2014 NBA Mock Draft: An in-depth look at both rounds
By Joe Nardone
Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
13. Minnesota Timberwolves – Adreian Payne , PF, Michigan State
H: 6′ 10″ W: 239 lbs DOB: 02/18/1991
2013-14 NCAA (31 GP) 16.4 PPG 7.3 RPG 1.3 APG 25.6 PER
This is potentially the most bush league thing I’ll write in this entire article, but I didn’t consider Adreian Payne a lottery pick until last night. I’m not overly enamored by guys with tremendous size who insist on hanging out by the perimeter and launching deep two’s, which is what I saw out of Payne a little too often this past season. And then, because there’s no more basketball, I decided to start clearing out my DVR by watching the college basketball dunk contest, and I saw some of the things that this behemoth jump shooter is capable of doing in a less compressed setting.
The Wolves are in big trouble with Kevin Love wanting out, and while I won’t say things like “Payne’s the perfect guy to replace him,” Payne at this stage can be a very poor man’s Love and help the Wolves get scoring out of their front court with a big who helps space the floor, has a high basketball IQ, and rebounds. With just about all of the bigger name bigs off the board by the end of the lottery, Payne would be a good value pick for a team that will certainly need help in the frontcourt in the near future. — Jared