Compare 3 ’22 Timberwolves acquisitions to ’23?
By Bret Stuter
Taurean Prince or Troy Brown Jr.?
The Minnesota Timberwolves certainly need to have a strong perimeter shooter at the power forward position. With the loss of power forward Taurean Prince to the Los Angeles Lakers, the Timberwolves needed to replace Prince’s perimeter shooting. Now the question is, is the Timberwolves roster in a better or worse position this year?
Well, the truth is that I do not believe that the Minnesota Timberwolves were necessarily interested in moving on from Prince at all. But, his injury history in the 2022-23 NBA season, combined with the Timberwolves’ tight finances, forced the team to maneuver in order to attempt a more team-friendly deal going forward.
While the Timberwolves certainly sought to bring back Prince, the reality is that his absence in 28 of the Timberwolves’ 82 games over the 2022-23 NBA season was not an insignificant matter. His absences coincided with those of Karl-Anthony Towns, giving the Timberwolves roster a double whammy at the power forward position.
Try out Troy Brown Jr.
The Timberwolves pivoted from the 6-foot-6 218-pound Prince to the 6-foot-6 215-pound Troy Brown Jr. relatively quickly and got five years younger at the position in the process. While Brown is not as proficient at scoring as Prince, he does not take as many shots on the basket either. While Prince averages 8.7 field goals attempted per game, Brown’s average is just 5.8 field goals per game.
Brown was just as effective as Prince from the perimeter, with both players hitting at a clip of 38.1 percent from long range. But Brown is a better rebounder (4.1 RPG) and a better cutpurse (0.8 SPG). And Brown offers just a wee bit more versatility, as he can play minutes as a power forward, a small forward, and even as a shooting guard.
Because he is arriving at the Timberwolves roster for the first time, it may take a few games before his minutes and role normalize. But ultimately, I believe that he will make a positive and productive impact on the Timberwolves roster.