Part of me wishes the the NFL & the NBA draft were flipped. With the screeching halt of sports in the heartland it would be a whole lot more convenient to have seven rounds + to focus on as opposed to 1 +. Understandably, the NBA doesn't want to compete with itself for ratings but considering how unwatchable most of the match ups were this year it may have been a welcome reprieve! It won't happen though...even if it should.
But we've finally reached June 1, and the NBA draft is a few short weeks away from being unveiled. A lot of the talk is (and always will be) about the top selections. That's true of drafts even when the players don't show up for years, or ever - such as the Twins face this year, but that's for another day and time.
The kings of talking ball have a pair of point guards pegged for the draft of the event. One from U dub & the other from UCLA. I'm glad I don't have to sit in the chair or make the decisions because I don't like either of the top two, albeit for very different reasons. There are a host of other guys that I like more, but each of them has their own question mark or cause for concern.
With the Wolves selecting at #7 it's nearly assured that at least one of the guy will be available when the clock starts ticking.
Trade
If you're on the side with those who would like to see the Wolves trade the pick for a current NBA player then the best outcome for you may be a slight slide by De'Aaron Fox. The flaw in the argument is that teams rightly shouldn't consider the Wolves in the market for a PG as things stand. That would lower the amount that they could demand in return for the pick. But if he's the top rated guy at the point then he should be the pick and sort it out later ala Mayo for Love.
The worst case trade scenario would be trading down to acquire assets and basically squandering what will hopefully be the last round in the lottery for the next decade or more. The enormous caveat would be if Thibs & Associates can do their own version of the Boston/Brooklyn trade and end up with a top pick in a couple years. Apart from being able to work that kind of wonder, the best kind of trade would be for a quality player.
Select
If the determination is to select a player and keep him then there are at least six variables to take into account. Six is probably the low end of it but that's the minimum and it'll keep it there. Markelle Fultz, Lonzo Ball & Jayson Tatum are the three most likely to be taken in the top six picks. I submit to you that the other three selections will be some combination of Josh Jackson, De'Aaron Fox, Jonathan Isaac, Lauri Markkanen and Malik Monk. My favorite players from this years crop are Fox & Jackson.
Double J has many of the attributes of Andrew Wiggins, plus the most attractive one - the unknown. Some are more critical of A-Whop then I am but even if I were one of his critics I think I would still rather have a guy with all that potential and proven production over a guy with no NBA experience.
My personal 1B, Fox is another enticing player but also may not be a good fit for the Wolves. Rubio showed me plenty this year and can hopefully use the post trade deadline performance as spring board into the future. Beyond him come the two recent selections of Dunn & Jones. It's too early to stamp either one as a success or failure because they each have some strengths and some weaknesses. For his part, Jones did well when called up and showed improved from year one to year two. If he can take that much of an improvement into year three it would be tremendous. Likewise for Kris Dunn, if he can show significant improvement in the 2017, this team would be in very good shape from a lead guard perspective. With those considerations very much in play but not to be known for a while I don't think PG is a position the team, as it currently sits, can or should address in the draft.
So where does that leave us?
Markkanen may be Dirk 2.0 or he may turn out to be a long time reserve at the 4/5 in the NBA. The Wolves could use either of those.
Malik Monk may have a long career as a combo guard or he may end up as a sixth man. Not sure that we necessarily need either of those right now, but I wouldn't hate his addition.
Jonathan Isaac would possibly be the most ready to start if drafted by the Wolves merely because of some of his defensive stats. I don't know if I saw a single FSU Basketball game this past season so I'm going off data and intel from people whose job it is to know such things.
It's three weeks out so I may change my guess before the 22nd but if the Wolves make the pick and if he is available I think that Isaac is the guy. My gut feeling is that it will be included in a trade but in case it's not, I'm going to lock in Jonathon Isaac, final answer...for now 😏