Best Draft Pick In Minnesota Timberwolves History

The Minnesota Timberwolves entered the NBA in 1989 and spent their first six seasons winning between 15 and 29 games, as the young franchise tried to build an identity. That main pillar of the franchise was established in June 1995 when, with the fifth overall pick, they selected an eighteen-year-old power forward from Chicago’s Farragut Career Academy who had never played a single minute of college basketball.

Before we declare our choice for the Timberwolves best draft pick, Anthony Edwards, the first overall in the 2020 NBA Draft out of Georgia, deserves consideration for the title. Averaging 29.3 points per game in his sixth season at just twenty-four years old, Edwards has already helped Minnesota reach back-to-back Western Conference Finals, a place they haven’t been in twenty years, while becoming one of the two or three most electrifying players in the league. 

When it comes to the Timberwolves best draft pick in franchise history, the honor goes to Kevin Garnett. Born in Greenville, South Carolina, and raised in Chicago, Garnett transferred to Farragut Career Academy for his senior year, where he averaged 25.2 points, 17.9 rebounds, 6.7 assists, and 6.5 blocks per game, then went on to capture the McDonald's All-American MVP and be named national Player of the Year by multiple organizations. 

Garnett then made a decision that changed professional basketball as he declared for the NBA Draft, becoming the first player selected directly out of high school in twenty years. Garnett’s decision opened the doors for every prep-to-pro player that followed, including Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady, LeBron James, and Dwight Howard. 

In Garnett's rookie year, playing in the final 42 games as a starter, he averaged 14 points and 8.4 rebounds and helped the Wolves show immediate signs of improvement. By his second season, he was an All-Star, the first of ten appearances representing the Timberwolves, and by his fourth year, in the early 2000s, he had grown into one of the five best players in the league as a 6'11" power forward with guard-like athleticism, ferocious defensive intensity, and a competitive edge that matched some of the best in league history. In 2003-04, Garnett led Minnesota to a franchise-best 58-24 record (one that still stands), making a trip to the Western Conference Finals. That season, Garnett would win the NBA MVP award, averaging 24.2 points, 13.9 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 2.2 blocks.

After twelve seasons in Minnesota, Garnett was traded to the Boston Celtics in 2007, where he would team with Paul Pierce and Ray Allen to win an NBA championship that had eluded him for a dozen years. Following a brief and forgettable stop in Brooklyn, Garnett returned to Minnesota at the end of his career, retiring in 2016. During his time in a Timberwolves uniform, Garnett earned eight All-NBA selections, eight All-Defensive Team honors, and etched his name into nearly every Timberwolves record possible. To cap off a memorable career, Garnett was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2020 and received a well-deserved spot on the NBA 75th Anniversary Team. 

Some may believe that Edwards may surpass him, but Garnett gave the Minnesota Timberwolves their first true superstar, their best overall record, an MVP, and a legacy that defines the franchise thirty years later, earning the title of the best draft pick in Timberwolves history.