The Minnesota Timberwolves’ draft strategy of selecting two tall but raw big men in Jon Beringer and later Rocco Zikarski raised eyebrows. On one hand, the Wolves needed to secure a plan after Rudy Gobert left at the deadline. With Gobert still in the mix, finding someone who could keep the team afloat during non-Rudy minutes was a logical priority.
The problem is that it’s difficult to develop two raw 18-year-olds for a team with title aspirations. Personally, I agree with a raw possibility; There’s no denying Beringer’s positives, but I never thought drafting two was practical. So far, Beringer has only had 37 minutes (all garbage time), and Zikarski has spent all of his time in the G League.
Unfortunately, the Wolves defense struggled without Gobert, posting a -19.7 on/off defensive swing, per Cleaning the Glass. This highlights the need for another centre.
Now, it would be foolish to rule out the possibility of any of these players eventually becoming contributors. However, it is fair to say that Wolves should have played a safer prospect with one of their picks.
Ryan Kalkbrenner was by far the obvious safe pick, and the second rounder has been thriving so far with the Charlotte Hornets.
Timberwolves’ Ryan Kalkbrenner’s mistake
Kalkbrenner has been one of the best newcomers this season. The Creighton product is averaging 9.4 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.9 blocks while shooting an impressive 80.3 percent from the field. Now I know what you’re thinking, Kalkbrenner was the 34th pick while Zikarski was the 45th pick.
However, let’s not forget that the Wolves had the first pick of the second round. Minnesota moved up five spots to the Phoenix Suns and gained two spots back in the second round in the process. The Wolves traded up again to draft Zikarski with the No. 45 pick, this time receiving only cash back with the pick.
Listen, I think cash was a factor, and getting a two-way capable player in Zikarsky was desirable. However, after selecting Beringer in the first round, the Wolves should have targeted a safer prospect in Kalkbrenner. It would have made sense to stay at 31 and draft Kalkbrenner, or simply trade back a few spots and draft him.
Of course, hindsight is 20/20, and I don’t want to act like this was a bad move simply because of the early 15-game results. Still, Kalkbrenner was in the top 25 of my personal big board, and it was always clear how ready he was for the NBA.
Ryan Kalkbrenner would be a perfect fit for the Timberwolves
Kalkbrenner wasn’t an ideal prospect, but he would have been a perfect fit for a Wolves team looking to strengthen their center back depth. At 23, he didn’t have as much potential as many prospects. However, that’s just fine for a competitive Timberwolves team. In fact, it is ideal to draft experienced college players who can contribute immediately.
As a four-time Defensive Player of the Year in college, it was clear that Kalkbrenner could make an immediate impact as a drop coverage style rim protector. I’m not saying he’s going to be a historically great defender like Gobert, but he has a similar skill set. Kalkbrenner ranks in the 96th percentile for blocks per 100 assets according to Databaller.
Offensively, Kalkbrenner is an efficient scorer around the rim, especially as a lob threat. He is also an excellent screener. This made Kalkbrenner always a high-floor player. To manage non-Gobert minutes and eventually take over as the starting center, Kalkbrenner would have been perfect.
Non-Rudy minutes have been a major problem all year, but frankly, that wouldn’t be the case if the Wolves had added Kalkbrenner in June.
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