The Draft
In previous iterations of the General Manager Game, I have not run a lottery simulation and simply held onto the third overall selection. That is not going to be the case this time.
This leaves us with the options of Tyrese Haliburton, Killian Hayes, Obi Toppin, Deni Avdija, and Devin Vassell. Out of these options, Tyrese Haliburton makes the most sense from a teambuilding standpoint.
Haliburton, who averaged 15 points, six rebounds, seven assists, and three steals was a positive on both ends of the court for Iowa State this past season. While he mainly played the point guard spot in college, he could be either an on or off-ball guard. He has a skill set that would allow him to play off of Russell and Beasley very well and would be a great rotational guard in the backcourt.
If Haliburton can improve on creating his own shot in isolation and get to the rim more often, he could become an All-Star caliber player. That said, it is also very unlikely he does not become, at least, a rotational player at the NBA level.
With the 16th overall selection, the Wolves should focus on selecting a player that falls through the lottery. With Haliburton, Russell, and Beasley in the backcourt, perhaps the Timberwolves should focus on depth around other positions in order to ensure they have a well-rounded team.
In mock drafts, the most common players selected with this spot are Aaron Nesmith and Saddiq Bey. However, should Patrick Williams be available, he should be the pick. Williams is a great two-way player that has the athleticism to become a high-level starter/role player.
Williams averaged nine points and four rebounds during his freshman season at Florida State, but also was a playmaker defensively, averaging one steal (2.5 steal percentage) and one block per game (5.6 block percentage) as well. Williams was also an efficient scorer with shooting splits of 50/32/84.
Defensively, Williams should be a plus defender. He 1.3 defensive win shares and a defensive box plus-minus of 3.2. Williams also is a wirey athlete and good perimeter defender at 6-foot-8, 225 pounds.
In the second round, the Timberwolves have one selection with the 33rd overall pick. With that pick, I am selecting Syracuse wing Elijah Hughes. Despite being projected a little later than where he is selected here, Hughes was incredible on both ends of the floor for the Orange this past season.
Hughes averaged 19 points, five rebounds, three assists, one steal, and one block per game this past season. He averaged splits of 51/34/81 on 15 shots per game, and only turned the ball over twice per game. Hughes has an excellent three-point shot with a high release point, and though he may have played in a zone defensive scheme, he did show enough in terms of staying in front of his man along with defensive footwork for me to trust his two-way game.
The Draft Class:
5. Tyrese Haliburton, Guard, Iowa State (~$6.5M annually)
16. Patrick Williams, Forward, Florida State(~$2.75M annually)
33. Elijah Hughes, Wing, Syracuse (~$1.3M annually)
Updated Roster:
PG: Russell
SG: Haliburton, Hughes, Nowell*
SF: Okogie, Culver, Evans
PF: Johnson, Williams, Layman, Vanderbilt*
C: Towns, Reid*, Spellman
*Unguaranteed contract
Collective rookie contract worth: $10.55M
Team payroll: ~$107 million