The Minnesota Timberwolves' recent drafts have been rather questionable. However, they've had clear high points in the draft as well, most notably, the 2020 draft changed the course of the Wolves' franchise. With that being said, let's take a look and grade each draft class of the decade thus far.
2020: Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels -- A+++
This one is self-explanatory. Anthony Edwards, assuming he stays in Minnesota for his career, will go down as the greatest player in Timberwolves History. He's already the second, and he continues to break records every game.
Jaden McDaniels is another franchise cornerstone. He's probably been underutilized for his career, but this year, he's shown what he's capable of with a greater offensive role. He may not ever be a star, but he's one of the best role players in the league.
2021: No draft picks
2022: Wendell Moore Jr, Josh Minott, and Matteo Spagnolo -- D-
A pretty big blunder of a draft, all things considered. I was a fan of Wendell Moore coming out of Duke, and I thought that he had a chance to crack the rotation day one as a do-it-all wing who had an NBA-ready frame, but he couldn't hit anything from three and didn't have any plus NBA traits. He's bounced around the G League and is now with the Motor City Cruise.
Josh Minott showed a few flashes as a toolsy transition player. But he was never able to put it together either, eventually signing a one-year deal with the Boston Celtics, where he looked to be turning a corner, but it ended up being fool's gold.
He's now on the Brooklyn Nets after being salary-dumped at the deadline, and Matteo Spagnolo is still in Europe, where he may stay for his entire career, never touching an NBA court.
2023: Leonard Miller and Jaylen Clark -- D+
Leonard Miller was another prospect I was high on coming out of the G League Ignite, and he was widely viewed as a steal, but in his tenure with the Wolves, he was constantly buried on the depth chart, leading to his departure, where the Wolves traded him in the package to acquire Ayo Dosunmu from the Chicago Bulls.
Jaylen Clark was a great pick value late in the second round, and his on-ball defense is a real redeemable NBA skill. But unfortunately, his offense is still so far away that it prevents him from being able to play consistently important minutes. Considering his draft position, though, not the worst pick.
2024: Rob Dillingham and Terrence Shannon Jr. -- D+
I'm a firm believer that there's a good player in Rob Dillingham somewhere; he just wasn't given a fair shake to develop in Minnesota. Despite that, that doesn't excuse the value the Wolves gave up to trade up for Dillingham, and no matter which way you put it, that trade was an epic fail for the Wolves. Dillingham was also in the Ayo Dosunmu trade where he'll hopefully get a longer leash with the Bulls.
Terrence Shannon Jr. is polarizing. He's genuinely an elite transition player, and he can draw fouls at an elite rate for his role. But his suspect shooting and complete lack of a right hand have caused him to fall out of the rotation at least temporarily. But I do think his best days as an NBA player are ahead of him; it's just to be determined whether it will be with the Wolves.
2025: Joan Beringer and Rocco Zikarsky -- B+
This grade might seem high, but Beringer has all of the tools to be a top 10 center in the league for a long time. He plays above the rim, has an incredible motor, can block shots, and has good touch around the basket for a rim-running big man. I'm all in on Beringer being an elite successor to Rudy Gobert.
As for Zikarsky, he's a bit of a wild card, but if you're going to take a swing on a wild card, you do it on the 7-foot-4 big that has floor-stretching potential, along with the ability to rebound and block shots.