While most Minnesota Timberwolves fans are focused on the team gearing up for another playoff run, the NBA Draft will soon be around the corner. It wouldn't be a shocker if the Timberwolves drafted another point guard in June. Recently, Christopher Kline over at FanSided.com released his post March Madness mock draft in which the Wolves selected Stanford guard Ebuka Okorie with the 28th pick.
"Minnesota really needs another ball-handler in the rotation — someone who can ease the burden of creation on Anthony Edwards. There's no doubt Okorie can apply pressure and set the offensive wheels in motion," Kline wrote.
As Kline notes, having another perimeter bench creator would be highly beneficial to the Timberwolves. Given this and Okorie's electric freshman season, he would be on the Wolves' draft radar.
Ebuka Okorie had a stellar freshman season at Stanford
Okorie is a guy who has flown under the radar in this draft class due to it being so top-heavy, but it wouldn't surprise me to see him gain more traction as the draft gets closer. The 6-foot-2 guard was flat-out one of the best scorers in all of college basketball this past year. However, due to Stanford finishing ninth in the ACC, he didn't get the media attention that a lot of the March Madness stars got.
I know what you're thinking, another undersized, score-first point guard? Didn't the Wolves swing and miss with that exact archetype of a player with Rob Dillingham in 2024? Yes, but these circumstances would be way different; Minnesota wouldn't be trading up, and wouldn't need Okorie to be an immediate contributor to the rotation. It's much more of a low-risk, potentially high-reward situation.
In addition to Dillingham, Connelly selected Bones Hyland with the Denver Nuggets in 2021. As such, it's clear he has an affinity for this archetype.
Okorie finished his freshman season averaging an impressive 23.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 3.6 assists. He shot 46.5 percent from the field, 35.4 percent from three, and 83.2 percent at the line. He has some of the most polished handles in the draft class, and he showed an exceptional ability to score at all three levels.
Why Ebuka Okorie could be the right pick for the Timberwolves
While he's only 6-foot-2, his length really intrigues me. His official measurements remain to be seen, but his plus length can allow him to be a pesky defender at the NBA level, getting in passing lanes. He'll never be the most athletically intimidating guy. Still, he dominated his conference as a freshman, and in Minnesota, he would come into a situation where he wouldn't be thrown into the fire right away.
This pick might give Wolves fans some Rob Dillingham PTSD, considering the last time Tim Connelly selected an undersized, shifty guard, it didn't work out well. These would be much different circumstances, however. The Timberwolves wouldn't need to trade up for Okorie -- as noted, Kline's mock had Okorie as a late first-round pick, and that's in line with consensus.
The Wolves would essentially be using a lottery ticket on a guy with lots of potential. The worst-case scenario is that the Wolves miss on one of the last picks in the first-round. But with a pick that late, you should draft for potential, and I don't know if you're finding a guy more talented than Okorie.