https://bbs.hupu.com/35137012.html 4. Minnesota Timberwolves Onyeka Okongwu | 6-9 center | 18 years old, freshman | USC This is a bit high, but it’s a good fit. I’d peg Okongwu’s draft range from here down to about 12 at this early stage. He was one of the most productive freshmen in college basketball. He averaged 16.2 points and 8.6 rebounds this past season while also being paired next to a true center in Nick Rakocevic. It wasn’t the most optimal situation for Okongwu to produce, as he didn’t always have space to operate. But he dominated anyway. Generally, the role here is going to be rim-running center who can both finish lobs above the rim and can short roll and take a couple of dribbles prior to finishing. And that’s before we get to the defense. He’s a 6-9 center who can protect the rim because of his strength and length. At 245 pounds, he holds his ground with verticality well. He finished in the top 20 nationally in block rate, and USC was consistently much better as a rim protection team when he was on the floor. On top of that, he can also sit down and slide on the perimeter with opposing guards due to his flexibility and lateral quickness. The big question teams have, though, is whether you can play him full-time at the 5 given his size? Can he maintain that terrific rim protection at the NBA level, given that he’s not a behemoth in terms of height? Here, I’ve got him going to Minnesota. Why? The Timberwolves have consistently struggled defensively in the Karl-Anthony Towns era. The time where they’ve had the most success on that end is when they paired Towns with Taj Gibson and allowed Gibson to clean up the errors on the backline when Towns got pulled away from the rim. And that’s going to happen often with this core, as the team has decided to build around the pairing of Towns and D’Angelo Russell. Late in games, I’d anticipate nearly every team just running 50 ball-screen actions at that pairing and forcing them to defend. I think it’s going to be necessary for them to have someone on the back line to clean that up, and someone who can help Towns when he goes through his inattentive weak-side spells. Towns is great, now the Wolves just need to build around him and insulate his weaknesses. 16. Minnesota Timberwolves (via BKN) Saddiq Bey | 6-8 wing | 20 years old, sophomore | Villanova I’ve long been a big fan of Bey, ranking him in my top 50 to start the season. His growth, though, has been markedly impressive. He was a two-way stud this year as a super 3-and-D guy for Villanova. The 6-foot-8 wing averaged 16.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.4 assists while shooting 47.7 percent from the field, a ridiculous 45.1 percent from 3 and 76.9 from the foul line. He’s basically automatic if you give him a clean look off the catch. His stroke is pure, his release is clean and the ball gets terrific rotation. He’s an NBA-level shooter right now off the catch. I was also impressed with Bey’s switchable defensive ability. Consistently, Villanova just put him on whoever the opposing team’s toughest offensive player was, regardless of position, as long as it wasn’t a center. If it was a point guard like Devon Dotson, they were comfortable with that. If it was a wing or a forward, it was all good. Still, where scouts are a bit concerned is in regard to his athleticism. Bey is a slow-twitch guy in terms of explosiveness by NBA standards. He doesn’t have unbelievable lateral quickness, his first step burst isn’t great, and he ’s not an elite leaper in the run of play. I’m a believer in his defensive ability and think he uses his positioning and length really well due to his 7-foot wingspan. They’re not quite as bullish on Bey as many in the public sphere are, considering him more of a top-25 prospect as opposed to someone bordering on the lottery. Regardless, a potential 3-and-D shooter between Karl Anthony Towns and D’ Angelo Russell is exactly what they need. Getting him to pair with Jarrett Culver would give them a pair of big, switchable defensive wings. They’d be looking at Malik Beasley, Culver, Bey, Josh Okogie, Juancho Hernangomez, Jake Layman, Jarred Vanderbilt and whoever they pick in the lottery between Towns and Russell. That’s probably not quite a playoff team in the West, but it’s one that can grow together as a core and become really interesting if Bey and Culver hit as useful wing players. 33. Minnesota Timberwolves Cassius Stanley | 6-6 wing | 20 years old, freshman | Duke Stanley helped himself as much as any other prospect this season. Entering Duke, he was expected to be a two-to-three-year player. But by the end of his freshman season, it was pretty clear he was going to be a one-and-done. He was the glue guy of all glue guys for Duke last season, taking on tough defensive assignments on the wing, playing with energy and making the little things happen. Oh yeah, and he’s a highlight reel waiting to happen due to his elite-level leaping ability. We’re talking well over a 40-inch vertical leap. He averaged 12.4 points and shot 36 percent from 3, but most teams see him as a work in progress as a shooter due to mechanics that will need to be adjusted. They also want to see more defensive playmaking from him, taking advantage of his tools to force turnovers. He’s also going to have to get more comfortable showcasing that he can make plays off the catch as a ballhandler and passer. Still, there is a lot to work with here from a projectable standpoint due to how hard he plays and how much athleticism he has. The Timberwolves need more help on the wing, more defense and more athleticism surrounding Karl-Anthony Towns and D’Angelo Russell. Stanley’s intelligence as a cutter would work well on the backline with a terrific stretch-center who clears out the paint like Towns. --

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