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NBA Draft: Timberwolves Have Decisions to Make

By Paul Bellesen

May 17, 2016; New York, NY, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns is interviewed during the NBA draft lottery at New York Hilton Midtown. The Philadelphia 76ers received the first overall pick in the 2016 draft. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
May 17, 2016; New York, NY, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns is interviewed during the NBA draft lottery at New York Hilton Midtown. The Philadelphia 76ers received the first overall pick in the 2016 draft. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mar 17, 2016; Des Moines, IA, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Jamal Murray (23) shoots the ball against Stony Brook Seawolves guard Lucas Woodhouse (34) during the first half in the first round of the 2016 NCAA Tournament at Wells Fargo Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 17, 2016; Des Moines, IA, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Jamal Murray (23) shoots the ball against Stony Brook Seawolves guard Lucas Woodhouse (34) during the first half in the first round of the 2016 NCAA Tournament at Wells Fargo Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports /

Jamal Murray, the combo guard out of Kentucky, is another consideration for the 5th pick. An amazing athlete, Murray put together an amazing freshman season for the Wildcats. Some see him as the third best prospect in this draft, behind Simmons and Ingram.

Murray is also a dead eye shooter, having amazing accuracy coming off screens. He posted a line of .454/.408/.783. All though not the numbers Hield posted, no one will complain about 40% shooting from beyond the arc on almost 8 attempts per game on average.

Murray is another fit with the Timberwolves biggest need, shooting from beyond the arc. Some value him more than other prospects like Hield because he can play both guard spots. Murray insists that he is a point guard at the next level and just played shooting guard because Tyler Ulis was at Kentucky. He could play off the bench behind Zach Lavine and Ricky Rubio.

If Murray is selected by the Timberwolves, he has a few things in common with some of the team’s cornerstones. Murray attended Kentucky, like Karl-Anthony Towns. He is also from Canada, like Andrew Wiggins, and plays on the Canadian National team.

Some see Murray’s age as a benefit, noting that he is nowhere near his ceiling. Another view on Murray coming from Kentucky is that he could be similar to Towns and Devin Booker. Similar in the fact that every year Kentucky has so many blue chip prospects that the players are asked to do certain roles and have not shown their full potential. As we saw last year, Towns was asked to play the post and rebound at Kentucky, and not many knew he had a long-range shot. Same with Booker, as he was in the same role as Murray, and just asked to come around screens and shoot from beyond the arc. Could Murray be the next Devin Booker?

Next: A Dunn Deal?

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