3 things to know about Timberwolves SL F Kahlil Whitney

Next up on our introductory tour of the Minnesota Timberwolves roster for the NBA Summer League competition a younger forward by the name of Kahlil Whitney. If you didn’t realize it, Whitney is a highly lauded young basketball prospect who starred at the University of Kentucky for one year.

While he was highly regarded as a potential star for the Kentucky Wildcats, he never really delivered during his one-and-done NCAA basketball career. He played 18 games, started in eight games, shot less than 50 percent from the free throw line, shot 25 percent from the perimeter, and averaged just 12.7 minutes per game.

He is certainly the right size for an NBA player. Standing 6-foot-6 and weighing 210-pounds, the young man has plenty of potential

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After a year in Kentucky, he has been relatively quiet. He has played for the Rio Grande Vipers, the Houston Rockets G-League affiliate, but has played just 16 games and averaged just 10 minutes per game.

So far, Whitney has appeared in just one of the Minnesota Timberwolves contests.

• Game      Mins     Pts     3Pts     Rebs     Asts     Stls     +/-
  Game 1      DNP
  Game 2      15        6        0-1        2              0          2       -1
  Game 3      DNP
  Totals         15        6        0-1        2              0          2       -1
  

III – Great wingspan

With so little statistical evidence to go on, some NBA data analytics have had to turn to other types of data to measure, track, and project NBA success. One such measure that has a good correlation along that front is wing span. Long arms not only give great height for shots, blocks, and rebounds, but the added length adds a bonus to reaching in on steals and general NBA defense.

And Kahlil Whitney has been blessed with a 7-foot-0 wingspan. That is ideal.

II – Signed on with the Charlotte Hornets for 20 days

While he did not hear his name called in the 2020 NBA Draft, he did sign on with the Charlotte Hornets for a short period. While that never got him onto the basketball court, he did have the chance to work out with an NBA team. Curiously, that is where it ended. Just 20 days.

I – Played for Golden State Warriors in the 2021 NBA Summer League

Whitney played in the NBA Summer League last year for the Golden State Warriors. He saw action in three games for nearly 36 minutes of play and scored a total of 16 points on six of 18 shooting from the floor. He sank three of five three-pointers, hauled in six rebounds, and had one assist and one steal.

His performance earned him a chance to continue playing basketball with the Rio Grande Vipers.

So far, he has not made much of an impact for the Minnesota Timberwolves, but he will have one more game to do so. Will he break out in Game 4? Stay tuned.