Draft day is theoretically one of the most exciting days on the NBA calendar. It’s the first thing right after the conclusion of the NBA Finals. Every team has a stake in the draft. Even teams not picking in the top 5 have hopes that their post-lottery pick will become the next Giannis Antetokounmpo, or that their dart throw on a European in the second round during one of ESPN’s extended ad breaks could become Nikola Jokić.
Heading into the 2025 NBA Draft, the Minnesota Timberwolves had the 17th pick, a gift from the Karl-Anthony Towns trade, and the highest pick for the Wolves since they took Anthony Edwards first overall in 2020. We put together our mock drafts throughout the year with a half dozen players we fell in love with and hope the Wolves target. There are also guys we don’t think will make it, who we’d rather see do anything else on Earth than play for our favorite basketball team.
The excitement is almost unbearable in the hours leading up to the draft. The top picks are almost a sure thing, but there are still many questions and storylines to be answered. Why didn’t Ace Bailey work out for anyone? Who is going to rise and fall? What the hell were Kon Knueppel’s parents thinking?
And who will the Timberwolves take at 17?
During the draft, the tension for Wolves fans continues to build with every pick. Hey, nobody has taken Derik Queen yet, maybe he’ll fall to 17 because people are worried about his defense. Thomas Sorber would look so good in a Wolves uniform.
Holy s—, Connelly should trade up for Khaman Maluach if the Toronto Raptors don’t take him with the 9th pick. Maybe we’ll have our pick of two or three coveted prospects. Perhaps the Wolves can trade down a spot and get a few second-rounders to add to the war chest. Sorber is definitely going to be a mix of Naz Reid and Jaden McDaniels, but somehow better and cooler. (That’s not possible, but humor the fantasy of draft day.)
And then it’s all gone in the blink of an eye. The Pelicans trade an unprotected first-round pick next year to move up for Queen. The newly crowned champions in Oklahoma City somehow have a pick ahead of the Wolves and take Sorber, because of course they do. Maluach was a pipe dream blown up by the Phoenix Suns’ center supermarket sweep.
Now Minnesota’s draft board is all crossed up, and they’re on the clock. What happens now? Where does Connelly pivot to? Does he take a guard? A trade?
And then the pick is in, we hold our breath, and Jeff Goodman tweets out that the Minnesota Timberwolves are drafting French big man Joan Beringer with the 17th pick.
Oh s—, you say to yourself. I didn’t really 10-minute YouTube scout that guy before the draft. That’s not one of the five to six guys I told the group chat I wanted this afternoon. Why didn’t they just take Kasparas Jakucionis instead? He’s 18, so he’s definitely a draft and stash, you say out loud to no one in particular. You note your surprise and what you would have done on Twitter before you “dig in” to his tape.
Two Hamm’s later, you start to come around on the pick. Beringer is 6’11”, athletic, can run the floor, and can apparently catch the ball. He reveres Rudy Gobert, so pairing the two French centers together seems like a logical move. He’s definitely coming to Minnesota to play next year, so you start to fantasize about him playing in garbage time with Leonard Miller, Jaylen Clark, Rob Dillingham, and catching lobs from the ghost of Joe Ingles next season. You go to bed thinking it was an interesting yet slightly disappointing first round.
But hey, the Wolves are on the clock with the 31st pick in 20 hours.
You wake up on Thursday ever so slightly hungover from the four beers you had during Round 1 because you’re in your early 30s and this is your life now. You do a quick recap of the winners and losers from the first round. Some people loved the pick, some don’t get it, and most leave the Wolves in limbo. You take a quick look at the best available players and log on to your vague communications job while listening to whichever Morris twin is trying to say the Los Angeles Lakers are the best team in the West, biding your time for Round 2.
You see reports that the 31st pick is for sale. Then you see the Wolves are trading 31 to Phoenix for 36 and two future firsts. Nice, Connelly is restocking the cupboard. He’s a fricken prince. You accidentally forget what time Round 2 starts. Hence, you tap in a little late, see that all hell broke loose in the second round, and have no idea who the Timberwolves actually picked because the NBA is still adamant that they announce the player to the original team that was picking in that slot.
You go to the one true, trusted Timberwolves source, Jon Krawczynski’s Twitter, to find out who the Wolves picked. You see, it’s a 7’4” 18-year-old from Australia who is definitely a draft and stash. You rationalize and say something about how well KAT and Rudy played together as twin towers, and then you open up Spotify to check and see how drunk Joe House is on the Bill Simmons podcast in full view of your wife, who just silently leaves the room.
You leave the 2025 Draft slightly disappointed yet optimistic that the decision makers know what they’re doing while promising yourself you will finally remember when summer league starts for the fifth consecutive year.
