Minnesota Sports Forum

The Ringer has some great reviews of their top 50 draft prospects. I highly recommend it.

Here's The Ringer's review of Okongwu:

DO-IT-AL BIG WITH RARE VERSATILITY AS A DEFENDER. ALWAYS COMPETES AND HAS KNACK FOR MAkING BIG PLAYS

SHADES OF: Bam Adebayo, young Antonio McDyess, Taj Gibson

PLUSES

Excellent finisher with soft hands that catch tough passes, a pillowy touch around the rim, and the quick-leaping ability to score with power.

Good post scorer. He does a nice job of getting into position by sealing off defenders. Once he gets the ball, he displays flashes of advanced ability with spins, drop steps, and fakes.
Handles the ball like a wing. He has a quick first step with an arsenal of moves, including crossovers and rip-throughs, that he uses to get to the rim. But he doesn't overdo it; he makes good decisions and plays within himself.

He makes slick passes, loves to throw outlets, and passes well out of the post. He needs to make quicker reads off rolls to the rim and from the perimeter, but he's in a good place at his age.
Does the little things: He hustles, screens well, rebounds all over the floor, and makes clutch plays.
Excellent pick-and-roll defender. He's mobile and versatile, able to drop, switch, or hedge. When he's protecting the rim in either pick-and-roll or help situations, his positioning, timing, and instincts lead to effective shot alterations. He's usually in the right spot, which is rare for a player his age.

MINUSES

Inconsistent shooting mechanics from the field and the line. He'll have some bad misses, though his inside touch offers optimism for improvement.

He's quiet and doesn't communicate much on defense either. As a rim protector, he needs to be more talkative to help the defense stay connected.

Chases blocks. Bites on too many fakes inside.

He's slightly undersized for a center at 6-foot-9 with a 7-foot-1 wingspan. He also needs to get significantly stronger to contain elite post-up bigs like Joel Embiid.

Here's The Ringer's review of Wiseman:

Athletic marvel who flashes massive two-way potential, but in the short term will be best suited for a simple, rim-running role.

SHADES OF: Mild-mannered Rasheed Wallace, high-energy Hassan Whiteside

PLUSES

Elite measurables with long arms and a strong frame. He runs the floor like a gazelle, and he explodes vertically when he has space to launch.

Active rebounder. He displays a high motor and great instincts tracking the trajectory of missed shots on the offensive glass.

His best offensive role is as a screener who rolls hard to the rim since he can finish lobs or with touch. But he can also mix in pops to generate shots from the perimeter and keep defenses honest.
Strong post-up potential. Displays a rare blend of power and finesse and does a nice job of sealing off his man. But he currently lacks advanced power moves, instead defaulting to fadeaways.

Shooting upside: He has good mechanics and soft touch. But he lacks range and doesn't have a track record of success shooting from midrange and 3.

Athletic rim protector whose mere presence can deter opponents. He's good at assessing what's in front of him. If his positioning and court awareness improves, he has elite potential.
High-character person who works hard on and off the court. He's intelligent, too; These are positive personality traits that could aid his development.

MINUSES

Poor shot selection in high school; he played like he thought he was the second coming of Dirk Nowitzki. In college, he played more to his strengths, which needs to continue at the NBA level; the context of his situation will be key to his success.

He's an all-world athlete in an open gym, but he slows down in games when he has to read the floor. Simplifying his role will be vital early on.

He has a weak handle, which limits him off the dribble. And as a playmaker, he misses open cutters and delivers inaccurate passes. He's best suited to finish rather than create.

Chases too many blocks and ends up falling for pump fakes.

Sluggish lateral movement on the perimeter due to a lack of quickness and shoddy footwork. Defenders blow by him too often. At this stage, he's not switchable.

Shaky team defender who tends to find himself in the wrong position or a beat late when rotating. He reads the floor slowly, so his pick-and-roll defense is particularly underwhelming.


Note: Interestingly, I don't see any concerns about his motor or love of the game in this review. But I have seen those concerns expressed about him in other reviews.

Rounding out the top three Bigs in the draft, here's The Ringer's take on Obi Toppin:

Pure athlete who runs the floor with grace and jumps with explosive power.

SHADES OF: Amar'e Stoudemire (on offense), Jahlil Okafor (on defense)

PLUSES

Glides through the air for ferocious dunks; he's a major threat in the pick-and-roll, cutting, and running the break. He also possesses a soft touch with either hand around the rim.

Nimble ball handler who can attack from the perimeter; he'll be a weapon in fake dribble handoffs since he can facilitate, shoot, or get to the basket.

Good shooter from NBA 3-point range, but he hasn't fallen in love with his shot like many modern bigs.
Strong playmaker. He makes quick decisions out of the short roll and could develop into a playmaking hub from the post.

Has the leaping ability and quickness to theoretically be an effective shot blocker.

MINUSES

Brutal pick-and-roll defender who displays little recognition or feel for reading a screen; he's almost always out of position.

High center of gravity limits his defensive ability in the post. He'll often get pushed around for low-post positioning--Zion would bury him under the rim.

Doesn't change directions well laterally; he has tight hips, which means NBA offenses will attack him relentlessly one-on-one.

Poor help defender and rebounder who doesn't play with great awareness or effort.

Lacks an arsenal of low-post scoring moves and is raw shooting off the dribble.


Note: I thought his minuses were more damning than the minuses of any other top 10 prospect. It's why it would probably be a mistake for the defensively challenged Wolves to draft him. I love Toppin's offensive game, including his versatility, his flare and his energy. So I'd think differently if we had Embiid or Tim Duncan rather than KAT as our featured big and franchise centerpiece. But I think he'd be a terrible fit next to KAT.

If Wiseman indeed does have a good motor, it would confirm for me he is the route to go.

I legit think the ringer does the best on their draft boards. A lot of effort put in. Also KOC ranks how he feels not with the majority what I love

CoolBreeze44 wrote:If Wiseman indeed does have a good motor, it would confirm for me he is the route to go.

I was really surprised to see The Ringer's comment on his motor. If this review is the accurate one, then it would be hard to pass on him. However, the following two comments about his defense that really concern me:

"Sluggish lateral movement on the perimeter due to a lack of quickness and shoddy footwork. Defenders blow by him too often. At this stage, he's not switchable."

"Shaky team defender who tends to find himself in the wrong position or a beat late when rotating. He reads the floor slowly, so his pick-and-roll defense is particularly underwhelming."

That second quote about him being a shaky team defender sounds a lot like Towns. Defenders blowing by him is also disconcerting.

I find Okongwu's negatives less concerning than Wiseman's. And I love Okongwu's positives. The short synopsis of his game say it all: "DO-IT-AL BIG WITH RARE VERSATILITY AS A DEFENDER. ALWAYS COMPETES AND HAS KNACK FOR MAkING BIG PLAYS". To me, that's exactly what this team needs. The clincher for me is that we could probably trade down a few slots for an asset or two and still draft Okongwu.

So I still favor drafting Okongwu. I have the same feeling about him that I had about Collins.