Don’t expect the Minnesota Timberwolves to draft a surprise at No. 1

Don’t expect the Minnesota Timberwolves to pull a shocker on the night of the 2020 NBA Draft.

Anthony Edwards seems to be the presumed selection for the Minnesota Timberwolves with the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft.

That said, there’s a lot of questions at the top of the draft, and it may not be too wild to predict that the Timberwolves select someone that isn’t expected to go in the top three (Edwards, James Wiseman, LaMelo Ball).

The last time people were truly surprised by the first-overall pick was 2013, when the Cleveland Cavaliers selected Anthony Bennett with the top selection.

During the 2013 NBA Draft broadcast, there were several names floated in terms of who the Cavaliers could be selecting: Jalen Rose made the case for Nerlens Noel, Bill Simmons said that the Cavs should take Victor Oladipo, Jay Bilas said a possibility was Alex Len or Ben McLemore. No one even mentioned Bennett’s name while the Cavaliers were on the clock.

Again, that particular scenario is more than unlikely.

However, if the Minnesota Timberwolves decide to do something out of the ordinary, they would likely take one of the more pro-ready players in the draft. Based on current needs (in addition to the types of players that Gersson Rosas values), the two players that could end up being the picks should there be a surprise would likely be one of Obi Toppin or Devin Vassell.

When it comes to Toppin, the Timberwolves have consistently displayed that they prefer the ability to stretch the floor over defensive prowess when it comes to having a front-court mate next to Karl-Anthony Towns. While Toppin is an exceptional shooter for his size, he is close to nothing on defense – though he looked like a unicorn-type player during the course of his sophomore season at Dayton. Still, he would be an interesting fit on the current Timberwolves roster, and the offense would be incredibly entertaining to watch.

Next, Devin Vassell represents everything good about 3-and-D basketball. He, like Toppin, is a very efficient shooter (42 percent from deep on almost four attempts per game) but also brings high-quality defense to the wing position. Vassell was responsible for 1.7 defensive win shares during his sophomore campaign at Florida State and also carried a defensive box-plus-minus of 4.2.

Taking either of these players would be a shock with the first-overall pick. Both project as mid-high level role players that should be able to contribute immediately.

However, selecting them over players such as Ball and Edwards would undeniably be a mistake given the immense potential both display. Don’t expect a surprise of this magnitude on the night of the draft.