Jaylen Nowell - is also Batman
Second round picks aren’t just throwaways to take fliers anymore. The restrictive nature of the salary cap and the new structure of the GLeague, with two-way contracts available, has pushed teams to really evaluate second round players and pick ones that have high floors and a good chance to be real contributors.
Last year, the Wolves received one of the greatest blind luck gifts in franchise history when Keita Bates-Diop, the Big 10 player of the year and a consensus first rounder, fell to them all the way at pick 48. This year, the same thing happened when the Wolves were able to grab Pac 12 player player of the year Jaylen Nowell at 43.
Strengths:
Nowell was a walking bucket at Washington. As a sophomore, he averaged 16 points on 50% shooting (44% from three) He posted a .28 free throw rate and a .59 true shooting percentage on a 25% usage rate. That’s insane efficiency for that much usage.
Nowell has a good handle and excellent footwork, allowing him to get to his spots. His shooting mechanics are pure - he has perfect balance, squares his feet and his shoulders, and a high release. There should be no problem translating his shot to the NBA level.
In addition, Nowell is a solid facilitator at 3.1 assists per game, and a tremendous rebounder for his position - 5 rebounds per. He works on defense, with good hands and feet, and can get into the passing lanes. He has an ideal frame for a shooting guard, at 6’4” with a 6’7” wingspan. His size, ability to handle and pass, and play both on and off the ball will make him a true combo guard that can fit into just about any lineup.
Concerns:
Nowell’s assist-to-turnover ratio was effectively 1-to-1. That will probably improve by default simply from him handling the ball less and being the 4th or 5th focus of the defense.
The one ‘weakness’ - if it can even be called that - is Nowell’s scoring didn’t rise from his freshman to sophomore year. That is likely what knocked him down the draft ladder.
But even that’s deceptive, as his efficiency rose tremendously. His FG%, 3pt%, free throw rate, TS% and eFG rate all rose significantly. His base points per game didn’t go up, but everything that deals with how he scored improved a great deal, and from an already solid place.
In summary:
The Wolves have made a great habit out of collecting players who can do some of everything and have no glaring weaknesses to exploit. KAT, Keita and Culver are all tremendously smart, versatile players. Nowell adds to that list.
Nowell is a first round talent, and should have gone in the first round. This is another steal for the Wolves, in a scenario where they need as many steals as possible. Functionally, there isn’t much difference between him and Tyler Herro and Nickeil Alexander-Walker, both of whom went in the top 20. Nowell is a secret superhero. Only the Wolves seem to know about him right now. But soon, everyone will.
