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Minnesota Timberwolves: How Josh Okogie can be the best rookie next season

By Keith Rivas

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - FEBRUARY 21: Devon Hall #0 of the Virginia Cavaliers and Josh Okogie #5 of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets reach for a loose ball in the first half during a game at John Paul Jones Arena on February 21, 2018 in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - FEBRUARY 21: Devon Hall #0 of the Virginia Cavaliers and Josh Okogie #5 of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets reach for a loose ball in the first half during a game at John Paul Jones Arena on February 21, 2018 in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images) /
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MINNEAPOLIS, MN – OCTOBER 20: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Utah Jazz reacts to a play during the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on October 20, 2017 at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Timberwolves defeated the Jazz 100-97. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – OCTOBER 20: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Utah Jazz reacts to a play during the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on October 20, 2017 at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Timberwolves defeated the Jazz 100-97. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /

Play his best basketball within his division

It’s one thing to try and stand out as the best rookie in the NBA, but Josh Okogie has a pretty direct path if he wants to even be in the conversation. Minnesota shares the Northwest Division with Portland, Utah, Denver, and Oklahoma City. You could the argument that this division is actually the most evenly talented within their own division.

All of the teams from this division made the playoffs last year with the exception of the Denver Nuggets, who only failed to make it because of a loss in the last game of the regular season to Minnesota that allowed the Wolves to jump into the eighth seed.

The only major unknown is what will happen to Paul George on the Thunder, but we will know that in a few days. Other than that, the rest of the division will provide more than enough of a test for Okogie to show us all what he can really do on the floor against the best players in the world.

Portland and Utah also fought tooth and nail down to the regular season finale for playoff seeding, with the Trail Blazers earning the third seed in the Western Conference and Utah dropping to fifth behind the Thunder. For now, C.J. McCollum and Damian Lillard still run the shown in Portland and Donovan Mitchell isn’t going anywhere anytime soon if Salt Lake City can help it.

McCollum and Lillard are some of the best guards in the league and Mitchell made a run for Rookie of the Year just last season, falling short to Ben Simmons of Philadelphia. Oklahoma City will still have Russell Westbrook who is a season off of being league MVP. Denver also has a nice team who could’ve very well been the ones to eliminate Minnesota from contention when things came down to the wire.

The point being in all of this is that if Okogie is going to stand out in terms of the best rookie across the league, he’s only going to be legitimately in the conversation if he can play well against his own division. If they can find a way to eat him alive in divisional games, it won’t be nearly the rookie season that it could’ve been.

However, a lot can happen over the span of 82 games. There’s surely going to be highs and lows to his first season in the league, but anything is possible and he’s got the tools that he needs to take care of business when it comes to that. It’s the perfect test for him.

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