What about the 20th pick?

So everyone’s attention has been on the number 2 pick. Who are the T-Wolves going to take? Kanter or Williams? Will the Cavs be stupid enough not to take Irving? Is the mad scientist known as Dr. Kahn going to trade the pick? Those are the questions everyone seems to be asking. It also seems like everyone is forgetting about the 20th pick in the Draft.
It is not a bad place to pick, take a look at some of the notables players taken with the 20th overall pick in the past four decades:

1970’s: Former two time NBA All-Star and member of the 1982 All-NBA First Team Gus Williams was drafted by the Golden State Warriors with the 20th overall pick in 1975.

1980’s: Basketball Legend Larry Nance was taken with the 20th pick in 1981 by the Phoenix Suns.

1990’s: Zydrunas Ilgauskas was taken with the 20th pick in the 1996 Draft by the Cavs. Big Z would go onto a quality NBA career and be a two time all-star.

2000’s: Jameer Nelson was taken with the 20th pick in 2004. Nelson would go onto to be a starting point guard and key player on the Orlando Magic team that made it to the NBA Finals in 2009.

So now the question remains, will the Timberwolves have the notable player selected with the 20th overall pick in the upcoming decade?

Hypothetically speaking and we draft Derrick Williams; the T-Wolves are set at the 3 spot. Not only are we set, but we are loaded with young athletic talent with Williams, Beasley, Randolph and Johnson. We are also set at the 4 sport with K-Love, Randolph (who can play both the 3 and 4) and Toliverand. That means center, point guard and shooting guard are the positions we need to worry about. That being said, with the possibility of Rubio coming to play for us, we are kind of set at the 1 spot and therefore we don’t need to draft a point guard with the 20th overall pick. Besides I wouldn’t mind another season with the White Shadow, Luke Ridenhour. Meanwhile at the center spot we have Darko and Pek. They aren’t bad, but I always look back at the 2008 draft and say the T-Wolves should of drafted DeAndre Jordan instead of Pek. Nonetheless, there is no one at the center who will be available that is good enough to take with the 20th overall pick. That means we are looking for a 2 guard. While Wes Johnson can play two guard, it is not his natural position. And Webster is always hurt and when he isn’t hurt he is just a three point specialist. And while many are predicting we take the defensive minded swingman from Florida State, Chris Singleton, as you can see our need is at 2 guard not at the 3. Thus, that is why I propose the T-Wolves take a 2 guard with the 20th overall pick. Here is a look at two potential 2 guard candidates I would like to see taken at the 20th overall pick

Alec Burks: If we are lucky and drops to us, the 6-6 shooting guard has the athleticism and potential to be great in the NBA. The University of Colorado standout has been compared to Brandon Roy before the injuries by draftexpress.com. Currently scouts say the key area of his game he needs to work is his outside shot. Now don’t kill me for saying this, but facts are facts: That is the exact same thing they said about MJ coming out of college. He needs to work on his outside. Now obviously Burks ain’t gonna be MJ, but when scouts say the one thing you need to work on is your outside shot, that is a plus in my book. You can’t teach height. You can’t teach athleticism. But you can teach someone how to shoot. I don’t know about you but I would love Burks on the T-Wolves. That being aid it is highly unlikely he drops all the way to 20, but hey crazier things have happened.

Marshon Brooks. Unlike Burks there is a high probability is available with the 20th overall pick. The senior from Providence, while shorter than Burks, coming in at height of 6-5 is an absolute freak of nature with a 7-1 wingspan. That is absolutely crazy for a 2 guard. And the best part about it is Brooks used his wingspan to his advantage on both the offensive and defensive end of the court, where he averaged 24.6 points per game and 7 rebounds per game. His best part about his game, is also what Scouts pick on the most. An unbelievable and creative driver to the basket, Brooks has been labeled a blind bite who doesn’t look for his teammates. Listen, when you are on a crappy team like Providence was last year, they only had 8 wins and lost more than 20 times, there is no one to pass to, so I don’t by that. Brooks has a good attitude plays tough D, and crashes the boards. With adequate speed, and above average handles he is extremely creative with his shot selection. So creative in fact he has been compared to Kobe Bryant by many analysts and his trainer Tim Grover, who just so happens to be Kobe Bryant’s trainer as well.