Comparing the Timberwolves’ roster to the Vikings

Timberwolves-Vikings Roster Comparisons: The Bench

The Wolves’ bench players all have clear Vikings player comps, too.

Jaylen Nowell is the Timberwolves’ Dalvin Cook

Nowell is like Cook in the sense that if there’s a hole, he will find it, and he will hit it.

For each of Cook’s homerun carries, that’s a big-time clutch shot by Nowell. The shiftiness between these two is one-to-one. Nowell can burst through the lane and reach second gear elevating for the floater, or stop on a dime to hit a step back.

I know I’ve talked about the hype surrounding all the young guys, but it’s all true. The Wolves have so much young talent just waiting to burst. Like Reid is a poor man’s Towns, Nowell is a poor man’s Russell.

Malik Beasley is the Timberwolves’ Greg Joseph

Kickers have the hardest job in the league — at least in the sense that everyone either loves you or hates you.

This seems to be the case with Beasley this year. Such high expectations of him being an absolute sniper from three, but he has been very inconsistent. Kickers miss? “Get this guy off the team, trade him or cut him.” Kickers make it? “Sign this man to an extension, build him a statue.”

Beasley’s been hot and cold, but come playoff time, a player like Beasley should thrive with the crowd input.

Josh Okogie is the Timberwolves’ CJ Ham

Heart and hustle. What Ham does on the field doesn’t show up in the stat sheet. He goes a hundred percent every play and he’s a do-whatever-the-team-needs-me-to-do type of guy.

That’s also Okogie. The Wolves wing can’t shoot, and he’s undersized for the position he should be playing. But by golly, does he try each and every second he is out there. He may not lay people out like Ham does, but he flies around at 50 miles an hour and makes an impact in the small amount that he plays.

If you need Okogie to lock someone up, he will. If you need him to hit a bunch of threes and drive into the paint with a plan, he will at least try to do it. Still, I’d give the edge to Ham on the making-plays-he-shouldn’t-be-able-to-make spectrum.

Taurean Prince is the Timberwolves Patrick Peterson and Anthony Barr

The Veteran presence and the savvy to still get the job done is the comparison here.

With young rosters for both the Vikings and the Timberwolves, veteran leadership is a must to keep the ship sailing straight. Plus, when things start to unravel, players like Peterson, Barr, and Prince know how to bring the group together to get out of a funk.

Prince was buried on the depth chart for a few weeks this season, but when things started to slip for the Wolves he got back in the rotation and has been balling out ever since. The team will need Prince to keep motivating these young Wolves and guide them through the playoffs as it will be the first or second time there for many of these players.