It took a little while, but we are seeing why Justin Patton was the 16th overall
selection in the 2017 NBA Draft.
The center out of Creighton fractured a bone in his foot shortly after being
drafted, which forced him to miss training camp. That’s tough for any player,
let alone a rookie trying to prove himself.
Minnesota assigned Patton to the Iowa Wolves on Dec. 3. The Wolves eased Patton
back into things, putting him on a minutes restriction.
On the season, Patton is averaging 10.1 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in
18.8 minutes per game.
His per 36 numbers tell the full story, though. His 19.4 points per 36 minutes
rank first on the team going along with with 9.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.5
blocks while shooting 50 percent from the field.
Lately, Patton’s minutes restriction have been lifted a bit.
In the Iowa Wolves’ 112-105 win over the Texas Legends on Saturday night, Patton
played 24 minutes and finished with 19 points, 12 rebounds, two assists, two
steals and a block while shooting 8-for-16 from the field and 2-for-5 from the
3-point line.
.@iawolves assignee @JustinPatton17 powers up! @iawolves 77, @TexasLegends 72:
https://t.co/bdNq243nzX pic.twitter.com/N7BMRAodTT– NBA G League (@nbagleague)
January 28, 2018
.@iawolves assignee @JustinPatton17 powers up! @iawolves 77, @TexasLegends 72:
https://t.co/bdNq243nzX pic.twitter.com/N7BMRAodTT
We’ll see if Patton gets an opportunity with the NBA team, but he’s only 20
years old. He has plenty of time to develop and that’s exactly why the franchise
has the G-League affiliate.
The Iowa Wolves are 15-13 with coach Scott Roth at the helm, first in the
Western Conference Midwest Division. That has a lot to do with Patton along with
two-way players Anthony Brown and Amile Jefferson.
The team signed Brown to a two-way deal this offseason and he’s proving why,
averaging 20.4 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.4 rebounds per game while shooting
39.8 percent from the 3-point line on 6.1 attempts per game.
Jefferson earned his deal this year and is averaging 17.9 points and an
impressive 12.9 rebounds per game while shooting 62.2 percent from the field.
You should feel comfortable if any of these three need to be relied upon for the
NBA team. We’ve seen it already this season with Marcus Georges-Hunt. MGH played
45 games last season for the Maine Red Claws in the G-League and has emerged as
a solid rotational player for the Timberwolves this season.
It may take some time, but Patton and Co. appear to be on the right track in
their development.
Player: Anthony Brown
Player: Marcus Georges-Hunt
Player: Amile Jefferson
Player: Justin Patton
Media Content:
http://www.nba.com/timberwolves/rookie-justin-patton-finding-his-rhythm-iowa
Media Keywords: NBA, Sports, Minnesota Timberwolves, Anthony Brown, Marcus
Georges-Hunt, Amile Jefferson, Justin Patton, Minnesota Timberwolves
Media Thumbnail:
http://i.cdn.turner.com/drp/nba/timberwolves/sites/default/files/patton-1-28-2018
.jpg
Taxonomy: NBA G-League, Iowa Wolves
Story Link:
http://www.nba.com/timberwolves/rookie-justin-patton-finding-his-rhythm-iowa
