The Timberwolves and free-agent power forward Noah Vonleh have agreed agree to a one-year deal, according to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic.
Vonleh, 24, already has five seasons in the NBA under his belt after being selected ninth overall by Charlotte in the 2014 NBA Draft. Last season, Vonleh played for the Knicks and averaged 8.4 points and 7.8 rebounds while starting 57 of 69 games.
Before 2018-19, Vonleh played for the Bulls, Trail Blazers and Hornets, most commonly as a backup big man off the bench.
His Per 36 minutes statistics are pretty impressive, as he was on pace to average 11.9 points and 11 rebounds per game last season. And as NBA reporter Dane Moore notes, Vonleh does two things pretty well: rebound and defend.
Noah Vonleh is a BIG dude.
— height: 6'8" (w/out shoes)
— wingspan: 7'4.25"
— weight: 247(!)Last season in New York:
— 10th in defensive real plus-minus amongst PFs who played over 1700 minutes
— below-average offensive metrics
— 1 of 28 'positive' PFs in real plus-minus— Dane Moore (@DaneMooreNBA) July 2, 2019
It’s unclear what kind of role he’ll have with the Wolves, but with Taj Gibson (signing with the Knicks), Dario Saric (traded to Phoenix) and Anthony Tolliver (signing with Portland) all gone from last year’s roster, Minnesota lacks depth at power forward.
Minnesota could start Vonleh at power forward next to Karl-Anthony Towns at center to allow rookie first-round pick Jarrett Culver and opportunity to be groomed off the bench. Or, Culver could be thrown into the fire as the starting power forward with Vonley in a reserve role.
Culver is a bit of a do-it-all wing, reportedly capable of playing shooting guard and both forward positions. He’s only 6-foot-7 but has a wingspan of close to 6-foot-11.
The Wolves signed power forward Jordan Bell on Monday, so he could be competing for the starting job as well.
Wolves depth based on players on the roster and reported deals/restricted free agents:
PG: Jeff Teague, Tyus Jones (restricted free agent), Shabazz Napier
SG: Andrew Wiggins, Josh Okogie, Jaylen Nowell, Treveon Graham
SF: Robert Covington, Jarrett Culver, C.J. Williams
PF: Noah Vonleh, Jordan Bell, Keita Bates-Diop
C: Karl-Anthony Towns, Gorgui Dieng
You can get to know a little more about Vonleh here.
