Tim Connelly, you’ve done it again.
No, he didn’t trade away most of the Minnesota Timberwolves’ assets for a 30-year old center. However, he reminded Timberwolves fans of his unprecedented draft night expertise. Entering the evening, Connelly and Co. only held the rights to the 53rd pick. Equipped with Minnesota’s first rounder, the Utah Jazz selected Keyonte George — a prolific scorer from Baylor.
Fans of the franchise were hurt, to say the least.
And with 37 picks remaining ahead of Minnesota’s, this year’s draft was beginning to look bleaker than many could imagine. That was, until Connelly became a wizard in the draft-night war room.
After sending out two future seconds to the San Antonio Spurs for pick 33, the Timberwolves selected Leonard Miller, the G League Ignite forward. Miller wasn’t expected to still be on the board once the second round began. Most major mock drafts had him slotted to go in the late-teens or early 20s. Miller was even considered a potential first-round guy last season before experiencing a setback at the NBA Combine.
Standing at 6’10” with a 7’2” wingspan, Leonard Miller has the size of an NBA center, but the skills of an NBA-caliber guard. A versatile defender with a knack for attacking the basket, Leonard has often been compared to none other than Jalen McDaniels, Jaden‘s older brother.
He’s also a beast on the boards! Miller pulled down 10.96 rebounds per contest in the G League this season and should provide some help on the glass for the Wolves, who often struggled securing boards. But let me be clear: He’s so much more than just a switchable small-ball 5. Instead, Miller a versatile forward with freak athleticism who pushes the ball in transition, then ends them in rim-breaking finishes reminiscent of Giannis Antetokounmpo!
The biggest knock on the 19-year old Canadian hooper’s game is his inability to consistently knock down the three-ball. Miller only made 32.1% of his catch-and-shoot threes for the Ignite this year. He’ll need to improve upon that percentage if he wants to find himself in the Twin Cities rather than Iowa. Still, the Timberwolves have an abundance of youthful talent in players such as Wendell Moore Jr. and Josh Minott, thanks to Tim Connelly. Moore and Minott will look to provide some much-needed depth to Minnesota’s wing positions, which would allow Miller ample time to add a reliable three-point shot to his already mesmerizing game!
But even after acquiring the special talent in Leonard Miller, Connelly wasn’t finished.
Armed with pick 53, Connelly drafted UCLA guard Jaylen Clark, one of the premier perimeter defenders in college basketball last season. However, Clark’s stock slid after he suffered a season-ending achilles injury in March. Before his injury, the No Ceilings crew had Clark as their 35th-best draft prospect on their big board. Not bad value at pick 53, eh?
Here’s what Connelly said about where he and the Wolves’ front office valued the former Bruin throughout the draft process:
Regardless of what you think of Connelly’s decision to go all-in on Rudy Gobert, the man is a maestro when it comes to acquiring talent via the draft. He built this year’s NBA Champions primarily through the draft. Last year he drafted Walker Kessler, who finished the year on the All-Rookie first team. Sure, Connelly depleted Minnesota’s draft assets. But being able to select a first-round talent in Miller at pick 33, and one of the class’s best defenders in Jaylen Clark at 53, is exactly why Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez batted to bring Connelly to Minnesota in the first place.
