Q1: When can Timberwolves fans expect to see rookie F Leonard Miller and SG Jaylen Clark playing?
While the Minnesota Timberwolves knew that selecting injured rookie shooting guard Jaylen Clark meant a lengthy delay in benefitting from his play, the Timberwolves’ front office believed that he was well worth the risk.
Jaylen Clark returns to The Draft Daq show this week to breakdown everything he’s doing in the pre-draft process while getting ready for the 2023 #NBADraft 🏀
— No Ceilings (@NoCeilingsNBA) April 20, 2023
Full Episode: https://t.co/H2lTHZx7gS
Here — @jayl7en, @CoreyTulaba, and @albertoeghim discuss how Clark’s defense will… pic.twitter.com/cnoQakKxH6
Keep in mind that both F Leonard Miller and G Jaylen Clark were projected as Round 1 prospects who the Minnesota Timberwolves were able to acquire in Round 2 of the 2023 NBA Draft. So let’s take one more review of the pair of Timberwolves rookies who will hopefully contribute to the team during the 2023-24 NBA season.
In the end, Clark is well worth the delay. How so? Well, as a rookie, he was graded as a first-round prospect whose stock dropped in the 2023 NBA Draft due to the fact that he was injured. But once he heals up, his upside shoots through the roof:
Jaylen Clark last szn:
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) June 23, 2023
▪️ 2022-23 Naismith Defensive Player of the Year
▪️ 2022-23 Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year
▪️ 2022-23 All-Pac-12 Second Team
▪️ 13.0 PTS | 1.9 AST | 2.6 STL pic.twitter.com/zAwWebjbjS
Will Clark be back in time for the 2024 NBA Playoffs? That is a huge question.
For Leonard Miller, I expect that he will show up in November 2023, perhaps in a rotational role before the Timberwolves In-Season Tournament play gets underway. Not only will that serve to help Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch know how Miller can best help the team, but it also serves to give the Timberwolves roster that extra bit of rest necessary to help the team prepare for the In-Season Tournament play.
When could Timberwolves fans see Jaylen Clark? The Minnesota Timberwolves have a seven-game home stand beginning on February 23, 2024, at 7:00 pm CT against the Milwaukee Bucks and ending on March 4, 2024, at 7:00 pm CT against the Portland Trail Blazers. That would be an ideal time to debut the rookie defensive savant.