Wolves Offseason Forward Options

[WildWolf2813]

I kinda just want Connelly to make his own Naz Reid and find a UDFA that kicked ass in Summer League and develop an asset himself rather than wait every 2 years to get one.

[rapsuperstar31]

I kinda just want Connelly to make his own Naz Reid and find a UDFA that kicked ass in Summer League and develop an asset himself rather than wait every 2 years to get one.

Pullin?

[Monster]

Watford is an interesting player Bleed. He has actually played quite a bit of basketball and as you pointed out some some good things. He seems to be a better scoring slightly better shooting version of Kyle Anderson (both low volume) without the high end defense Kyle provided. I'm actually somewhat intrigued with Watford but idk if he is the right player to take a chance on with the Wolves roster. The Wolves passed on Anderson to sign Lyles. It feels like Watford is another less than impressive athlete who isn't a floor spacer. Lyles is also an OK athlete but he at least has size. With Gobert and Beringer and lack of other forwards with true PF size idk if that's the right guy.

I like that he went undrafted and has made it this far. That takes grit.

100%

[DNatagal]

I wonder if other NBA team fan boards debate as much about end of bench guys as we do? The number of players that this crew dives into rabbit holes for is incredible. We should have a running list of player 12 to player 15 that someone on this board has championed to see if any have actually amounted to anything in the NBA, or any league for that matter!

[BeenLurkin]

I wonder if other NBA team fan boards debate as much about end of bench guys as we do? The number of players that this crew dives into rabbit holes for is incredible. We should have a running list of player 12 to player 15 that someone on this board has championed to see if any have actually amounted to anything in the NBA, or any league for that matter!

We used to do it because it was where hope comes from. Now it’s out of desperation because we have no future assets without trading the top stars on the team for picks. Also we have two guys who can play starting front court minutes and that’s if people allow Jaden to be considered a forward….

[Monster]

I wonder if other NBA team fan boards debate as much about end of bench guys as we do? The number of players that this crew dives into rabbit holes for is incredible. We should have a running list of player 12 to player 15 that someone on this board has championed to see if any have actually amounted to anything in the NBA, or any league for that matter!

I've definitely seen other fans of other teams talk about players at the end of the roster. Is it as rabid as us!? NO absolutely not! Lol

The guy I wanted a number of times and he was never signed to the Wolves (when he was a guy that would have been signed for the vet min) was Hartenstein. I'm sure I have championed dozens of other guys over the years that didn't make much of an impact.

Interestingly vit krejci was a guy the Wolves had for a short time and they moved on and now he is a reasonably valuable big wing that Portland gave up some minor assets to acquire last season.

[Lipoli390]

I kinda just want Connelly to make his own Naz Reid and find a UDFA that kicked ass in Summer League and develop an asset himself rather than wait every 2 years to get one.

Agree.

[Lipoli390]

Monster — Perimeter shooting is an issue for Sochan, but defense is not. He’s an excellent defender. Here’s what Gemini had to say about Jeremy’s defense:

Sochan is an elite perimeter and wing defender, widely regarded as a high-impact, lockdown option when tasked with stopping the league's best perimeter creators. [1, 2]
Because his severe offensive shooting struggles limit his role, his calling card in the NBA is entirely built on his high-level defensive utility. [1, 2]

On-Ball Isolation Defense
* Elite Point-of-Attack Skill: He excels in isolation tracking, famously ranking near the top of the league in metrics like the BBall Index isolation defense metric. [1, 2]
* Star Stopper: At 6-foot-8 with a 7-foot wingspan, he has the literal length and lateral quickness to hold his own against premier offensive superstars like Luka Dončić and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. [1, 2]
* Disruptive Physicality: Analysts note that Sochan is exceptional at using subtle, legal upper-body contact to knock ball-handlers off their driving lines and disturb their shooting rhythms. [1]

Versatility & Switching
* Positions 1 through 4: He is a highly flexible "mobile forward". He can seamlessly switch screens to guard lightning-fast point guards or absorb contact against physical power forwards like Zion Williamson. [1, 2, 3, 4]
* Foul Discipline: He maintains a balanced low stance with active, high hands, allowing him to effectively contest jump shots without lunging forward or committing cheap fouls. [1]

Regarding his shooting, he actually has a very nice touch near and around the basket. As the video shows, he can hit threes and doesn’t look terrible from distance. In any event, we already have a stretch 4 in Trey Lyles if needed. Moreover, every team can use a high-level disruptive, versatile defender like Sochan and the Wolves are particularly in need of a physical defender like Sochan - something that even Rudy is not. I’m not worried about playing him for stretches with Rudy. We’d still have three excellent 3-point shooters in the floor in Ant, Ball and Jaden (or Ayo for any one of those three). Meanwhile, both Rudy and Sochan can score near the basket with Sochan possessing a lot of mobility and having the ability to step out a little as the video illustrates. Honestly, I don’t think we’ll be able to sign Sochan because I think he’ll command more than the vet minimum in the marketplace, but we should definitely try.

Lip I spent a few minutes reading some various takes on Sochan from fans and picking through the consensus I found that I wasn't sure just how good of a defender he really was especially on the perimeter. We know fans have good and bad takes but there was enough that seemed to have well thought out balanced info they shared I thought it was worth considering. He makes shots at the rim but outside of 3 feet if falls off drastically. Yes his shot doesn't look terrible and he is young so that's why we have hope for him but let's also be a little realistic here. Player X has nice size some good athletic ability (some fans said his athletic ability often gets overstated) and can't hit 3's and has no other scoring offense. He does have some playmaking passing ability...that describes a lot of G-league players.

I think if Sochan is being considered there are likely 5-10 other players with similar or maybe even better skillsets that should be considered as well. We don't know who those guys are probably (wadford is a newer name brought up) but I'd guess they are out there. Personally I get the idea that the way Connelly operates that he will be adding some sort of moderately legit player to the roster via trade, FA, a team letting a player go (Hornets have like 18 players under NBA contracts) etc etc. Adding a Watford type player who has some legit NBA experience on a 2-way instead of Freeman tracks with what they have done with the 2 way spots a few times. I'm hoping we can find another Garza that forces his way into a 2 way deal and shows they are at least an NBA player. Idk who that guy is but Garza didn't sing till what a couple weeks or so before training camp started?

Jeremy isn’t just some guy. He was the 9th overall pick in the 2022 draft. There’s no sense in comparing him to G-league players since Jeremy was averaging 25 minutes at the NBA level and pulling down 6.5 rebounds with over two assists and 11.5 points per game. He’s not a star by any means, but at the vet minimum he’d be a great addition because he’s a good, versatile defender who can rebound and handle the ball well for a PF. The upside he has as a 23 year old former lottery pick is just a bonus.

[Lipoli390]

Lip, did you ever work at Waffle House?

You’ll have to explain that one, Cool.

[Monster]

Monster — Perimeter shooting is an issue for Sochan, but defense is not. He’s an excellent defender. Here’s what Gemini had to say about Jeremy’s defense:

Sochan is an elite perimeter and wing defender, widely regarded as a high-impact, lockdown option when tasked with stopping the league's best perimeter creators. [1, 2]
Because his severe offensive shooting struggles limit his role, his calling card in the NBA is entirely built on his high-level defensive utility. [1, 2]

On-Ball Isolation Defense
* Elite Point-of-Attack Skill: He excels in isolation tracking, famously ranking near the top of the league in metrics like the BBall Index isolation defense metric. [1, 2]
* Star Stopper: At 6-foot-8 with a 7-foot wingspan, he has the literal length and lateral quickness to hold his own against premier offensive superstars like Luka Dončić and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. [1, 2]
* Disruptive Physicality: Analysts note that Sochan is exceptional at using subtle, legal upper-body contact to knock ball-handlers off their driving lines and disturb their shooting rhythms. [1]

Versatility & Switching
* Positions 1 through 4: He is a highly flexible "mobile forward". He can seamlessly switch screens to guard lightning-fast point guards or absorb contact against physical power forwards like Zion Williamson. [1, 2, 3, 4]
* Foul Discipline: He maintains a balanced low stance with active, high hands, allowing him to effectively contest jump shots without lunging forward or committing cheap fouls. [1]

Regarding his shooting, he actually has a very nice touch near and around the basket. As the video shows, he can hit threes and doesn’t look terrible from distance. In any event, we already have a stretch 4 in Trey Lyles if needed. Moreover, every team can use a high-level disruptive, versatile defender like Sochan and the Wolves are particularly in need of a physical defender like Sochan - something that even Rudy is not. I’m not worried about playing him for stretches with Rudy. We’d still have three excellent 3-point shooters in the floor in Ant, Ball and Jaden (or Ayo for any one of those three). Meanwhile, both Rudy and Sochan can score near the basket with Sochan possessing a lot of mobility and having the ability to step out a little as the video illustrates. Honestly, I don’t think we’ll be able to sign Sochan because I think he’ll command more than the vet minimum in the marketplace, but we should definitely try.

Lip I spent a few minutes reading some various takes on Sochan from fans and picking through the consensus I found that I wasn't sure just how good of a defender he really was especially on the perimeter. We know fans have good and bad takes but there was enough that seemed to have well thought out balanced info they shared I thought it was worth considering. He makes shots at the rim but outside of 3 feet if falls off drastically. Yes his shot doesn't look terrible and he is young so that's why we have hope for him but let's also be a little realistic here. Player X has nice size some good athletic ability (some fans said his athletic ability often gets overstated) and can't hit 3's and has no other scoring offense. He does have some playmaking passing ability...that describes a lot of G-league players.

I think if Sochan is being considered there are likely 5-10 other players with similar or maybe even better skillsets that should be considered as well. We don't know who those guys are probably (wadford is a newer name brought up) but I'd guess they are out there. Personally I get the idea that the way Connelly operates that he will be adding some sort of moderately legit player to the roster via trade, FA, a team letting a player go (Hornets have like 18 players under NBA contracts) etc etc. Adding a Watford type player who has some legit NBA experience on a 2-way instead of Freeman tracks with what they have done with the 2 way spots a few times. I'm hoping we can find another Garza that forces his way into a 2 way deal and shows they are at least an NBA player. Idk who that guy is but Garza didn't sing till what a couple weeks or so before training camp started?

Jeremy isn’t just some guy. He was the 9th overall pick in the 2022 draft. There’s no sense in comparing him to G-league players since Jeremy was averaging 25 minutes at the NBA level and pulling down 6.5 rebounds with over two assists and 11.5 points per game. He’s not a star by any means, but at the vet minimum he’d be a great addition because he’s a good, versatile defender who can rebound and handle the ball well for a PF. The upside he has as a 23 year old former lottery pick is just a bonus.

There are plenty of top 10 picks that are just some guy or even out of the league. I don't need to list them. Sochan is not far from being just some guy. He was cut loose and the Spurs kept Olynyk that people keep saying doesn't have much to offer anymore. I'm supportive of signing the guy but he has clear flaws to his game and again many mirror ones for guys that are trying to claw their way into the league.

Obviously the issue here is a few of us are desperately trying to find someone that can even be a solid contributor but it would be fun to find some sort of legit upside guy. One of the hottest names in FA this year was Mamu a late 2nd round pick that started his career on a 2 way deal and was let go by the Bucks and claimed by the Spurs. There are some other talented players out there. Do I know who they are? Probably not. I think there might be someone we don't know about that's a better fit than Sochan based on the fact that we have 2 non shooting bigs. I didn't want to quit Kyle Anderson but Lyles is a much better fit. Obviously finding a player than can do multiple things well is not going to be easy or every team would be honing in on certain guys but we all know that the league misses on players frequently. Hopefully we can find an upgrade from Freeman on the 2-way that would help. The best option might not be available yet. Teams will cut players loose and that might be a good player to add. Nobody here was excited about Zyon Pullin last year at this time. It would be great if the Wolves could find a relative gem. Until something changes there is room for someone to play legit minutes here which has to be a draw for various players looking for a spot on a roster.