Mitchell HansenWeb Editorial AssociateTwitter
In the 2017 NBA Draft on Thursday night in Brooklyn, the Minnesota Timberwolves acquired center Justin Patton from Creighton University via the Chicago Bulls.
“Yeah, first off I'm excited to be in Minnesota. It's a great city. It's close to Omaha. I've been there a lot of times,” Patton said after being drafted. “And to start off with the team, it's a great team, and with the acquisition of Jimmy Butler, there's more great things happening.”
Patton, who left Creighton after his freshman season, is a 20-year-old post that appeared in 35 games for the Bluejays in the 2016-17 season.
In those 35 games, the 6-foot-11 center averaged 12.9 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.4 blocks and 1.2 steals in 25.3 points per game.
Per 40 minutes, Patton averaged 20.5 points, 9.8 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game.
Patton is a very good athlete for his position. The promising thing about Patton is that he’s extremely active. He has a high motor and effort is rarely a problem, which is what you like to see from any young player.
Patton shows some potential from the 3-point line, making eight of 15 attempts last season, which is a small sample size.
Overall, he’s a player that may need some developing, but he’s got tools that should make him successful at the NBA level.
“I would say me being on the team is a step in the right direction just because the ability with which I pass the ball and my IQ for the game, not many people at my size can do things I do with the ball,” Patton said. “Whether it be making a play on the offensive end or the defensive end, whether it's rotating and blocking a shot or being able to be in the right spot at the right time, just knowing the game. I would say the biggest thing is my IQ.”
The Wolves acquired the No. 16 pick in a trade that sent Butler to Minnesota from Chicago.
“To Minnesota, I'll bring a good versatile big man who can either play the 4 or the 5, who's great at passing the ball and has a high IQ and a great teammate,” he said. “That's where I want to start off.”