- Here’s a list of the best Minnesota Timberwolves picks in franchise history.
- Kevin Garnett leads the list of players Minnesota selected through the draft.
- Other Timberwolves players included in the list are Karl Anthony-Towns and Anthony Edwards.
The Minnesota Timberwolves are one of the few teams in the NBA that haven’t experienced much success in the league. Since joining the league in 1989 as an expansion team, the franchise has only reached the playoffs 11 times. In those 11 postseason campaigns, the Timberwolves only got past the first round once. That came in 2004, when they reached the Western Conference Finals.
Because of this relatively low success rate, the Timberwolves are always at the bottom half of the NBA championship odds. Despite all these unfortunate results, the team’s front office is doing everything they can to select the best young talent in the draft that could drastically improve their title hopes.
Three players have stood out among the rest in the Timberwolves’ draft history, and even though they came up short of removing the franchise from the list of NBA teams that have never won a championship and NBA teams never to reach the NBA Finals, they still made remarkable contributions to the team.
Kevin Garnett
Kevin Garnett is arguably the greatest Minnesota Timberwolves player of all time, and he was drafted fifth overall in 1995. He is one of the several players who came straight out of high school and played in the league. The 6-foot-11 power forward needed a year to adjust in the NBA, and once he settled, he transformed into one of the best elite two-way players.
Introducing…
HALL OF FAMER KEVIN GARNETT 🐐 pic.twitter.com/HP9n5hRU9D
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) April 4, 2020
“The Big Ticket” started making noise around the league in his sophomore year and consistently became an All-Star, representing Minnesota in 10 All-Star Games. Along with the All-Star selections, Garnett was also named All-NBA 1st Team three times. His biggest achievement for the Timberwolves was the league MVP award in 2004, where he also led them to the Western Conference Finals, but fell short of reaching the NBA Finals.
Karl Anthony-Towns
After the Kevin Garnett era in Minnesota, the team tanked for 11 straight seasons until they landed the first overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft. The team used that pick to select Karl Anthony-Towns. The former Kentucky standout was the first legitimate star that the team had since Garnett, becoming one of the cornerstones of the team by instantly providing a double-double output in his rookie season.
OFFICIAL: Karl-Anthony Towns named 2015-16 KIA NBA Rookie of the Year in #UNANIMOUS Vote! #Back2Back #PowerOfThePack pic.twitter.com/Hel8dk57tE
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) May 16, 2016
In his first year in the league, “KAT” established himself as a threat inside the paint, averaging 18.3 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks per game to win the Rookie of the Year award. He also played a big part in snapping the Timberwolves’ 11-year playoff drought in 2018. In eight seasons with the team so far, the 7-foot center has produced an average of 20.8 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 4.8 assists in 511 games.
Anthony Edwards
Rounding out the list of the three best Minnesota Timberwolves draft picks is Anthony Edwards, who was selected as the No. 1 overall pick in 2020. The 6-foot-4 shooting guard formed a dynamic duo with Anthony-Towns. Although he fell short of winning the Rookie of the Year award in 2021, Edwards still averaged 19.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.9 assists in his first season in the NBA.
FIRST TIME ALL-STAR
🌟 ANTHONY EDWARDS 🌟 pic.twitter.com/4kitwh0DU6
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) February 10, 2023
Since that incredible rookie season that saw “Ant-Man” be part of the All-Rookie 1st team, he has improved his numbers in his second and third years. Because of this fast development, Edwards was able to help the Timberwolves clinch back-to-back postseason berths in 2022 and 2023, but they were booted out in the first round. The former Georgia star has produced career numbers of 21.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 3.7 assists in 223 games.
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