The best-case career scenario for each of Minnesota's young talents

It's been quite some time since Minnesota Timberwolves fans have seen their favorite players hit the hardwood. Prior to the Paris Olympics, fans were given an abbreviated taste of the freshest crop of players to compete amongst the best of the best. While the NBA 2K25 Summer League now feels like forever ago, the next time we'll be gifted the opportunity to watch these youngsters compete is on opening day—October 22.

The Minnesota Timberwolves will partake in opening night, with a bout against the Los Angeles Lakers. While most of the rotation is already set in stone before training camp, there's reason to believe the Wolves trot out both first-rounders immediately. Minnesota traded up and into the first-round of last June's draft to acquire Kentucky guard Rob Dillingham.

The former Wildcat is lightning in a bottle and one of the best shot creators in the entire 2024 rookie class. Despite his sheer talent, Dillingham was dinged because of his rail-thin frame at only 6-foot-1 and 164 pounds. Minnesota's second first-rounder, Terrence Shannon Jr., also came with red flags entering the pros.

The Timberwolves have a plethora of young players

Shannon, who suited up for Texas Tech and Illinois, entered the draft as one of the oldest prospects at 23 years old. Fast forward two months and the athletic shooting guard is now 24. Drafting a player that old requires the organization to feel he'll make an immediate impact—which foreshadows Shannon's potential day-one rotational status.

Aside from the two by-definition rookies, the Wolves house several de facto rookies. Minnesota possesses Jaylen Clark, Leonard Miller, and Josh Minott—all second-rounders from the previous few seasons. The trio have combined to play a whopping 64 contests. Besides these three, Minnesota also rosters Luka Garza, Daishen Nix, and Jesse Edwards. However, the previously mentioned triumvirate's ceilings are seemingly capped due to age or lack of draft status (Edwards).

Nevertheless, any of the Wolves youngsters can break out into quality contributors. Rather than focusing on all eight players, we've limited this exercise to Dillingham, Shannon Jr., Clark, Miller, and Minott.

Best case scenario for each of Minnesota's young talents

Rob Dillingham

Although he's undersized, Dillingham's potential is vast. Physically, the former Wildcat compares most to players like Allen Iverson and Trae Young. In addition to his measurements, Dillingham's game is reminiscent of the former Philadelphia 76er. Both guards possess a quick handle, a deadly jump shot, and more of a penchant for scoring than facilitating.

Likely, Dillingham never becomes even an average defender due to his physical deficiencies. Like Young (who's never graded out as a serviceable defender), playing next to an athletic two-guard or stout point-of-attack defender will be key for Dillingham's maturation. and evolution into a starter.

In the best-case scenario, Dillingham's defensive deficiencies are hidden (probable on the Timberwolves' roster), and he evolves into a plus-playmaker, allowing him to start at point guard. Even though the sample size is brief, Dillingham averaged 7.6 assists per game in the Summer League.

There's a world where Dillingham ranks top-10 in assists per game for multiple seasons. Besides his passing, his scoring efficiency and shotmaking will transcend his size. At his best, averaging 23 points, eight assists, and one-and-a-half steals feels reasonable.

Terrence Shannon Jr.

Shannon Jr. lies on the polar opposite end of the spectrum as Dillingham. He's experienced (115 collegiate starts), not wholly efficient (career 34.7 percent three-point shooter), yet an imposing physical athlete. The swingman measured at 6-foot-6 and 220 pounds at the NBA Combine.

As an older draftee, Shannon is expected to make an immediate contribution. He'll likely begin the season as third on the depth chart at both shooting guard and small forward, but his pathway to playing time is easy to envision. The 36-year-old Joe Ingles will back up Jaden McDaniels at small forward. If Ingles misses time or is not an every-game player, then Shannon will receive plenty of run.

As a rookie, averaging double-digits isn't out of the question for Shannon. Even if the rookie doesn't play 20 minutes per game, his high-volume scoring approach will carry over from Illinois. Down the road, the 24-year-old projects as a sparkplug scorer off the bench. He may never hold a starting role, but a prominent sixth-man role seems to be in store for Shannon, with his averages topping out at 18 points per game as a best-case scenario.

Jaylen Clark

Defense. Jaylen Clark will stay around a long time because of his propensity for defense. As a junior at UCLA, the 6-foot-5 guard averaged 2.6 steals per game and was named the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year. Now a year removed from surgery to repair a ruptured Achilles, Clark is back on the floor—fully recovered.

Clark's Summer League didn't provide the best results (3.8 points per game on 24.0 percent shooting), but his defense was as advertised. Clark tallied 2.8 steals per game in only 18.1 minutes of action. He may not crack the rotation soon. Nevertheless, the former Bruin still needs time to hone his offensive skills. A lofty projection for Clark would be an All-NBA Defense team despite never averaging more than 10 points per game a la Alex Caruso.

Leonard Miller

Former second-round pick Leonard Miller is one of the most difficult players to project. At just 20 years old, the 6-foot-10 Miller is more tools than ability at this point, but his tools sure are tantalizing. The Canadian wing is well-rounded on offense and defense. In the Summer League, he chipped in 16.0 points and 8.2 rebounds while totaling 1.8 steals and 1.0 blocks per game.

A safe projection would be a third option on a contender despite Miller's potential likely being much higher. His positional fit is unorthodox, yet the NBA has shifted toward positional flexibility in recent seasons. However, Miller's case is different, he's not necessarily a capable playmaker, nor is he a traditional big man…yet. In all likelihood, Miller's best year resembles his Summer League averages.

Josh Minott

Still just 21 years old, Josh Minott is entering his third professional season. As an underdeveloped prospect via the University of Memphis, Minott has made strides in the NBA. As a rookie in the G-League, Minott put up 17.8 points and grabbed 8.5 rebounds per game.

Minott projects as a two-way forward who plays even bigger than his impressive 6-foot-8 frame. A best-case scenario for the former second-rounder is a 20-minute per-game rotational role. The former Tiger can easily impact the game in transition, using his athleticism to score easy buckets. Besides his fast break scoring, the 21-year-old has "opportunistic scorer" written all over him. Near double-digit point totals aren't out of the question for Minott.