2018 NBA Mock Draft: What do playoff teams need?

It was a story of hot or cold for Knox at Kentucky this season, as he alternated between streaks where he looked like the next great 3-and-D player and ones that made you wonder what value he might have on offense at all. The Timberwolves badly need a player like the one Knox was in November, January and February.

Starting with the beginning of the year, effectively the first two months of conference play, Knox shot 38.5 percent from distance and averaged 4.6 attempts per game. Each of those numbers was the most of any month all year for the freshman wing. It coincided with the elevation of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to the team’s lead ball-handler, a lineup that worked well for Kentucky and created open shots for Knox. He became the team’s No. 2 option, slotting in behind Gilgeous-Alexander as primarily a shooter and transition scorer.

Considering Knox’s height and length, his ability to shoot and defend smaller players well enough to survive as the nominal two-guard in lineups with Jimmy Butler and Andrew Wiggins could make the Timberwolves into a slightly different team that uses its size as an advantage.

Knox may need time, but most of Minnesota’s roster is still young, and he could be useful by the time they make a championship push.