just about an average defender. He just does not have much to offer on that end of the floor.

Fit on the Timberwolves

Grant Riller would not be the best fit next to D’Angelo Russell, admittedly. Ideally, you would want a player that can consistently play defense along with providing some facilitation and shooting. Riller can score, yes, but playing two guards as bad as both he and Russell are at defense is going to be incredibly difficult to maintain, especially with Karl-Anthony Towns at center.

That said, Riller would be a solid player to bring in if Jordan McLaughlin is on his way out. Riller can temporarily run an offense efficiently and would be a decent value pick for where he is currently projected to be selected.

Next. Draft Profile: Nate Hinton. dark

The Minnesota Timberwolves own three picks within the top-35 of the 2020 NBA Draft. If they do not select a guard early on, Riller could be a player taken into consideration with Minnesota’s only second-round pick. Despite being older, he can play basketball at a high level. The scoring is there, and it is almost certainly enough to bet on as an NBA team.

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