Minnesota Timberwolves draft Memphis F Josh Minott at 45

The Minnesota Timberwolves were not paralyzed with fear, motivated by madness, or dancing back and forth in the 2022 NBA Draft like an audition like Dancing with the Stars. Oh no, this was a night of underwhelming draft picks, and what could be a lookback of the mastery of the art of NBA roster building by a newly constructed Timberwolves front office.

President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly was as good as advertised, showing a fearless and aggressive style of trading draft picks to weave back and forth in the course of being exactly where he needed to be to land the player atop their draft board. Up to this point, the

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)

So what would the Minnesota Timberwolves do in the draft next? Well, they traded the 40th pick to the Charlotte Hornets for the 45th pick and a 2022 second-round pick.

With the 45th overall pick, the team selected Memphis Tigers forward Josh Minott.

What do we know about him?

Minott is a versatile forward, someone who can play either the three or the four, depending on the Timberwolves lineup. He stands 6-foot-8 and has been measured up to 205-pounds. He will need to add a bit of muscle to his frame to withstand the wear and tear of NBA-style basketball, but he is an intriguing selection here.

While a bit raw, as you might expect from a player chosen mid to late in the second round. At one point, was projected to become a lottery pick with the right trajectory in college basketball. He chose to enter the NBA Draft after just one season, these landing in round two.

He is quite raw but possesses tremendous upside. His first order of business will be working on adding shots to his arsenal. He only averaged just over 14 minutes per game in his one and only season in NCAA basketball, so he will likely not be landing much playing time in his rookie season.

The Timberwolves land a player who has all the confidence and raw tools to grow into a solid NBA player. And by grow, we also mean his height, as some project him to keep growing, perhaps to a nearly 7-foot-0 height.

Minot is not a win-now prospect. But he may be the type of player who can develop into a significant role player, and afford the team some flexibility in building the roster in the future.