5 Olympians the Timberwolves should sign to complete the roster
By Austin McGee
The United States Men's Basketball team brought home a gold medal for the fifth consecutive Olympic Games. However, the path to gold wasn't easy. The men's squad saw several close calls along the way. From the beginning, in an exhibition match, the U.S. narrowly beat South Sudan, 101-100.
Once the group phase started, the United States took care of business. Anthony Edwards and company took down Serbia, South Sudan, and Puerto Rico before advancing to the knockout round. The United States put away Brazil before a too-close-for-comfort triumph over Nikola Jokic and Serbia. The U.S. erased a 13-point deficit to defeat the Serbians in the semifinal game 95-91.
Going for gold, the United States battled Rudy Gobert and France. The French held on for most of the game, but the U.S. proved too much to handle for the host nation. The United States saw four double-digit scorers—led by Steph Curry's 24 points.
Although the U.S. prevailed in this year's Olympics, several players showed out across the globe. As evidenced by the competition level of the Olympics and the NBA Draft, talent can be found in any country. With this in mind, we've highlighted five Olympians the Timberwolves should sign to fill the roster.
5. Nuni Omot - South Sudan
South Sudanese forward Nuni Omot is one of the less-heralded players to shine bright in the Olympics. Living most of his life stateside, Omot played his high school ball in Minnesota before enrolling at Concordia University—a Division II school.
From Concordia, Omot transferred to Indian Hills Community College before suiting up for the Baylor Bears. In two seasons in Waco, Omot averaged 7.4 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game. Omot made his mark as an efficient three-point marksman and athletic finisher.
After going undrafted and bouncing around the G-League, China, and Europe, the lanky forward broke out for the South Sudanese Olympic team. Omot ranked 14th among all Olympic participants, averaging 16.7 points per game. He drilled 38.9 percent of his triples and connected on 42.1 percent of his field goals.
Omot's best game came against the United States. Despite the 17-point loss, the South Sudanese forward recorded a positive plus/minus of plus-3. He scored 24 points and canned 3-of-5 looks from beyond the arc. The 6-foot-9 forward also demonstrated his defensive abilities adding two steals in the affair.
It's easy to envision Omot's role on an NBA team. And at 29 years old, there's still time for the former Bear to make his mark stateside. He's a malleable 3-and-D forward capable of suiting up at both forward spots.