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Minnesota Timberwolves: 5 draft prospects to upgrade Wolves’ shooting

By Tyler Metcalf

AMES, IA - DECEMBER 8: Tyrese Haliburton #22 of the Iowa State Cyclones reacts after scoring a three point shot in the second half of play at Hilton Coliseum on December 8, 2019 in Ames, Iowa. The Iowa State Cyclones won 76-66 over the Seton Hall Pirates. (Photo by David K Purdy/Getty Images)
AMES, IA - DECEMBER 8: Tyrese Haliburton #22 of the Iowa State Cyclones reacts after scoring a three point shot in the second half of play at Hilton Coliseum on December 8, 2019 in Ames, Iowa. The Iowa State Cyclones won 76-66 over the Seton Hall Pirates. (Photo by David K Purdy/Getty Images) /
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5 draft prospects to upgrade Minnesota Timberwolves’ shooting: Aaron Nesmith

Minnesota Timberwolves, Aaron Nesmith
Aaron Nesmith #24 of the Vanderbilt Commodores. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) /

Aaron Nesmith

When looking at pure shooters in the 2020 NBA Draft, no one outshines Aaron Nesmith. Unfortunately, injury cut Nesmith’s season short, but that didn’t prevent him from putting up some incredible shooting numbers.

In 14 games, Nesmith averaged 52.2 percent from three on 8.2 attempts per game. I’ll give you a minute to let that sink in, and I promise that is not a typo.

The 3-point barrage he put teams under made him one of the most efficient scorers in the country. He scored 1.24 PPP overall (99th percentile), 1.225 PPP spotting up (95th percentile), 1.463 PPP running off screens (97th percentile), 1.35 PPP after getting a handoff (96th percentile), and 1.25 PPP in isolation (97th percentile).

Sure, that’s a lot of numbers. But long story short, holy crap this guy is a good shooter. This elite efficiency on that high of volume is uncommon.

A lot of young shooters are reliant on shooting straight off the catch. In the below clip, Nesmith shows how advanced he is at creating space against closeouts. As Nesmith receives the ball on the elbow, he easily could have taken a slightly contested three. Instead, he attacks the hard close out with a jab step to his right, and a step-back dribble to his left for an open three.

Nesmith also has keen awareness when he’s running off of screens. Vanderbilt runs a simple floppy screen for Nesmith, but his movement here is critical. As Nesmith runs off the screen, his defender tries to cut under the screen to cut the passing lane or meet Nesmith at the top of the arc. Instead, Nesmith recognizes the space and sags back to the elbow for a wide-open three.

Aaron Nesmith is the best shooter in the 2020 NBA Draft. His mechanics are smooth and consistent, his movement is precise and constant, and he can punish defenders off the catch or dribble.