Minnesota Timberwolves: 4 players who benefit from Malik Beasley’s absence

Timberwolves players who benefit from Malik Beasley’s absence: Jarrett Culver

How crazy is it that Jarrett Culver still hasn’t played in a full season’s worth of games?

It was less than two years ago that the Wolves traded up to No. 6 in the 2019 NBA Draft to take Texas Tech’s Culver. Early-season shooting issues were compounded by confidence issues, and outside of some positive signs on defense, Culver’s rookie season was mostly disappointing.

This year started with optimism after a strong showing in the Wolves’ three-game preseason schedule. Then, Culver put up 10 points and 10 rebounds in the season-opening win over Detroit and had 14 points and six rebounds while making all three of his 3-point attempts in the road win over Utah that bumped the Wolves’ record to 2-0.

Then, things went off the rail for the entire organization. First, Towns’ injury, followed immediately by a long losing streak. Then, COVID-19 health and safety protocols caused Ricky Rubio to miss time while Karl-Anthony Towns and Juancho Hernangomez each tested positive for the virus and were each out for more than three weeks. Most recently, the head coach was fired.

In the middle of all of it, Culver’s shooting woes returned. Then, he sprained his ankle on Jan. 25 at Golden State and has now missed an entire month.

Still, Culver’s early-season play showed some modest growth over his rookie season. His rebound rate was up, as was his free throw rate. His free throw shooting is improved, too, sitting north of 60 percent after clocking in at a miserable 46.2 as a rookie.

Culver still has the theoretical skill-set for a two-way player. He has the length and athleticism to be a terror on both ends of the floor, including the handle and passing ability to be effective as a creator on offense, and displays obvious defensive ability. Unfortunately, he hasn’t come close to putting it all together yet for the Wolves.

But remember, we’re talking about 79 games spanning two seasons, including an irregular offseason, no Summer League, no Orlando bubble, and an irregular training camp. Throw in a coaching change and perpetual roster turnover, and it’s easy to surmise that the 22-year-old still has plenty of room for improvement.

Under a new coach who values cutting on offense and is searching for someone, anyone, to be an effective perimeter defender, Culver should get a chance to reintroduce himself to the rotation in the coming weeks.