Minnesota Timberwolves NBA Draft 2020 Prospect Profile: Patrick Williams

The Minnesota Timberwolves have a star big man and a star point guard, but they’re lacking on the wing. Patrick Williams could be the answer.

So many of the prospects likely to be taken early in the 2020 NBA Draft are redundant with current Minnesota Timberwolves stars Karl-Anthony Towns and D’Angelo Russell.

LaMelo Ball has many similarities to Russell and doesn’t shoot well enough to truly play off the ball immediately as a rookie. James Wiseman is a 7-footer that can’t yet stretch the floor and would be a tenuous fit next to Towns.

Anthony Edwards is not a good shooter or defender and has issues playing hard consistently. Obi Toppin is a perfect offensive fit but there are defensive concerns.

But Patrick Williams, who is usually mocked in the back-half of the top 10, might just be a perfect fit for the Wolves if they were to somehow manage to land the Florida State wing.

Patrick Williams NBA Draft 2020 Prospect Profile: Strengths

Williams just turned 19 years old and stands 6-foot-8 with a 6-foot-11 wingspan. He’ll play both the 3 and the 4 at the NBA level, and if Minnesota were to take him, they’d almost surely consider him as a long-term fit as a starter next to Towns.

He’s athletic, which helps him be a dynamic transition scorer and efficient at the rim. Williams is also a fantastic team defender, using his athleticism, size, length, and intelligence to be a disrupter for opposing offenses.

Williams is an extremely smart player on both ends of the floor. He can function as an alternative playmaker on offense with a solid handle and good decision-making. Williams can pull-up and shoot from anywhere on the floor, although there are some adjustments to be made to his shot that we’ll cover shortly.

Realistically, Williams would be a third or even fourth option on the Wolves, and his skill set matches up with that type of a role perfectly. He’s a great cutter and understands timing and spacing. Plus, he should rebound well for his position, even if he plays the 4 in the pros.

Also, it’s impossible to ignore how hard Williams plays and his ability to almost always be in the right place at the right time. Those are two qualities that are impossible to teach.

The all-around skill set suggests that he’d be a perfect fit as a featured rotation player. Put simply, he’s a jack of all trades with plenty of upside due to his size and age.