The 2014-15 NBA season has officially come to a close; a new champion has been anointed and the draft has concluded. The end of the NBA season is also the unofficial start of the worst five weeks in a sports fan's life as it is the slowest and quietest period of the year. There are some fairly minimal NBA trades that get done and there will be some free agent news to follow; however, there is little drama to this offseason with only Kevin Love and LaMarcus Aldridge creating much intrigue.
This is the fitting time of the year to sum up the NBA draft and profile the incoming lottery selections. eDraft Sports has highlighted the best sleeper picks of the draft and now we move into more in depth analysis of each lottery selection. Granted any true reflection on these players would be much better served after at least a couple seasons of experience; however, we will offer initial reviews and projections for the upcoming season.
The Minnesota Timberwolves kicked off the draft by selecting Karl Anthony Towns with the first overall selection. This pick was without surprise as the Wolves publicly decreed their intentions and Towns didn't work out for anyone else. With this selection the Wolves now have the last three first overall draft picks in their team in Anthony Bennett, Andrew Wiggins and now Karl Anthony Towns.
Towns is a true center who has the height and length to make a living both offensively and defensively in the paint. The intangibles that he brings to the table though were what made this such an easy decision for the Wolves. Towns is very capable of playing away from the basket and he possesses a much broader offensive game than Jahlil Okafor. Towns can stick jumpers and he is a legitimate three-point threat as he actually led his high school team in makes from behind the arc. Add to this the fact that he shot an impressive 82% from the charity stripe while at Kentucky and he clearly separates himself from the rest of the draft class.
Towns will see minutes right away for Minnesota who currently has the much shopped Anthony Bennett, Gorgui Dieng and the aging Kevin Garnett at power forward. Surely the Wolves envision an existence where Garnett takes Towns under his wing this year to teach fundamentals and instill a foundation based on work ethic. With Garnett likely transitioning into a front office spot, this coming season could be instrumental in Towns development of Garnett can stay healthy enough to be around the team in a daily basis.
There is a good chance that Towns will get some minutes at center as well seeing that Nikola Pekovic is the team's current highest paid player and one who hasn't managed more than 62 games in a season in over four years and who has played a combined 85 games over the last two seasons. If Towns can mature into the everyday starter then there is no doubt that he will play over Pekovic and that the Wolves will look to move Nikola to make room.
Assuming Towns either immediately or eventually is named as a starter; the Wolves will have him, Dieng, Andrew Wiggins, Kevin Martin and Ricky Rubio as starters. Add in Zach LaVine, Shabazz Muhammad and Garnett and this Timberwolves team is on the verge of breaking out in the West. They are probably still a year or two away in terms of player development, but they are poised to be a playoff team with the addition of another lottery pick.
A huge part of the future success of the franchise is the continued growth and contributions from Wiggins and Towns. This duo could be as dynamic as any combo in the league. Wiggins is a 20 ppg player next season and if Towns can get acclimated to the Association he will be able to push near double-double averages in his rookies season.