Minnesota Timberwolves: Young Wolves players set-up for success in 2021-22

What Jaylen Nowell could bring to the 2021-22 Minnesota Timberwolves

With obvious growth from his rookie year to his second season, Jaylen Nowell has showed the Timberwolves organization why he deserves a roster spot.

The 2019 second-round pick went from playing 10 minutes per game in 15 NBA contests last year to 18 minutes over 42 contests this year. Nowell didn’t start the year in the regular rotation but was a mainstay during the middle stages of the season before a leg injury took him off the floor for several games.

In the month of March, Nowell averaged 11.8 points while shooting 46 percent from the field in 24.5 minutes per game. He saw the floor more frequently due to injuries to both Malik Beasley and D’Angelo Russell, and the second-year guard took advantage.

At points in the season, Nowell proved that he can be a key part of the Wolves offense. The only problem is whether or not they will have room for him on the bench.

Our very own Ben Beecken brought up this issue in his player grade of Nowell earlier this month.

"Given his size and defensive deficiencies, it’s hard to see Nowell as a long-term starter. But, on a team with D’Angelo Russell, Anthony Edwards, and Malik Beasley, it’s not clear that the Wolves need him to be much more than a sixth-man-type scorer off the bench."

The likelihood that Nowell becomes a starter in the near future is pretty low but he is still deserving of receiving quality minutes off the bench.

That being said, there is always a possibility his role is diminished next season. There is a good chance that Leandro Bolmaro joins the team next season, and there’s always the chance that the Wolves retain their first-round pick in this year’s draft, too.

It certainly seems as though the Wolves organization values Jaylen Nowell and if Nowell gets enough playing time, he will undoubtedly continue to improve.