MINNEAPOLIS -- March Madness of a different sort rewards NBA ineptitude.
For teams like the 2014-15 Timberwolves, the season's final weeks come with a mad scramble -- whether by design (looking at you, Philadelphia), misfortune (giving you the benefit of the doubt, Flip Saunders), or some combination of the two -- for favorable NBA Draft Lottery seeding. If the ping-pong balls were drawn today, Minnesota would have a 55.8-percent chance at a top-three selection and a 19.9-percent shot at gleaning its first-ever No. 1 overall pick.
It's a dubious race between the Wolves (14-52, last in the Western Conference), Knicks (14-53, last in the East), 76ers (15-52, second-to-last in the East) and Lakers (17-49, second-to-last, West). Barring a bizarrely remarkable run, Minnesota will retain its bottom-three position and have a chance to add another potential franchise-altering piece to go with Andrew Wiggins and a young, athletic core.
And what might that chip resemble? A nice, in-depth look will be provided the next three weeks, in a place where victories refreshingly mean more than defeats.
It's only part of an NBA front office's scrupulous opinion of a prospect, but the NCAA tournament can boost or drop stock in a hurry. Last March, Connecticut point man Shabazz Napier's rose dramatically. The year before, Twin Cities hoop heads will remember, one lackluster half against Minnesota was enough to sour some outlooks on UCLA's Shabazz Muhammad.
There are prime possibilities outside of the collegiate realm, too -- this year, point guard Emmanuel Mudiay (China), Latvian power forward Kristaps Porzingis and Croatian small forward Mario Hezonja top the list of international talent.
With that in mind, here's a quintet of players to keep an eye on between now and Easter weekend -- a Fab Five of possible future Wolves, if you will.
Karl-Anthony Towns, freshman C/PF, Kentucky
Minnesota could use another big man to complement Gorgui Dieng and relieve it of pressure to retain injury-prone Nikola Pekovic and his hefty contract. But when teams are drafting this high, they tend to go the best-available route and figure out the rest later. Towns represents the best of both those philosophies, a strong shot blocker, rebounder and linchpin of a Wildcats defense allowing 54 points per game -- third-best in NCAA Division I. Starting with Hampton at 8:40 p.m. Thursday on CBS, undefeated, No. 1 seed Kentucky has a relatively easy road in the Midwest region but could face the same Wisconsin team it barely edged in last year's Final Four this season in Indianapolis.
Jahlil Okafor, freshman C, Duke
If the Wolves get a top-two pick and use it to address their frontcourt needs, they can't really go wrong between Towns and Okafor. What Towns brings defensively, Okafor can match with his celebrated low-post offense; his 66.9-percent field goal clip ranks second nationally. Like Kentucky, Duke received a No. 1 overall seed on Selection Sunday and face either North Florida or Robert Morris at 6:10 p.m. Friday on CBS. The South region is a difficult one, with second-seeded Gonzaga, third-seeded Iowa State and sneaky-good Utah standing in the way of coach Mike Krzyzewski's 12th Final Four appearance.
D'Angelo Russell, freshman PG, Ohio State
Here's where that best-available conversation really begins. Say Minnesota finishes with the league's third-worst record and, true to history -- the Wolves have never moved up in the lottery -- "win" the third or fourth overall selection, Russell may well be the top player on their board, even though Rubio is under contract through 2019. Russell ranked second in the Big Ten in scoring and third in assists as the Buckeyes earned the West region's 10th seed. They take on VCU at 3:40 p.m. Thursday on TNT.
Willey Cauley-Stein, junior C, Kentucky
It's the latest testament to the current state of college basketball and Wildcats coach John Calipari's willingness to take advantage thereof that two of the draft's most valued prospects share a frontcourt. Cauley-Stein isn't a carbon copy of Towns, but he is an elite defender. He's also two years older than his fellow Kentucky big. If both are on their game in the tourney, the Wildcats could well become the first undefeated national champion since Indiana in 1976.
Kevon Looney, freshman PF, UCLA
The Bruins were this year's subject of selection committee scorn after they went 20-13, won just one game in the Pac-12 tournament and earned the South's No. 11 seed. But Looney wasn't part of the problem this season, ranking as the conference's No. 2 rebounder (9.2 boards per game). Scouts love his upside and ability to play inside and out. UCLA plays SMU at 2:10 p.m. Thursday (TruTV), with a potential second-round matchup against Fred Hoiberg's Iowa State club if the Bruins can manage an upset.
Other players to watch
Arizona freshman small forward Stanley Johnson is all over early mock drafts but has the body -- 6-foot-7, 237 pounds -- and attacking mindset to become a valuable NBA starter. Any Wolves scout checking out Okafor will also have a weathered eye on freshman Blue Devils swing man Justise Winslow, who has a wicked 3-point shot. It wouldn't be an NCAA tourney without Kansas, and the top name from Wiggins' former school is small forward Kelly Oubre. And if you're in the mood to check out some lower-lottery aspirants, Wisconsin big man Frank Kaminsky, Texas forward Myles Turner, Kentucky shooting guard Devin Booker, Georgia State shooting guard R.J. Hunter and Notre Dame point man Jerian Grant are all good starting points.
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