Tonight, all eyes will be on the Minnesota Timberwolves as they make the first overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft. Reporters and analysts have been trying to figure out for weeks who the Wolves will select with the No. 1 pick—most settling on either Jahlil Okafor or Karl-Anthony Towns—both excellent players who would improve the struggling Timberwolves. Okafor is a 19-year-old center for Duke who has won multiple National Player of the Year awards at the collegiate and high school levels. Towns, just one month older than Okafor, is a center for Kentucky who doesn’t fall short when it comes to his list of awards and accolades. However, the two have one key difference heading into the 2015 draft—Okafor has no interest playing for Minnesota and Towns does.
Now, it’s not really fair to say that Okafor has absolutely no interest in playing for Minnesota. However, multiple reports have surfaced that Okafor would ideally like to be bypassed by the Timberwolves and instead be drafted second by the Los Angeles Lakers. While he’s denied the reports, it’s not hard to see why he could have that opinion. We Minnesotans will support the Timberwolves through and through, but it’s no secret how they have faired over the past few years. Duke’s a perennial champion and so are the Lakers, so it’s not far-fetched that he would want to continue on that path. On the other hand, Mr. Towns has expressed his delight for possibly playing in Minnesota:
“It would be a blessing and an honor to even have a chance to play for Minnesota and be able to have the chance to play for a great organization and learn from a great mentor like Kevin Garnett,” he said to SNY.tv just over a month ago.
Towns’ desire to play for the Timberwolves makes him someone fans will want to root for. He’s a name you want on the back of your jersey. He’s someone you’ll want to head to Target Center to cheer on. Bringing back that fan connection is extremely important to a struggling team—especially since you could recently get four tickets to a Timberwolves game for under $50 which not only includes a free popcorn/ice cream but also includes free tickets to shoot a free throw on the court after the game.
So, there are two potential draft picks: Jahlil Okafor and Karl-Anthony Towns. Both are 19. Both are centers. Both will be great additions to any NBA team. Towns would love to play in Minnesota, Okafor’s not dead-set on the Twin Cities.
Who do you want for the Wolves?