Recent Wolves Trend Suggests Isaiah Evans Faces Limited Rookie Role

The Timberwolves made an intriguing pick in the second round of this year's NBA Draft with Duke guard Isaiah Evans. He has the traits that could quickly translate to the next level, but recent trends suggest that he could have a hard time cracking the rotation as a rookie.

The Wolves had a franchise-changing draft in 2020. They selected Anthony Edwards first overall, Jaden McDaniels 28th and they signed Naz Reid as an undrafted free agent (UDFA). All three players had significant roles as rookies. It has been a different story since that draft.

Minnesota did not draft a rookie in 2021, and Tim Connelly was hired as the franchise's President of Basketball Operations before the 2022 draft. There hasn't been a rookie that has played more than 10.6 minutes per game under Chris Finch since Connelly was hired.

Timberwolves rookies since 2020-21 season

Terrence Shannon Jr.: 10.6 MPG (32 games)
Rob Dillingham: 10.5 MPG (49 games)
Joan Berginer: 7.9 MPG (40 games)
Rocco Zikarsky: 7.2 MPG (5 games)
Leandro Bolmaro: 6.9 MPG (35 games)
Josh Minott: 6.4 MPG (15 games)
Wendell Moore Jr.: 5.3 MPG (29 games)
Leonard Miller: 3.1 MPG (17 games)

The Bolmaro selection was made by Gersson Rosas and the previous front office in 2020, but he did only play 6.9 minutes per game as a rookie for Finch in 2021-22. Evans has the skillset that makes you think he could quickly earn a role in an NBA rotation, but Finch would have to do something that he has rarely done with the Wolves.

The Wolves have a need for shooting next season, as Donte DiVincenzo recovers from his torn Achilles. After Thursday's blockbuster trade to acquire LaMelo Ball, their starting lineup could be Ball, Edwards, Dosunmu, McDaniels and Rudy Gobert. That leaves Terrence Shannon Jr. as their only experienced wing off the bench.

They did acquire Josh Green in the Ball trade, but there are questions about whether or not he'll remain on the team through the offseason. He's a career 38.7% three-point shooter on 2.4 attempts per game. He's only 25 years old, and he could be the perfect short-term fill-in for DiVincenzo, but he's on an expiring deal.

As things currently stand, Evans could earn a real role. He shot 36.1% from three last season at Duke on 7.4 attempts per game. He's 6-foot-6, and he could be the perfect spark plug off the bench, but he is a rookie.

It's almost a guarantee that Minnesota will make more moves, such as re-signing impending free agents like Jaylen Clark and Bones Hyland, which could bump Evans further down the depth chart. You could talk yourself into Evans bucking Finch's trend of not giving rookies much playing time, but it seems unlikely.

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