Ranking the Minnesota Timberwolves’ sixth man candidates
By Will Eudy
1. Jaylen Nowell
After being selected 43rd overall by the Timberwolves in 2019, Jaylen Nowell has been coming along slowly but surely. He played in 20 more games last season than in 2021, and we started to see what he can become for Minnesota in the long term.
A quick and nimble scoring guard, Nowell has showed flashes of a quick first step that helps him get by defenders, and his shooting stroke is absolutely lethal. He shot just under 40% from three-point range last season on 2.6 attempts per game. His best outing came on December 27th when he knocked down six threes on his way to a career-high 29 points.
What’s interesting to note is that Nowell has also been a superb mid-range shooter in his career so far. He’s shot at or above 50% from the 10 to 16 foot range in each of his three seasons as a pro. Being able to score efficiently certainly bodes well for his chances to be the team’s sixth man next season.
And his minutes should only be going up from here. With the addition of Patrick Beverley last summer, his playing time took a slight hit in 2022. But this season looks to be his best chance to find an even bigger role in the rotation, and I think that’s exactly what we’ll see him do.