March marks the unofficial start of NBA Draft season. While the Minnesota Timberwolves' primary focus remains on winning their first championship in franchise history, it's never too early to start thinking about the draft. Recently, Christopher Kline of FanSided.com released his latest mock draft, in which he had the Timberwolves selecting Alabama's Amari Allen with the No. 29 pick.Â
"Amari Allen has emerged as one of the premier sleepers in this class. He occupies a diverse role for the Crimson Tide, doing a bit of everything. NBA teams want athletic wings who can contribute across the board offensively. Allen is a fluid driver, a reliable spot-up shooter and an involved facilitator. He also crashes the glass with fiery intent. What's not to like, really? Minnesota's wing depth gets pretty dicey when you dig in. Anthony Edwards and the Wolves' four-headed frontcourt monster of Rudy Gobert, Julius Randle, Jaden McDaniels and Naz Reid do a lot of the heavy lifting. Allen can help fill some gaps from day one, hopefully," Kline wrote.Â
The Timberwolves' plan to replace Nickeil Alexander-Walker with Terrence Shannon Jr., Jaylen Clark, and Rob Dillingham failed miserably. Of this group, Shannon was counted on the most, given his hypothetical skill set as a well-rounded wing. Trading for Ayo Dosunmu and bringing back Kyle Anderson on the buyout market certainly eases Wolves fans' pain.
Nevertheless, finding a young wing who can provide a well-rounded impact and has upside would be ideal, and Allen very well could be that guy.
Amari Allen's well-rounded impact
It's not a perfect one-for-one comparison, but Allen shares some clear similarities with Shannon or at least what the Wolves hoped he would be when they drafted him in the first-round in 2024. As Kline notes, Allen can provide a little of everything offensively, including shooting, playmaking, and finishing.Â
Allen especially thrives as a spot-up shooter, though. Notably, Allen has connected on 38 percent of his 4.5 3-point attempts, which account for half of his made field goals. This skill set would make Allen a seamless fit with the Timberwolves.Â
As an athletic 6-foot-7 forward, Allen's defensive upside is clear. At Alabama, Allen has showcased impressive defensive playmaking abilities, averaging 1.8 stocks. He also has the ideal frame and IQ to guard multiple positions.Â
Furthermore, Allen has more feel as a playmaker; he averages 3.2 assists to 1.5 turnovers. Shannon has recorded more turnovers than assists this season, and in college, he barely had a positive assist-to-turnover ratio. While Shannon has a similar frame and defensive potential, he has been a clear negative on defense in his early career.
Allen could be what the Timberwolves dreamed TSJ would be
Frankly, this blend of scoring, playmaking, and defense is exactly what the Wolves wanted Shannon to play. However, Shannon's bread and butter was always his downhill scoring abilities. Unfortunately, the 2024 first-round pick has struggled to operate with his off hand at the NBA level and has shot just 56.2 percent at the rim.Â
Shannon's 3-point shooting (37.5 percent from beyond the arc) has been a clear silver lining for him this year. Regardless, Allen is more naturally suited for this spot-up shooter role. As a 20-year-old freshman, Allen clearly has more upside than Shannon, who turns 26 this summer.
I don't want to completely write off Shannon, as he is still just in his second year and has dealt with injuries this year. Nevertheless, it's hard to argue that drafting him two years ago has worked out, and come June, the Wolves might be looking for another young wing.
A lot can change between now and draft day, but a player like Allen could make sense for Minnesota.Â