Hey, the Minnesota Timberwolves are still in the NBA Playoffs. It was the inspirational words from shooting guard Antony Edwards that seemed to rally his teammates to his side. Do you think that it’s just one win? Perhaps. But here are some reasons why even one victory in the 2023 NBA Playoffs can have long-term benefits for the team.
While the Minnesota Timberwolves may not hold a first-round draft pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, there is still enough drama and excitement to order a pizza, grab a cold six-pack or bottle of your favorite vintage, and tune in to see how the Timberwolves plan to reinforce their roster for the 2023-24 NBA season.
Pay ’em and play ’em
And that does not even include lowering the cost of trading for Rudy Gobert and screwing their trade partner, the Utah Jazz, out of a boost to their 2023 NBA Draft Lottery chances. But that does bring up the 2023 NBA draft. So what do Minnesota Timberwolves fans have to look forward to?
The truth is that even with a full complement of draft picks, NBA teams must scavenge for players to add to the roster during the offseason. The NBA has a few elite players who are highly compensated. After that, it’s a battle of pennies as players compete for the few dollars and coins remaining to spend on the roster.
The Minnesota Timberwolves, by trading for Rudy Gobert, took on a significant payroll problem for years to come. With both Gobert and teammate Karl-Anthony Towns on Super Max contracts, the team has a lot of navigation to fit under the annual NBA salary cap. One way to do so is to land inexpensive but talented players in the NBA Draft.
2023 NBA Draft: When do the Timberwolves pick?
The Minnesota Timberwolves currently possess just one second-round pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. Curiously, the Timberwolves do not possess either of their originally allotted draft picks.
The team traded their first-round pick to the Utah Jazz as the first of four installment payments for center Rudy Gobert, a trade that sent four first-round picks and five players to the Jazz. The Timberwolves also traded their second-round draft pick to the Memphis Grizzlies draft night during the 2022 NBA Draft.
Later that same night, the Timberwolves traded away one of the team’s 2022 second-round picks for a 2023 second-round pick from the Charlotte Hornets.
They will make their selection at
Round 2 – 53rd overall pick (NYK, via Hornets)
So how did we get here?
Trades impacting this draft
The Rudy Gobert trade that was held after the 2022 NBA Draft was a pretty significant investment by the Minnesota Timberwolves in a new player:
The picks going to Utah, per sources: unprotected 1sts in 23, 25, 27, a swap in ‘26 and a top 5 protected in ‘29
— Jon Krawczynski (@JonKrawczynski) July 1, 2022
But there were also several 2022 NBA Draft Day Trades. In round one, the Timberwolves traded back from the 19th overall pick and tossed in their 2023 second-round pick to acquire two first-round selections in the 2022 NBA Draft.
and later in the evening, the Timberwolves traded back once more, surrendering one 2022 NBA Draft second-round pick for one five slots later, and picking up a 2023 NBA Draft second-round pick in the process.
Now, who will the Minnesota Timberwolves pick? Perhaps more importantly, what are the Timberwolves’ needs for the 2023 NBA Draft?
2023 NBA Draft: Timberwolves draft needs
I think you have to place a point guard who can learn from veteran PG Mike Conley Jr. at the top of the list. Even with trading away players from the 2022 NBA Draft, the Timberwolves added Wendell Moore Jr as a defender and perimeter shooter, and Josh Minott to develop into a depth power forward. The team even found a keeper in young center Luka Garza as one of the team’s Two-Way contract players.
- Point Guard: The team has a void in terms of point guards for the future. This is a team that seems to have ample youth at virtually all key positions, but there is no clear point guard to pair with shooting guard Anthony Edwards for tomorrow.
- Front court: The Timberwolves need some help in the front court for the 2023-24 NBA season. Right now, the team is slated to lose backup center Naz Reid to free agency, but the bigger problem may be trying to find a backup forward to learn behind Karl-Anthony Towns and Jaden McDaniels.
- Perimeter shooting: Nothing fancy or original here. Every NBA team seeks perimeter shooting. While the Minnesota Timberwolves dramatically improved their long-range artillery accuracy throughout the season, the team needs more to crack the Top-10 in three-point shooting accuracy.
- Bench depth: The Timberwolves had to go deep into their bench throughout the 2022-23 NBA season due to the number and duration of unexpected injuries. While the team’s front office is led by Timberwolves President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly, they are very much in synch with head coach Chris Finch in terms of roster needs for this team. They tried to address bench depth before the 2022-23 NBA season, with mixed results. They’ll do an even better job this time.
The Timberwolves may not have many picks in the 2023 NBA Draft, but that makes the need to nail the one pick that this team does have all the more vital.
Minnesota Timberwolves President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly has my full confidence in his ability to find that gold nugget for the Timberwolves roster, even in the latter half of the second round. He has shown me that he has a fine eye for talent, which makes even the second round of the 2023 NBA Draft hold intrigue and excitement.
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.