The Minnesota Timberwolves hold the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft. In a normal year, having the top pick means selecting a blue-chip prospect that can transform a franchise. But in 2020, a down class has made many wonder what the Timberwolves are going to do with that pick.
The top candidates should the Wolves hang onto the selection are LaMelo Ball, James Wiseman and Anthony Edwards. While the Wolves have been connected with Ball and Edwards, there’s another prospect that has reportedly made his way into the conversation.
According to Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman, Dayton forward Obi Toppin is on the radar of several teams ahead of the Nov. 18 draft. As Toppin’s stock has begun to heat up, Wasserman believes the Wolves are one of the teams interested.
“The question is whether they’d be willing to take him first overall or if they’d only draft the big man out of Dayton in a trade-down scenario,” Wasserman said.
The appealing aspect of Toppin’s game is his offensive ability. Toppin averaged 20 points per game and shot 29 percent from three-point range for the Flyers last season. With top-flight athleticism, Toppin can also get to the rim as evidenced by his 83 dunks, which led the nation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbFyQBtLkVc
While Toppin’s offensive ability appears to be NBA ready, there are more questions about him on the defensive end. Toppin has a 7-foot-2 wingspan, but his rebounding is considered to be a weakness. Still, the 6-foot-9 forward put up 7.5 rebounds per game while leading Dayton to a 29-2 record.
Toppin’s added bonus is positional versatility. While he mainly played power forward, he also spent time at center, which could give Ryan Saunders more options with his lineup and mesh well with Karl-Anthony Towns.
At age 22, some will be worried about Toppin’s status as a late bloomer, but he could be a fit with the Wolves. The only question is if the Wolves would be bold enough to take Toppin first or trade down to accumulate picks for a “win-now” player and perhaps a bigger move down the road.
