The Wolves will go against two familiar players dressed in the purple and gold tonight.
Neither Wesley Johnson or Wayne Ellington found their niche with the Timberwolves, but since they left, they have found roles in the NBA – although probably not up to the standards they had when they were drafted.
Let’s examine each player – how he did with the Wolves and how he’s done since.
Wesley Johnson
Johnson was drafted back in 2010 with the fourth overall pick. While his career is often labeled as a bust, it was considered a consensus pick by many because of DeMarcus Cousins and his attitude issues.
Hindsight is 20/20.
Johnson spent two seasons with Minnesota and averaged just 7.7 points during those seasons, shooting 39.8 percent from the field and 34.1 percent from the three-point line. The Wolves were hoping that Johnson would develop into a lights out shooter, but that wasn’t the case.
The Wolves traded Johnson July 27, 2012 (along with a future first-round pick) to the Phoenix Suns. The Wolves acquired three future second-round picks.
In his lone season in Phoenix, Johnson averaged eight points per game.
On July 15, 2013, he signed a contract with the Lakers and this is where he’s found a home, so to speak. Johnson has played shooting guard, small forward and power forward for the rebuilding Lakers. In his two seasons, he’s averaged 9.1 and 9.8 points (career-high), respectively. He’s also hauled in more than four rebounds per game in both years, the first time he’s done that in his career. This season, he’s knocking down 41.1 percent of his shots.
Johnson is by no means a star player in this league and he isn’t a starter for a playoff team, but he could become a valuable rotational piece for a good team.
Wayne Ellington
The Wolves drafted Ellington with the 28th pick in the 2009 Draft. Ellington spent his first three seasons with the Wolves, playing in a total of 189 games. He had his moments, but never really found his role. He averaged just 6.5 points per game, but did shoot 37.6 percent from deep.
Besides his touch for shooting, though, Ellington wasn’t able to do much else. The Wolves made a pretty good move, trading Ellington to the Memphis Grizzlies for post player Dante Cunningham.
That’s when the roller coaster started for Ellington.
Midway through the 2012-13 season, Memphis traded Ellington to the Cavaliers for Jon Leuer. The following offseason, he signed as a free agent with the Dallas Mavericks. A year later, the Mavericks traded him to the New York Knicks. Two months later, he was traded to the Sacramento Kings. A month later, the Kings waived him.
In late September, though, Ellington signed with the Lakers and it’s turned out to be a pretty good match. In 65 games (36 starts), he’s averaged a career-high 10 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. He’s shooting 37 percent from deep and has established himself as a three-point threat.
He really can’t play defense, but like Johnson, he could be a valuable bench piece and sharpshooter for a contender.
We’ll see how the two do against their former squad tonight.