The Top 4 Second-Round Picks in Timberwolves History

The Minnesota Timberwolves do not have the best track record of making quality selections in the NBA Draft. From Derrick Williams and Jarrett Culver to infamously passing up on Steph Curry twice, the Wolves have made many draft first-round draft mistakes over the years.

While the stakes are much lower in the second round, it is still important for NBA teams to at least occasionally find rotation players late in the draft. It'll be especially necessary for the current-day Timberwolves, who are without a first-round pick for the foreseeable future.

While the Wolves have not had a ton of second-round draft success, they do have a few diamonds in the rough in their history that they've turned into quality NBA players despite little fanfare coming into the league.

4. Jaylen Clark

Jaylen Clark was the Timberwolves' lone selection in the 2023 NBA Draft. He was selected with the 53rd overall pick out of UCLA and missed his entire rookie season due to an Achilles injury.

In his first two healthy NBA seasons, Clark has shown flashes of being a productive player. His energy and defensive abilities have become obvious, but will likely need to reduces his fouling, and find a more consistent three-point shot to stick on a roster with championship ambitions.

While there are likely other past Wolves second-round picks who have had better careers to this point, Clark has the opportunity, with an adjustment or two, to grab control of a permanent rotation spot as one of the team's best perimeter defenders.

This offseason, the Timberwolves signed Clark to a three-year $10 million contract. Minnesota is betting that Clark will be able to round out the rough edges of his game and become a valuable piece for them moving forward.

3. Craig Smith

The Timberwolves drafted Craig Smith with the 36th overall pick out of Boston College in the 2006 NBA Draft. Smith ended up playing three seasons in Minnesota before finishing his career with two seasons for the Los Angeles Clippers and one with the Portland Trail Blazers.

With the Wolves, Smith averaged 7.6 points and 3.9 rebounds as an undersized power forward. Smith spent most of his time coming off the bench in Minnesota, but was a consistent presence in the Wolves lineup, playing 233 total games across his three seasons with the Wolves.

Smith, like many in this era of Wolves basketball, never saw a winning season. He played his rookie season with Kevin Garnett, going 32-50, which ended up being the most successful season Minnesota had with Smith on the roster, as they won fewer than 25 games the next two seasons.

2. Doug West

The Timberwolves' first NBA Draft in their franchise's history came in 1989. Their first-ever draft selection was Pooh Richardson with the 10th overall pick. In the second round, they found a gem out of Villanova, as they chose Doug West early in the second round.

West played nine seasons with the Timberwolves. He averaged 10.2 points across 609 total games. In the history of the Timberwolves, West ranks third in total games played, only behind teammates Garnett and Sam Mitchell, and eighth in total points scored.

With West on the team, the Timberwolves franchise went from struggling to win games to making the Playoffs for the first time. While the Wolves were never able to win a Playoff series with West on the roster, the playoff experience and winning culture were invaluable for Garnett and the Wolves heading into the 2000s.

1. Nikola Peković

In the 2008 NBA Draft, the Timberwolves had the first selection of the second round and chose one of the most unique players in Wolves history, Nikola Peković.

Probably the greatest basketball player to come out of Montenegro, Peković played six seasons in Minnesota from 2010 to 2016. Peković dealt with injuries for most of his career, but when he was on the court, he was one of the strongest players in the history of the NBA.

During the middle four seasons of his career, Peković put up 15.4 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. Despite his stellar play, the Wolves never had a winning season with Peković on the roster, a similar story to many of the players on this list.

While his post-basketball career has possibly become the more noteworthy aspect of his life, Peković's six-season stint stands out as the best second-round pick the Timberwolves have ever selected.

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