By Mo Mooncey

It’s almost 10 years since the Minnesota Timberwolves traded away their franchise cornerstone Kevin Garnett to the Boston Celtics in a move that saw them plummet to the bottom rankings of the National Basketball Association. 
Despite having all-star Kevin Love on their roster, the team has failed to make the playoffs since The Big Ticket’s departure. With Love’s growing dissatisfaction with the teams’ lack of competitiveness, it was clear that a change was necessary for The North Star State.

During the summer of 2014 the Wolves once again traded away their franchise player named Kevin, this time to the Cleveland Cavaliers who had recently selected Andrew Wiggins out of Kansas with the number 1 overall pick in the draft. That same year Minnesota also selected Zach LaVine out of UCLA with the 13th overall pick. The following year they struck gold in the draft lottery and were able to select Karl-Anthony Towns out of Kentucky with the number 1 overall pick. This added 3 promising young players to the 2013 first round picks of Shabazz Muhammad (14th) and Gorgui Dieng (21st).

History

The acquisition of Wiggins and Towns put Minnesota into a very exclusive club. There have only been two teams in NBA history who have had two consecutive number 1 draft picks. (Wiggins joined the Timberwolves before ever playing a game for the Cavaliers so he will be considered a Wolves pick.) The Orlando Magic had successive number 1 picks in 1992/1993 selecting Shaquille O’Neal and Chris Webber, however, Webber was traded immediately for Penny Hardaway. The only team to have successive number 1 draft picks playing on the same team during their rookie and sophomore seasons is the Houston Rockets. In 1983, they selected Ralph Samson and then in 1984, (H)Akeem Olajuwon.  Both the Magic and Rockets made it to the NBA finals just two seasons after their second number 1 pick. 

Now I’m not here to tell you that you’ll be seeing Minnesota in contention for the NBA finals next season as the entire landscape as the structure of the league has changed and it seems as if no one can stop Golden State at the moment. Samson was 23 and Olajuwon was 21 when they were drafted, in comparison Wiggins and Towns were both only 19 when suiting up for their first NBA game. It goes Both Samson and Olajuwon are now in the Hall of Fame, and this could potentially be the case for Wiggins and Towns if all goes according to plans. Naturally over the course of an NBA career injuries and trades occur, however thus far, both of the young Timberwolves have shown flashes of brilliance. We will compare the stats from their careers so far with similar players who, like Samson and Olajuwon, will or currently reside in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. (Due to variations on minutes played depending on coaches/team systems/rotations, all comparison are made on a per36 MPG basis over the course of each player’s rookie and sophomore (if applicable) season)

Andrew Wiggins

Despite being hyped up by the media and fans early in his high-school and college careers, Andrew Wiggins is not going to be like Lebron James or Kevin Durant. He is a high-flying athletic wing whose ability to elevate, even without momentum, allows him to rise, separate and finish over defenders, both as shooters or finisher inside. He has drawn comparisons to NBA hall-of-famer Clyde Drexler, nicknamed Glide, who was “a wing who would fly around the court and soar over defenders without appearing to break a sweat”.

In terms of scoring, Wiggins is at an elite level for his age. He even has a better range than Drexler did, scoring close to one per game in comparison to the 9 that Drexler scored in total during his first two years in the league. 

Wiggins’ body is still yet to fully develop and mature, Drexler came into the league at the age of 21 and weighed 10lbs more. When Wiggins adapts more to the physicality of the NBA game and the strength needed to guard and box out players such as Lebron James there is no doubt that his rebounding will improve. The same can be said about Wiggins’ defence.

The disparity in assist numbers can be put down to the quality of teammates surrounding Drexler. He played on a playoff Trailblazers team which finished 3rd in the Western Conference, whereas Wiggins plays for the extremely inexperienced squad that is still in the lottery.  Furthermore, pass-first point guard Ricky Rubio dominates the current Minnesota offence, which in turn leads to less time as a playmaker for Wiggins.

Karl-Anthony Towns

It is extremely difficult to find an NBA legend with a similar playing style of Karl-Anthony Towns as he is so unique. Once described as: "What if Dwight Howard could shoot, dribble and move the way James Harden does?" Towns not only boasts an elite post-up game, but tremendously competent shooting range. When you compare him to one of the best big men in the past 15 years, Tim Duncan, you begin to see why Towns is such a special talent.

Kevin Durant said "He's going to be a Hall of Famer in this league" and the statistics certainly seem that way. Towns surpasses Duncan in terms of points and rebounds. He also demonstrated proficient passing ability in college, however due to the same reasons as we discussed above, his assists numbers do not match his ability. Towns’ PER (player efficiency rating) of 22.6 will put him 27th of all time if he continues to maintain his currently level of play, let alone improve. Under the veteran mentorship of Kevin, Garnett Towns will grow into a dominant force in this league.

Zach Lavine

Known worldwide for his superhuman dunking ability, Zach Lavine is more than just a dunker. He has quietly started becoming a valuable member of the Timberwolves and has recently on occasion been in the starting lineup, and he still has enormous potential. You may be surprised to hear that statistically LaVine’s rookie season was identical to that of Kobe Bryant, however, it is perhaps more suitable to compare the high-flying sophomore to fellow UCLA alum, Russell Westbrook.

Russell Westbrook is arguably one of the top 5 players in the world right now. If Lavine and the video analysis team in Minnesota regularly break down footage of Westbrook’s play in an attempt to model LaVine’s game after him. LaVine has spent more time at the shooting guard spot so far this season but as the Wolves play him more at the point, his numbers will start to match Westbrook’s. The two also

Gorgui Dieng

Ibaka and Dieng have nearly identical body types, and each have a great reach that allows for numerous blocked shots and rebounds.  Dieng and Ibaka were both seen as projects when entering the league however Ibaka has developed a range of offensive skills meaning he is not longer simply a defensive anchor, and it looks like Dieng will do the same.

Conclusion

It’s not often that teams assemble such a talented young core of players with the intention of developing them together. The teams that spring to mind in recent history are the San Antonio Spurs, who have won 4 championships after drafting Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker; and the Oklahoma City Thunder who drafted Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Serge Ibaka and James Harden. Unfortunately for the Thunder, mainly due to coaching errors and the greatness of current teams and the mistake of trading away James Harden, they have been unable to replicate the Spurs’ success. 

Imagine a team built around Russell Westbrook, Clyde Drexler and Tim Duncan, supported by Serge Ibaka and a slightly-less-effective James Harden and you can see the potential of Lavine, Wiggins, Towns, Dieng and Shabazz Muhammad. It is a huge stretch to say that each of these players will be as great as their ceiling comparisons, however, the potential is most definitely there. If Minnesota is able to keep this core intact and allow them to grow together, in the same way, the Spurs have, and don’t make the mistake of breaking the team up like Oklahoma did, the Minnesota Timberwolves could be the NBA’s next dynasty.