2018 NBA Mock Draft: Where did the prospects go?

There has been a breakdown this season in Tom Thibodeau’s ability to find and develop young talent as the leader of Minnesota’s front office, but Alkins is someone who I trust Thibodeau the coach to develop better than most of the teams in the league.

Alkins quietly has an efficient shot distribution, taking over 40 percent of his shots from 3 and getting over four foul shots per game. He nailed 36 percent of his 3s thanks to the spacing provided by Allonzo Trier and Deandre Ayton, but is not merely a spot-up shooter. Alkins game is built around energy, and the ball finds him when you’d least expect it to over the course of a game.

Hoop-Math tracks putbacks over the course of the season for college teams, and the site lists Alkins as third on the team in total putbacks this year, behind Arizona’s starting backcourt, Ayton and Dusan Ristic. That tracks with the incredible hustle Alkins shows on the offensive glass, and the freedom he was allowed in the halfcourt by Arizona’s coaching staff.

Those qualities will endear him to Thibodeau, who has long valued defense, hustle and shot creation above all else. If Alkins and find easy shots by playing hard, the defense looks to be the easiest part of that equation. His body looks like it was constructed to play NBA defense, with broad shoulders, long arms and muscle to fight the massive wing scorers he will meet at the next level.