The Timberwolves are High on Obi Toppin

With only a month to go until the NBA draft, there still doesn’t seem to be any certainty within the league about what the Timberwolves will do with the first pick. There have been reports the Timberwolves will target Lamelo Ball with the #1 pick. However, some say they would prefer to trade the pick for a high-end contributor that can win right now alongside Karl-Anthony Towns and D’Angelo Russell.

Now according to Johnathon Wassurman, league sources believe the Timberwolves are high on Obi Toppin and will deeply consider drafting him:

“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.”

The consensus around Toppin is he has one of the highest floors in the draft. As a 22 year old forward, he has a very stout, developed frame with tremendous straight-line athleticism. His ability to finish around the basket, pass from the post, and hit open threes encourages scouts about how his game will translate to the NBA level.

For the Timberwolves, Toppin makes somewhat sense. His overall offensive versatility and ability to play in transition fits the Timberwolves space and pace system like a glove, especially since they could use a young power forward. Obi is also expected by many scouts to be a contributor right away in the NBA so be aligns with the Timberwolves’ desire to get players that can impact the game immediately.

The part that could be concerning for the Timberwolves is Obi Toppin struggled defensively. He gets lost at times on that end and struggles laterally which could put a lid on his defensive ceiling. These defensive concerns can make the front court fit between he and Towns a question mark.

The Timberwolves could go a million different directions with the first pick. Could they decide to go all-in on offense by drafting Obi Toppin with their first selection or by trading back? All we can do is wait and see.