Timberwolves draft dance lifts them to 26th for Wendell Moore

While the Minnesota Timberwolves fans were busy cheering or jeering the selection of the best NCAA shot-blocker in their history, Walker Kessler, with the 22nd overall pick of the 2022 NBA Draft, the Minnesota Timberwolves packaged their 29th overall pick and a future second-round pick to trade up with the Dallas Mavericks for their 26th overall pick.

Tim Connelly is not much for standing pat on his picks, it seems.

Who was there at 26 worth the effort?  Well, a player we featured earlier in the week if you can believe that?

None other than Duke wing Wendell Moore, a player originally suspected to be the Minnesota Timberwolves target at 19.  He is one of the prized wing defenders with a sweet perimeter shot, Duke’s Wendell Moore.

So far, the Timberwolves’ selections in this draft have been:

Pick 19 – Traded to the Memphis Grizzlies (plus future 2nd) for picks 22 and 29
Pick 22 – Selected Auburn C Walker Kessler
Pick 26 – Acquired from Dallas Mavericks – Selected Duke SG/SF Wendell Moore
Pick 29 – Traded to the Dallas Mavericks (plus future 2nd)

It’s clear that the Minnesota Timberwolves front office has done their draft homework. But it appears that the Timberwolves have studied the Tim Connelly draft dance. Here’s why this selection is so very exciting.

For a wing, he does just about everything right. The Minnesota Timberwolves have jumpstarted their roster in the direction of pace, space, and pass with their first two selections. Walker Kessler is a huge shot-rejection center who will spend a ton of time in the pain and around the basket. That is exactly where Wendell Moore will not be.

Instead, Moore is a wingman who excels on defense and in the transition game. His long arms are ideal for stealing the basketball, and he has almost a point guard’s ability to know and recognize the floor well enough to dish the ball to the open shooter.

If you didn’t like the first selection that the Timberwolves made, you really ought to love this one. Moore is a three-year player at Duke and has developed rapidly into a true NBA-worthy rookie. We’ll talk more about him in the weeks to come