Most teams would reportedly take Karl-Anthony Towns with the No. 1 pick.
But most teams don’t have the No. 1 pick.
The Timberwolves have the No. 1 pick.
Whom will Minnesota president Flip Saunders select, Towns or Jahlil Okafor?
Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress:
Not so sure how quickly we should be penciling in Towns at #1, Okafor at #2. Word has itt Flip really likes Okafor. Will be some drama there
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) May 20, 2015
First of all, as the Kevin Love trade saga showed, Saunders is perfectly willing to misdirect. Even if he says he prefers Okafor, Saunders doesn’t necessarily prefer Okafor.
Plus, he might not even know his choice yet. Neither Towns or Okafor participated in the combine, and the Timberwolves will surely try to bring in both for visits.
I’d take Towns. Okafor would probably fit with Andrew Wiggins and Minnesota’s other young talent, but this team is still a work in progress. Towns’ versatility could only help down the road. The main issue: Towns – because of his ability on both ends of the floor – seems a little better than the offensively minded Okafor.
There is a case for the Timberwolves picking Okafor, though. The Lakers, who pick second and probably prefer Towns, would be happy to make it.