NBA Draft: Minnesota Timberwolves Earn Surprising Grade

The Minnesota Timberwolves did opt to move off of pick #31 last night in a trade with the Phoenix Suns and ultimately picked Rocco Zikarsky at #45.

Of course, draft grades are out in full force on the heels of this year's draft, and the team ended up with a middle-of-the-road report card.

According to ESPN.com, the team's selections of Beringer and Zikarsky netted them a B- for a draft grade.

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Here's what the write up had to say:

Minnesota Timberwolves: B-
Round 1: Joan Beringer (No. 17)
Round 2: Rocco Zikarsky (No. 45)
The Timberwolves can envision how Beringer, a low-usage center who was a premier rim protector playing in Slovenia, will fit in their system. It's unrealistic to expect Beringer to become Rudy Gobert, a premier finisher with a wingspan measured 4 inches higher at the NBA draft combine.

But as Gobert ages, Minnesota will need a replacement and Beringer has the potential to fill that void.
In the second round, the Timberwolves doubled down on that role by taking the 7-foot-3 Zikarsky. The two players have remarkably similar projections, and it will be interesting to see how Minnesota handles their simultaneous development.

Minnesota was far from the worst graded team but were below average per the article. The New Orleans Pelicans (F) were this year's lowest graded team.

Source: ESPN.com