The Minnesota Timberwolves will be drafting a member of their frontcourt when the NBA Draft begins at the Barclays Center on June 25.
The debate is mainly between Kentucky forward Karl-Anthony Towns and Duke center Jahlil Okafor. While Okafor is predicted to have an immediate impact for whichever team drafts him, Towns is the player with the most potential, one that can alter a franchise’s trajectory for the long haul.
Timberwolves fans can see the franchise get another crack at turning things around by attending the Barclays Center on the 25th. Hipmunk.com has flights to and from Brooklyn through most major airline carries, and has available hotels in Brooklyn starting from $89 to create an NBA Draft vacation. Tickets to the NBA Draft feature an average price of $94.36, with a get-in price of $42.
It might be tough for Timberwolves fans to trust the organization to make the “correct” pick, considering their track record in the NBA Draft over the past several years has led to plenty of swings and misses, although that was mostly under a different general manager.
In 2011, the Timberwolves selected Derrick Williams with the No. 2 overall draft pick out of Arizona. Williams was traded in 2013 for Luc Mbah A Moute to the Sacramento Kings, where he averaged 8.3 points and 2.7 rebounds this season. The worst of it, however, was in 2009 and 2010, when the Timberwolves had six first-round draft picks in two seasons. While the club did net their franchise point guard in Ricky Rubio, who has displayed signs of superstardom when he’s able to stay healthy (which he did not this year, playing only about a quarter of the season) but Jonny Flynn, Wayne Ellington, Wesley Johnson and Lazar Hayward all have been major busts, contributing virtually nothing to the organization. It’s the main reason why the Wolves own the NBA’s longest active playoff drought.
At the very least, Minnesota did a fine job in last year’s draft, taking Zach LaVine with the 13th overall pick, and he looked pretty solid in his rookie campaign. Furthermore, they also landed Shabazz Muhammad two years ago, and that’s turned out to be a savvy move.
Either frontcourt player should fit nicely for Minnesota, whose frontcourt could use a little bit of a boost with Kevin Garnett nearing the end of his brilliant career and Nikola Pekovic becoming too injury-prone. No matter who it is, the Wolves will certainly be upgrading the outlook of their future, nabbing a highly-touted rookie to help formulate the club’s main nucleus for years to come, along with this season’s Rookie of the Year Andrew Wiggins and Rubio. The future of the franchise looks extremely bright going forward.
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