Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry (print and digital media). A freelance writer/stay-at-home dad since 2008, Hawkins started his career with newspaper stints in Michigan, North Carolina, Florida, Upstate New York and Illinois, where he earned the 2004 APSE first-place award for column writing (under 40,000 circulation). As a beat writer, he covered NASCAR Winston Cup events at NHIS (1999-2003), the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks (2003-06) and the NFL's Carolina Panthers (2011-12). Hawkins penned four youth sports books, including a Michael Jordan biography. Hawkins' main hobbies include mountain bike riding, 5k trail runs at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C., and live music.
All posts by Jeff HawkinsOver the past 10 NBA Drafts (2006-2015), the Minnesota Timberwolves have made 26 selections, yielding just one All-Star in Kevin Love – who is no longer with the team.
The following table details the Timberwolves’ track record by tiers, noting the number of All-Stars and starters selected, along with players who either never made the league or were out in five years or less:
| Tier | Picks | All-Star | All-Star Appearances | Starter* | Not in NBA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1-5 | 5 | 1 (20%) | 3 | 4 (80%) | 0 |
| 6-10 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 (33.3%) | 1 (33.3%) |
| 11-15 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 16-20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 21-25 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 26-30 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 (50%) |
| 31-40 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 41-50 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 (100%) |
| 51-60 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 (75%) |
| Total | 26 | 1 (3.8%) | 3 | 5 (19.2%) | 9 (34.6%) |
*Starter criteria determined as an average of 50 or more starts, over at least 40 percent of the player’s career.
The following is the league average over the same tiers:
| Tier | All-Star | Starter | Not in NBA |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-5 | 12 (24%) | 30 (60%) | 3 (6%) |
| 6-10 | 8 (16%) | 30 (60%) | 7 (14%) |
| 11-15 | 2 (4%) | 12 (24%) | 8 (16%) |
| 16-20 | 3 (6%) | 10 (20%) | 8 (16%) |
| 21-25 | 2 (4%) | 8 (16%) | 15 (30%) |
| 26-30 | 1 (2%) | 5 (10%) | 20 (40%) |
| 31-40 | 1 (2%) | 11 (11%) | 52 (52%) |
| 41-50 | 2 (2%) | 8 (8%) | 70 (70%) |
| 51-60 | 1 (1%) | 1 (1%) | 87 (87%) |
| Total | 32 (5.3%) | 115 (19.7%) | 270 (45.0%) |
The Timberwolves’ only drafted All-Star is now playing with the Cleveland Cavaliers (Love), although both Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins (who wasn’t drafted by the Timberwolves) have the potential to add to that list as they develop.
Note that players are included with the team through any draft-day trades. Some teams pick well but let an eventual starter leave for another, but that’s beyond the scope of this article. Recently drafted players have yet to officially pass the “at least five years” test, but were considered as such if on a team’s roster by the end of the 2015-16 season.
Additionally, recent picks who have yet to join the NBA may still do so, but for this analysis are considered “out.”
Pick History 2006-2015
All-Stars: Kevin Love (2008-5) — three appearances
Starters: Randy Foye (2006-7), Love, Ricky Rubio (2009-5), Wesley Johnson (2010-4), Karl-Anthony Towns (2015-1)
Rotation Players: Craig Smith (2006-36), Corey Brewer (2007-7), Nikola Pekovic (2008-31), Wayne Ellington (2009-28), Nemanja Bjelica (2010-35), Derrick Williams (2011-2), Shabazz Muhammad (2013-14), Gorgui Dieng (2013-21), Lorenzo Brown (2013-52), Zach LaVine (2014-13), Glenn Robinson III (2014-40), Tyus Jones (2015-24)
Out in Five Years or Less: Loukas Mavrvrokefalidis (2006-57), Chris Richard (2007-41), Jonny Flynn (2009-6), Henk Norel (2009-47), Lazar Hayward (2010-30), Paulo Prestes (2010-45), Malcolm Lee (2011-43), Robbie Hummel (2012-58), Bojan Dubljevic (2013-59)
