Wolves select Leonard Miller in 2023 NBA Draft: Instant reaction and analysis

As the Minnesota Timberwolves prepared to make their selection in the 2023 NBA Draft, there were no delusions of grandeur among the Timberwolves’ front office. The heavy lifting for the Timberwolves roster happened a year ago and was fine-tuned at the NBA Trade Deadline.  From the moment that the Timberwolves traded for veteran center Rudy Gobert, the team committed to current success at the cost of future potential.

But it’s not an “All-In,” play by the Timberwolves’ front office, not while the team has young star shooting guard Anthony Edwards, and small forward Jaden McDaniels to build around as well. Still, the Timberwolves are not without a few tricks up the sleeve, as the team traded to land the 33rd overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft to land a solid rookie forward.

He is a 6-foot-10 213-pound forward named Leonard Miller, a prospect who was projected as a Top-20 prospect on some draft boards, including Tankathon.com.  ESPN had him ranked as the 23rd overall prospect.  Can you say steal of the draft?

If you were fretting about the Minnesota Timberwolves trading away their first-round pick this year to the Utah Jazz, then you have to be pleased with the Timberwolves essentially recouping the equivalent of a first-round pick.

I love this pick, not just for what Leonard Miller brings to the Minnesota Timberwolves, but also for the aggressive way this team acted to get him.

Leonard Miller enters the NBA via the G-League on Ignite. He is a big body who can score in the paint, has good positioning to generate rebounds, and has the ability to score points. He is not a polished prospect, as he will need to work on a perimeter shot as well as put in a lot of work to upgrade his defense.

But he is a young physical presence who has plenty of production in the paint, and the Timberwolves have needed a bit more paint work at times this past season. We’ll cover this selection again in the future.  What are your thoughts?