The Minnesota Timberwolves have officially announced the signing of Leandro Bolmaro, one of the team’s three first-round selections in the 2020 NBA Draft.
The singing was expected, as Bolmaro had been rumored to be joining the team for months and took part in a press conference earlier this week.
And now, for all intents and purposes, the roster is complete. With virtually no cap space remaining and barring a trade, this will mark the final addition to the 2021-22 squad.
Minnesota Timberwolves officially announce signing of Leandro Bolmaro
The Wolves officially announced the signing of Bolmaro on Saturday, just days after he appeared in a press conference introducing the newest members of the organization and re-introducing a pair of re-signed players.
Bolmaro was selected No. 23 in the 2020 draft after the Wolves gave up No. 25 and No. 33 to get into position to select the versatile Argentinian. At the time, it wasn’t clear if Bolmaro would come stateside this season or wait until the 2022-23 campaign, but the Wolves were able to convince him to come over now.
Bolmaro stands 6-foot-6 and has the passing skill-set and court vision of a point guard. He should be a plus defender from day one, as he has the size, tenacity, and awareness to guard the pick-and-roll and wreak havoc within a team concept.
One of the perceived downsides with Bolmaro was his shooting, as he hadn’t shot the deep-ball much in his first season of pro ball and didn’t have a positive track record as a jump-shooter to that as an amateur. It was an area that perhaps contributed to a minor slide on draft night.
But Bolmaro made 41 percent of his 3-point attempts this year across 63 games. If he’s an adequate outside shooter, it will allow for much more space to facilitate and be creative.
Bolmaro’s defense, size, and passing ability will allow him to play a variety of roles. As mentioned by head coach Chris Finch in the introductory press conference, Bolmaro can guard multiple positions, which will likely be his greatest impact when he first gets onto an NBA floor.
It’s possible that Bolmaro could spend the first portion of the season with the Iowa Wolves of the G League as he adjusts to the NBA-style game, but he’ll eventually crack the rotation in the Twin Cities. Recently, we took a look at what his role might be this season, and while he’ll surely have one at some point, it would be surprising if he sees regular minutes at the start of the season.
But come February, March, and April, the idea of defenders like Bolmaro and Patrick Beverley, combined with the offensive talents of Karl-Anthony Towns, D’Angelo Russell, Anthony Edwards, and Malik Beasley is an exciting one.