Timberwolves pondering No. 1 pick

FILE — The 2019 NBA Draft prospects stand on stage with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver before the start of the 2019 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center on June 20, 2019 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. Sarah Stier/Getty Images/AFP

The Minnesota Timberwolves are continuing to weigh their options for the No. 1 overall draft pick.

Unlike last year, when Zion Williamson was the clear choice for the first pick for the New Orleans Pelicans, the Timberwolves have yet to identify their cornerstone player of the future.

The draft is set for Nov. 18 — delayed twice because of the coronavirus pandemic.

“There’s no guy that has separated himself from the pack from public or external view, but I’m very confident that as we go through this process, the talent will rise to the top and we’ll be confident about identifying one guy as the best guy, the best talented player with the most upside and most ability for our organization,” Gersson Rosas, the team’s director of basketball operations, said Wednesday.

The most recent mock drafts have pegged either 6-foot-5 guard Anthony Edwards, who played one season at Georgia, or 6-7 point guard LaMelo Ball as the Wolves’ pick. Another mock draft has Minnesota trading out of the No. 1 pick and moving down to draft 7-1 center James Wiseman.

Ball skipped college and went straight to the National Basketball League of Australia. Wiseman played three games as a freshman at Memphis, was suspended by the NCAA over eligibility issues, then withdrew from school to prepare for the draft.

“We feel good about the talent at the top,” Rosas said.

Minnesota, which finished the 2019-20 season at 19-45, also holds the No. 17 and 33 picks in the draft. The Timberwolves last selected first in draft in 2015, picking Karl-Anthony Towns. He’s averaged 22.7 points and 11.8 rebounds over 358 career games with the team.

The Timberwolves have made the playoffs once in the past 16 seasons.

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