{"id":80381,"date":"2024-06-05T02:25:13","date_gmt":"2024-06-05T06:25:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=80381"},"modified":"2024-06-05T02:25:13","modified_gmt":"2024-06-05T06:25:13","slug":"2024-nba-draft-timberwolves-sniffing-out-high-scoring-prospects","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/06\/05\/2024-nba-draft-timberwolves-sniffing-out-high-scoring-prospects\/","title":{"rendered":"2024 NBA Draft: Timberwolves Sniffing Out High-Scoring Prospects"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The Minnesota Timberwolves can\u2019t rely on the 2024 NBA Draft to take the next step forward as a franchise. More than likely, <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/06\/02\/timberwolves-head-honchos-address-future-embattled-karl-anthony-towns\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">it\u2019ll take a splash trade<\/a>, the Timberwolves at least remodeling their Twin Tower lineup. However, there are incremental moves that Minnesota can make with an eye on fortifying their roster.<\/p>\n<h2>Timberwolves Sniffing Out High-Scoring Prospects<\/h2>\n<h3>Monte Morris Replacement?<\/h3>\n<p>On Monday, the Timberwolves brought UC Santa Barbara guard <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/05\/27\/ajay-mitchell-2024-nba-draft-profile\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Ajay Mitchell<\/a> in for a closer look.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">The <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Timberwolves?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@Timberwolves<\/a> are hosting a draft workout today with the following prospects:<\/p>\n<p>Melvin Ajinca (France)<br \/>\nJalen Bridges (Baylor)<br \/>\nTristan Enaruna (Cleveland State)<br \/>\nAjay Mitchell (UC Santa Barbara)<br \/>\nJonathan Mogbo (San Francisco)<br \/>\nBaylor Scheierman (Creighton)<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Timberwolves PR (@Twolves_PR) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Twolves_PR\/status\/1797634034056704069?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">June 3, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Mitchell would be a terrific pickup for the Timberwolves.<\/p>\n<p>At 6-foot-4 and 180 pounds, he\u2019s a solid passer, better defender, and splendid scorer. It\u2019s the last trait, obviously, that makes him a smart target for Minnesota. Quick, shifty, instinctive, and downright skilled, he excels at putting the ball in the basket. However, his upside as a two-way playmaker makes him an even more viable rotation piece, especially as the Timberwolves are at their best when they\u2019re playing tough and disciplined.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Ajay Mitchell - 2024 NBA Draft Scouting Highlights - UC Santa Barbara\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/FjXraqUzP14?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>In 2023-24, Mitchell averaged 20.0 points, 4.0 assists, and 1.2 steals per game, shooting 50.4 percent from the field and 39.3 percent from 3. It was his second consecutive season averaging at least 16 points, four assists, and one steal per game on 50.0 percent shooting from the field.<\/p>\n<p>With <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/m\/morrimo01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Monte Morris<\/a> hitting free agency this offseason, Mitchell can legitimately be his replacement.<\/p>\n<h3>Big or Small?<\/h3>\n<p>On Tuesday, Colorado guard KJ Simpson and Akron forward Enrique Freeman were in for a predraft workout.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">The <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Timberwolves?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@Timberwolves<\/a> are hosting a draft workout today with the following prospects:<\/p>\n<p>Sy Chatman (Buffalo)<br \/>\nEnrique Freeman (Akron)<br \/>\nPelle Larsson (Arizona)<br \/>\nKJ Simpson (Colorado)<br \/>\nJustin Webster (UNLV)<br \/>\nMoses Wood (Washington)<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Timberwolves PR (@Twolves_PR) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Twolves_PR\/status\/1798057578670485677?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">June 4, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Simpson has also <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/06\/03\/magic-colorado-standout-headlines-predraft-workouts\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">had predraft workouts with<\/a> the Denver Nuggets and Orlando Magic.<\/p>\n<p>This is notable not only because the Timberwolves may have real competition for him, but because if two other playoff-contenders are looking at him, there must be good reason. In Simpson\u2019s case, there are 19.7 of them; the number of points the three-level scorer averaged in 2023-24.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Enrique Freeman - Senior Season Highlights\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/k9H8sobpmQg?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>The 2024 MAC Player of the Year, Freeman averaged 18.6 points, 12.9 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks per game in 2023-24. It was his second straight season averaging a double-double and fourth consecutive season averaging at least one block per game. A four-time MAC All-Defensive selection, it may seem strange he\u2019s being praised for his offense.<\/p>\n<p>Nonetheless, Freeman is an inside-outside scorer with an NBA-ready body. His physical profile and skillset don\u2019t exactly matchup, as he\u2019s 6-foot-7 and 205 pounds. However, because he\u2019s so good at what he does well, it almost doesn\u2019t matter. His soft touch, graceful footwork, and solid strength allowed him to score 1.09 points per possession in 2023-24 (91st percentile).<\/p>\n<p>Both Simpson and Freeman\u2019s ceilings will largely be determined by whether they can keep up their efficiency from beyond the arc.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Minnesota Timberwolves can\u2019t rely on the 2024 NBA Draft to take the next step forward as a franchise. More than likely, it\u2019ll take a splash trade, the Timberwolves at least remodeling their Twin Tower lineup. However, there are incremental moves that Minnesota can make with an eye on fortifying their roster. Timberwolves Sniffing Out [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5008,"featured_media":80396,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[21,1608,62,556,3],"tags":[49285,49286,49279,98],"class_list":["post-80381","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-timberwolves","category-basketball","category-nba","category-nba-draft","category-news","tag-ajay-mitchell","tag-enrique-freeman","tag-kj-simpson","tag-nba-draft"],"modified_by":"Quenton S Albertie","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80381","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5008"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=80381"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80381\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/80396"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=80381"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=80381"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=80381"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}