Ranking the Timberwolves' Young Players From Best to Worst Future Outlooks

The Minnesota Timberwolves currently have no draft capital. They are without a tradable first-round pick, and the only second-round pick they have is top-50 protected, making all but useless.

With the ability to attach draft assets in a trade or use the picks themselves to select a high-quality player, the Timberwolves will need to rely on what they currently have on the roster over the next couple of seasons.

For a team with aspirations of winning the championship, the Wolves have a good stable of young players who either project to play rotation minutes this season or have the upside to become contributing players down the road.

Let's take a look at each of those young players and where they rank based on their future outlook, who is most likely to contribute either now or in the future, and the likelihood that they are on the team past this season.

7. Enrique Freeman

This upcoming season will be Enrique Freeman's second year on a two-way contract with the Timberwolves. Last season, Freeman saw 37 total minutes of playing time across four games. In the G-League, Freeman averaged 17.6 points and 8.9 rebounds across 28 games for the Iowa Wolves.

The main upside for Freeman is his size and position. The Wolves are notably without a traditional power forward on the roster, meaning if there is an injury or two in the Wolves frontcourt, Freeman could see some playing time.

Beyond that, there hasn't been much upside shown from Freeman to indicate that a breakout campaign is on the horizon.

6. Zyon Pullin

Last season, Zyon Pullin was outstanding for the G League Wolves, putting up 27.8 points and 6.7 assists per game, which earned him a two-way contract with the Timberwolves in March. Pullin carried his strong season down in Iowa into this year's Summer League, where he led the Timberwolves with 21.0 points and 7.8 assists per game.

Among the trio of Wolves players currently on a two-way contract, Pullin is the most likely to see playing time this upcoming season. He has shown the ability to dominate at the G League level and could be called upon if the Timberwolves are looking for point guard minutes.

Looking to the future, though, the 25-year-old Pullin still projects to have a relatively low ceiling. At six-foot-four, Pullin will need to continue adding skills to prove that his game can translate to the bigger and faster NBA game.

5. Rocco Zikarsky

When the Timberwolves selected Rocco Zikarsky with the 45th overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, the Wolves knew that the seven-foot-three big man was a project that they would have to mold to get his unique combination of size and skill ready for the NBA.

Zikarsky spent most of last season in Iowa, where he averaged 15.8 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks per game. In his second Summer League this past July, Zikarsky had some up-and-down performances, ending up with 12.2 points and 5.8 rebounds per game.

Given his size, Zikarsky still has the opportunity to eventually break into an NBA rotation, and this season will tell a lot about his NBA readiness. The main areas Zikarsky will need to improve are his overall strength and rebounding ability, his lateral quickness on defense, and the three-point shot that only went in 25.6 percent of the time last season

4. Isaiah Evans

On draft night, the Timberwolves were thrilled when Isaiah Evans from Duke fell to them with the 33rd overall pick. Evans was one of the best pure shooting prospects in the draft, with the Wolves believing they can further develop that aspect of his game along with his defense.

Unfortunately for Evans, his offseason journey this summer has been a bit complicated. The Timberwolves acquired the pick he was selected with in the trade that sent Julius Randle to the Brooklyn Nets, which eventually got folded into the LaMelo Ball trade.

Without the ability to practice with the team until the trade got finalized, Evans struggled during his time playing in Summer League as he shot a rough 27.3 percent from the field. The Wolves are still high on Evans as a player, and given the short turnaround after the trade for Evans, his Summer League performance can largely be thrown out the window.

3. Jaylen Clark

While Jaylen Clark may not have as high a ceiling as other Timberwolves prospects, he has the most NBA-ready skill of anyone on this list. Clark is one of the best perimeter defenders on the Wolves and had a solid 2025-26 season, averaging 13.1 minutes across 68 games.

Clark signed a three-year, $10 million contract this offseason and will likely see a fair amount of playing time again this season with Donte DiVincenzo set to miss significant time. To take the next step from fringe rotation player to someone the Wolves can see in their playoff rotation, Clark will have to reduce his fouling rate and increase the consistency of his three-point shot.

For Clark to take the next step from fringe rotation player to someone the Wolves can see in their playoff rotation, he will have to reduce his fouling rate and increase the consistency of his three-point shot. Clark has committed 3.5 fouls per 36 minutes and shot 32.7 last season, both numbers that are unsustainable for a player looking to increase his minutes.

2. Terrence Shannon Jr.

Following a largely unproductive and injury-filled regular season, Terrence Shannon Jr. was outstanding for the Timberwolves this past playoffs, most notably in the Game 6 closeout game against the Denver Nuggets when he had 24 points.

Shannon Jr. also had success the previous season in the Western Conference Finals when he had multiple double-digit scoring performances as a rookie against the eventual champion Oklahoma City Thunder.

Shannon Jr. has shown the ability to be an incredibly impactful playoff player in his short Timberwolves career so far. The goal now for Shannon Jr. is to play with that effectiveness with more consistency during the regular season and to do both when he has the ball in his hands or is playing off-ball offense.

1. Joan Beringer

Expectations for Joan Beringer this season are through the roof. He is slated to become a permanent member of the Timberwolves' rotation, backing up Rudy Gobert at the center position in a role that will likely be 15-20 minutes a night.

The Timberwolves speak incredibly highly of Beringer every time they get the opportunity and clearly believe he can be a starting-caliber player, if not more, in the near-to medium-term future. They rave about his clear defensive skills, his athletic abilities, and his ever-growing offensive game that has expanded past just throwing down lob dunks.

At 20 years old, Beringer is still a relatively raw player, but given how much the Wolves have talked up what he can become, it is hard not to buy into their belief. If Beringer can lower his foul rate while keeping his defensive intensity and continue to add to his offensive game, Beringer is set for a breakout season this year for the Timberwolves.

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