Minnesota Timberwolves two year draft analysis and comparison

2022 NBA Draft: 45th overall pick – Memphis F Josh Minott

The Minnesota Timberwolves selected Memphis power forward Josh Minott with the 45th overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. The 6-foot-8 205-pound power forward possessed a great defensive presence, and the potential to become a formidable 4 in the NBA

Pros

With wholesale changes to the Minnesota Timberwolves roster last season, the Timberwolves front office hedged their bets by adding a promising rookie power forward. After trading away Jarred Vanderbilt, the Timberwolves roster had room for a young rookie to develop. The team migrated former center Karl-Anthony Towns to the power forward role and backed him up with veteran Kyle Anderson and veteran Taurean Prince. Minott was raw, but with significant depth, he had the opportunity to grow into the role.

Unfortunately, the Timberwolves lost Towns for 53 games, and Taurean Prince was injured for 28 games. Minott was given small opportunities and did make the most of them.  Averaging just 6.4 minutes per game, he added 3.1 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 0.3 assists per game.

Cons

Just as Wendell Moore Jr. mentioned previously, minutes were awfully tough to come by for Josh Minott. While he seemed to optimize the few chances that he was given, he still has more room to grow. For starters, his perimeter shot could use a bit more work. While 33.3 percent is not a bad way to debut in the NBA, that shot should be better than 37 percent if Minott hopes to get a more significant role in the Timberwolves rotation.

Best Roles

Josh Minott will need to prove that he deserves playing time. Right now, he is not far off the mark. With the Timberwolves moving on from Taurean Prince, the minutes that he had claimed are truly up in the air. Despite a less-than-stellar 2023 Summer League performance, I would look for Josh Minott to average far more minutes this season.