Minnesota Timberwolves NBA Draft Profile: Jay Scrubb

The Minnesota Timberwolves need talent. Whether it be coming off the bench or another factor in the starting lineup, all the team needs is talent.

Jay Scrubb is a hyper-athletic wing player that brings a variety of skills to the table. He is an excellent transition attacker, especially with the ball in his hands. He can score at all three levels and has a very nice handle. The Minnesota Timberwolves should take a look at him with their second-round pick.

While Scrubb did not play against high-level competition (even in the slightest), he did flash a wide array of moves offensively with lots of defensive upside. Though being somewhat of an inconsistent shooter, he does have the ability to knock down open shots. On a pure talent basis, Scrubb seems as though he is skilled enough to be in the NBA. That said, making the jump from junior college will be nothing short of difficult for him.

As mentioned, Scrubb is an elite athlete. He can beat almost anyone off the dribble as well as be a high-level positional defender, although he may not be a good switcher quite yet. Despite not garnering much attention early on in the college basketball season, Scrubb may be worth a bet in the second-round, should the Timberwolves keep the pick.

Fit on the Timberwolves

The Minnesota Timberwolves should be on the search for role players, especially later on in the draft. Scrubb very well could be one (along with having a higher ceiling than most second-round prospects, as well). Despite being overall very inconsistent, Scrubb shows a lot of flashes for a lot of traits you like to see in guards. His ability to both shoot and beat defenders from the perimeter makes him an intriguing offensive fit with some of the guards on the Timberwolves roster.

While he isn’t quite the best fit next to either D’Angelo Russell or Malik Beasley, Scrubb could be a flier on talent that we often see teams take in the late-first/early-second round. Last year alone, the first four picks of the second round were players that each had high ceilings. Those players, Nicolas Claxton, KZ Okpala, Carsen Edwards, and Bruno Fernando, all showed moderate promise this past season. While none were excellent, each looks as though they could be role players during the peak of their careers.

The Timberwolves own the 33rd overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft and given the amount of youth the team already has, it would not be surprising for them to take a swing as big as Scrubb.