The Minnesota Timberwolves have a good problem after winning the No. 1 pick in the 2015 NBA Draft on Tuesday night. Should they draft Kentucky's Karl-Anthony Towns or Duke's Jahlil Okafor? The two big men are considered the top players in the class and the Timberwolves are "genuinely torn" over who they'll choose, according to ESPN's Chad Ford.
Timberwolves ‘torn’ between Karl-Anthony Towns and Jahlil Okafor for No. 1 pick
Which gifted big man will Minnesota select with its first No. 1 pick in franchise history?
Guessing at who teams will select in the June 25 draft is a fool’s errand at this point given that many just learned where they’ll be picking, but the consensus is that Towns or Okafor will be the top pick. The Timberwolves could use either talent given their holes in the frontcourt and most likely will select whoever they believe is the draft’s best player.
Towns is considered the odds-on favorite, just ahead of Okafor, in many recent mock drafts, but Ford’s report indicates the Timberwolves haven’t made their decision yet. While the tide seems to be going towards Towns, there are no shortage of reasons to think Okafor goes No. 1 instead. Could Minnesota go for the Duke one-and-done instead?
Why picking Okafor makes sense
In his post-lottery mock draft, Ford says that the Timberwolves “are the only team some NBA scouts believe might take Jahlil Okafor over Towns.” In almost every mock draft available, Towns is listed as the top prospect in the class and the probable favorite to be selected No. 1 overall. Okafor, who spent much of the year projected at No. 1, has been bumped to consensus No. 2.
So why would Minnesota ignore the masses and go with Okafor instead? For one, he’s an amazing prospect in his own right. “Offensively, Okafor is the most gifted young big man I’ve seen in a decade,” Ford wrote. He was arguably the best player in college basketball all season before ultimately losing the Player of the Year Award to Wisconsin’s Frank Kaminsky, and should be able to translate that polished offensive game to the NBA quickly.
Okafor also has the size and athleticism to become a much better defensive player than he currently is. The lack of defensive aptitude is easily the biggest knock on the Duke big man, but the 19-year-old could benefit from professional training and coaching. Ford says he looked slimmed down in New York, and that’s likely the first step in preparing to learn NBA team defense for him.
So you're talking about a wunderkind of a post scorer with the potential to fill out the remainder of his game and become a great player. He would likely become redundant with Nikola Pekovic at some point, necessitating some moves there to find better fits in the frontcourt, but there may not be a safer pick in the draft. It's possible Minnesota views Okafor as the best player available.
Why not picking Okafor (and picking Towns) makes sense
There’s a reason Towns is rated above Okafor in most draft rankings, despite the hype built for the Duke star throughout the year. While Okafor could develop into an elite offensive player fairly quickly, Towns is the one with the potential to become an all-around dominant superstar.
As Ford said in his mock draft, selecting Towns would give Minnesota the chance to form a "superteam" with Ricky Rubio at point guard, Andrew Wiggins and Zach LaVine on the wings and Towns joining Gorgui Dieng in the frontcourt. That group would be as physically gifted as any starting five around and could develop into a defensive juggernaut with the size and athleticism on-hand.
Versatility is really what separates Towns from Okafor. Not only is the Kentucky big man already a far superior defender with possible DPOY potential, but he should be able to develop a dangerous outside game and become a weapon on the offensive end, as well. The possibilities with Towns feel endless. Combined with Wiggins, that’s the kind of lottery ticket any franchise would buy into.
Okafor might be a safer pick, a surefire 20-point scorer, but he doesn’t have the game-changing potential that Towns does. The Timberwolves want the best player available and most people think that’s Towns, so there’s a pretty good chance they come to the same conclusion.
Likelihood
Minnesota could go either way, but it seems hard to believe Towns won’t go No. 1 overall given the momentum that’s been established over the past few months. Scouts just love his two-way potential and worry about Okafor’s lack of it, so the Timberwolves would have to see something others don’t to take such a big leap with their first No. 1 pick in franchise history. Neither player is a lock at this point as we still have a fair amount of time before draft day, but things still point toward Towns.
We’ll peg the odds of the team going with Okafor at 3 out of 10.
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