Timberwolves Draft picks 2023 full list

Timberwolves mock draft 2023

The problem with shopping with just one pick is not finding someone who can help the team. Rather, it’s finding the one rookie prospect who can help the Timberwolves the most in the 2023-24 NBA season. After all, the major contributors are on the roster and are under contract for years to come.

So the trick is to find those young rookies whose future has enough potential to grow into the niche roles that exist on the roster today, but not to land a player who will wilt due to an inability to fully develop their skillsets on a mature veteran team.

Here are our latest mock draft projections for the Minnesota Timberwolves via the 2023 NBA Draft:

Option I: PF DaRon Homes – Dayton

The Minnesota Timberwolves would love to bolster their frontcourt physicality, and Dayton power forward DaRon Homes is a solid candidate to do exactly that. While he is still working on nailing a perimeter shot, he is 6-foot-10, weighs 225 pounds, and is active in the body banging that you want to see from a big in the NBA.

He has a solid presence in the paint. If no shot is there, he will kick it out to an open teammate. Homes’ best attribute is his defense, a rock-and-roll shot blocker who will learn enough to rival Rudy Gobert pretty quickly. Not only is he a solid rim-protector, but he is adept at sliding out to the perimeter and defending from the arc as well.

The truth is that he is an ideal prospect for the Timberwolves at 53. But he is not the only one.

Option II: SF Julian Phillips – Tennessee

The Timberwolves need some oomph at the perimeter, and a true 3-and-D prospect like Tennessee’s Julian Phillips could be the ideal selection for the team at 53. At 6-foot-8 and 200 pounds, he has the size to mix it up with bigger bodies near the hoop. But he is also swift and lanky enough to disrupt passing lanes, contest shots from anywhere on the basketball court, and help slow down opponents who like to score points on fast breaks.

I like what he shows in his shot selection too. He has a shrewdness about him, a style of not wasting opportunities with the basketball in his hands. But what about a young point guard?

Option III: PG Reece Beekman – Virginia

From the get-go, I like the fit of Beekman on the Timberwolves roster. He is not a flashy spotlight type of player. Just like the Minnesota Timberwolves, this young man just shows up, rolls up his sleeves, puts his nose to the grindstone, and gets to work. At 6-foot-3 and 190 pounds, he is a solid size for an NBA point guard. And he does the little things that I love to see, like distributing the ball to open teammates while not turning the basketball over.

He brings that Mike Conley Jr standard of defense to the position and a surprisingly sweet perimeter shot. It’s easy to see Reece Beekman pairing up with Anthony Edwards to become a formidable backcourt in the future.

Timberwolves Draft Picks 2023 full list

Even as the Minnesota Timberwolves continue to pursue success in the 2023 NBA Playoffs, I admittedly feel much better simply by diverting my attention away from the team’s current performance and giving a side look at the 2023 NBA Draft. While the Timberwolves draft picks for the draft only number one in the second round, it did not take days of digging to find three prospects who truly are exciting.

The promise of the future. Isn’t that what all professional sports draft days deliver? Thankfully, with Tim Connelly at the helm, the Timberwolves have a good chance of seeing that promise come to fruition.