T-23. Minnesota Timberwolves: 10.5 points
- 2008: Kevin Love: 11 (5x all-star, 2x 2nd team)
- 2009: Ricky Rubio: 0.5
- 2011: Derrick Williams: -2 (bust with 2nd overall pick)
- 2014: Andrew Wiggins: -3 (bust with 1st overall pick)
- 2015: Karl-Anthony Towns: 4 (2x all-star, 1x 3rd team)
Andrew Wiggins is by far the harshest bust label that the formula has provided. And while he may not be what we would traditionally consider being a bust, a number one overall pick with zero all-star appearances who was traded in the middle of the year can’t be called a success story for the team either. Oh, and they had to throw in a minimally protected first-round pick to sweeten the pot too.
Try to get past the arbitrary bust label on Wiggins because the Timberwolves’ draft issues are much deeper than just him. Even if you take the bust penalty off from their score they only move up one spot.
The Wolves didn’t have a first-round pick from 2000-2002 and again in 2004 (shoutout to the Kevin McHale era). And in 2006 they took their 6th overall pick and gifted Brandon Roy’s draft rights to Portland. In fact, there is an actual ESPN article from 2006 titled: A Gift from Minnesota: How Brandon Roy got to Portland.
They did a good job landing Kevin Love in 2008 but famously passed on Steph Curry twice in 2009, using the 5th and 6th picks in that draft to take Ricky Rubio and Johnny Flynn respectively. And they passed on a future All-NBA player once again in the 2010 draft, taking Wesley Johnson with the 4th pick and leaving DeMarcus Cousins for the Kings at No. 5. All of that and we haven’t even touched on taking Derrick Williams with the 2nd pick in 2011.
I’ve mentioned how the Knicks and Pistons have been bad, but never bad enough. The Timberwolves don’t have that excuse. They’ve been bad enough plenty of times, but just rarely get it right when they have the opportunities.