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It is almost impossible to know which college or high school player could turn out to be a star and which one may turn out to be a bust when teams pick such players in the NBA draft. In this regard, the Minnesota Timberwolves are no different.
Yet, it is the job of these organizations to recognize talent. Scouters and coaches attend college games all the time, with some front-office personnel even attending international games to find talent. Many metrics are studied, and come draft night, the franchises get an opportunity to draft young players to fit their rosters.
There are a bevy of variables at play,and not every NBA draft pick's career flourishes. The right coach, franchise and teammates along with the dedication of the player itself, all contribute to a player's development.
Considering the same, it is natural to expect that there will be times when a team, Minnesota Timberwolves included, makes mistakes in the NBA draft.
The five worst mistakes made by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the NBA Draft
Many teams have made mistakes in the NBA draft, but none worse than the Minnesota Timberwolves, though. Having passed on potential future Hall of Famers and All-Stars, let's take a look at the five worst mistakes made by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the NBA Draft.
#5 2010 NBA Draft (Wesley Johnson at No. 4)
Players missed out on: DeMarcus Cousins (Drafted at No. 5), Paul George (Drafted at No. 10), Gordan Hayward (Drafted at No. 9).
Wesley Johnson played for the Minnesota Timberwolves for just two years, averaging just 7.5 points per game, after which he was traded to the Phoenix Suns and then kept bouncing around the league in trades and transfers.
Johnson, surprisingly, has played most of his career as a starter yet never managed to average over ten points in a game.
Following his struggles in the NBA, the former Minnesota Timberwolves player last year signed a one-year deal with Panathinaikos BC, an Athens-based 'Greek Basket League' team. In his first game with the Greek club, he managed to score just seven points in 19 minutes against AEK Athens, though.
Drafted just one pick ahead of Johnson was DeMarcus Cousins, one of the best big men in the NBA with career averages of 21.2 points and 11 rebounds per game. The Minnesota Timberwolves also missed out on two other All-Stars in that draft: Paul George and Gordon Hayward.
George took his Indiana Pacers team to Game 7 of the NBA Conference Finals in 2013.
#4 2014 NBA Draft (Glenn Robinson III at No. 40)
Players missed out on: Nikola Jokic (Drafted at No. 41).
One of the NBA Draft's biggest surprises, Nikola Jokic is currently one of the best big men in the league and is often regarded as one of the best passing centers; he could very easily have been a Minnesota Timberwolves player.
Jokic, with his patented 'Sombor Shuffle', led the Denver Nuggets to two consecutive 3-1 comebacks in the 2020 NBA Playoffs along with Jamal Murray. He has made two All-NBA selections, with one of them being the All-NBA first team in 2019.
Glenn Robinson III, on the other hand, didn't do much for the Minnesota Timberwolves franchise, playing only one season with them, where he averaged only 1.2 points per game.
Robinson III has found himself to be nothing but a role player, with his best season yet coming as a starter in the Golden State Warriors roster due to the team's injury issues.
Understandably no one could have predicted Jokic to have become what he did as the 11th pick in the second round. But passing on him by just one pick is disappointing, considering the Minnesota Timberwolves' earlier mistakes in the NBA Draft.
#3 2008 NBA Draft (OJ Mayo at No. 3)
Players missed out on: Russell Westbrook (Drafted at No. 4), Kevin Love (Drafted at No. 5), Eric Gordon (Drafted at No. 7), Brook Lopez (Drafted at No. 10), JaVale McGee (Drafted at No. 18), Serge Ibaka (Drafted at No. 24).
OJ Mayo's NBA career has been pretty average, with underwhelming numbers such as 13 points, three assists and three rebounds per game. Mayo found himself playing for three teams in his NBA career. However, despite a selection in the All-Rookie First Team in 2009, he hasn't done much since.
Nevertheless, he has found decent success internationally while playing for teams in Puerto Rico and China, most recently with the Liaoning Flying Leopards of the Chinese Basketball Association.
The Minnesota Timberwolves, however, passed on a future MVP, Russell Westbrook, by just one pick.
Westbrook, regarded as one of the most explosive points guards in the NBA, averaged a triple-double for three straight seasons. He has nine All-Star and All-NBA selections and numerous other accolades, such as scoring leader and assist leader.
Kevin Love, who was eventually traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves, is an NBA champion with 5 All-Star selections.
Other players the Minnesota Timberwolves missed out one - Eric Gordon, Brook Lopez, JaVale McGee and Serge Ibaka - have all had better careers than OJ Mayo.
#2 2013 NBA Draft (Trey Burke at No. 9)
Players missed out on: CJ McCollum (Drafted at No. 10), Giannis Antetokounmpo (Drafted at No. 15), Rudy Gobert (Drafted at No. 27).
Trey Burke's NBA career has been underwhelming, to say the least. He has averaged ten points, two rebounds and three assists per game, but he never seems to stick with one team for too long.
On NBA Draft night 2013, Trey Burke was traded away to the Utah Jazz for their pick Shabaaz Muhammad, who wasn't a gem in the draft class either.
In the process, the Minnesota Timberwolves passed on back-to-back MVP and one of the best power forwards currently and arguably ever, Giannis Antetokounmpo from Greece, who has turned into a sensation in the NBA.
Known as the 'Greek Freak', he has taken the Milwaukee Bucks franchise to its best regular-season record for two years straight. He is also one of the best defenders in the league and won the 2020 Defensive Player of the Year award.
Another brilliant shot-blocker, two-time Defensive Player of the Year award winner, Rudy Gobert, was also passed on by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the same draft.
CJ McCollum, who was also passed on just a pick away, is performing at the top of his game for the Portland Trailblazers.
#1 2009 NBA Draft (Jonny Flynn at No. 6)
Players missed out on: Stephen Curry (Drafted at No. 7), DeMar DeRozan (Drafted at No. 9)
The monumental disaster of the Minnesota Timberwolves' 2009 NBA Draft is a tale still told in the NBA.
It often happens that a team passes on an elite player simply because he doesn't fit in its roster. For example, you wouldn't expect the Portland Trailblazers to draft a point guard with Damian Lillard or Denver Nuggets to draft a center with Nikola Jokić.
However, what will you say if a team enters the NBA draft planning to draft a point guard but still passes on one of the greatest point guards that has ever lived?
Officially one of the biggest NBA draft debacles ever, the Minnesota Timberwolves drafted three point guards in the same draft class but still passed on Stephen Curry.
The only unanimous MVP ever, eventually got drafted at No. 7, but the Minnesota Timberwolves, yet again, had not one but two picks right before Curry was drafted.
They picked up Ricky Rubio at No. 5 and Jonny Flynn at No. 6. Not only did they pass on a 'once in a generation' talent like Curry, who has changed the game as we know it, the two point guards they drafted averaged disappointing numbers for the team and do not play for the franchise any more.
