NBA Draft 2020: 5 franchises that needs to add shooting most

Minnesota Timberwolves

It feels as if the Minnesota Timberwolves are perpetually rebuilding. Coming off of a 45-loss season, the T-Wolves are actually a bit more upbeat than usual for this time of the year. This is due to a well-respected President of Basketball Operations being in charge, Gersson Rosas, and being armed with the No. 1 pick in the draft.

The Timberwolves have a ton of talent on the roster with center Karl-Anthony Towns and microwave scorer D’Angelo Russell forming an offensively explosive core. The team needs to add defense and shooting in a big way. The Timberwolves were 24th in the league in offensive rating and 28th in 3-point percentage (33.6%) in 2019-20.

Anthony Edwards

SG – Georgia – Career 3-point percentage (29.4%) – 237 total 3-point attempts

Anthony Edwards added a big shot of energy to a Georgia Bulldogs team that needed one. But unfortunately, that did not result in many wins. Edwards may not seem like a fit for this list if you have only seen him play at the NCAA level. However, Edwards’ total body of work shows a player who can more than hold his own from the perimeter at the NBA level.

Though this is obviously a very small sample, Edwards shot an impressive 45.1% from 3-point range with Atlanta Xpress. He was taking over 6.0 3-pointers per game during that AAU season and at all levels up to this point has proven to be a fine shooter with time and not necessarily that much space.

The number one issue with Edwards at Georgia was usually a poor shot selection and a lack of focus. While no one can guarantee a hyper-focused Edwards at the NBA level, there is no doubt that playing with D’Angelo Russell and Karl-Anthony Towns would open up the floor for him. Edwards would be able to show his true shooting prowess with a Minnesota franchise trying to modernize on and off the court.

Jahmi’us Ramsey 

SG – Texas Tech – Career 3-point percentage (42.6%) -141 total 3-point attempts

 Jahmi’us Ramsey is a big 2-guard at 6-foot-4, 195lbs, and a +2 inch wingspan. Ramsey is known more as a microwave scorer in general but he actually is quite an impressive outside shooter. This was readily apparent with his 42.6% 3-point shooting in his freshman year at Texas Tech. But on the flip side, a horrendous 64.1% free throw percentage raised concerns about if the impressive shooting from deep was a flash in the pan.

Ramsey is a supremely confident shot-taker (and maker), so I have no doubt he will let it fly from deep at the NBA level. The key is what type of shots would he take and the amount of playing time he would receive. Ramsey will probably be a mid-to-late 1st round pick based on age and solid NCAA production. Minnesota can snag him with their No. 17 pick and add his combo of size and scoring prowess to the rotation.

Rasmey is too talented a player to be a clearly ineffective 3-point shooter. Look no further than his three best perimeter shooting games of the 2019-20 NCAA season. Ramsey shot 5-for-10 from 3-point range against Baylor, 5-for-8 against West Virginia, and 5-for-8 on the road against Kansas. It is no coincidence that some of his best 3-point shooting performances came against some of the best defenses in the nation.

Jalen Smith 

PF- Maryland – Career 3-point percentage (32.3%) – 158 total 3-point attempts

 Maryland was tied for first place in the Big Ten behind a deep and talented team that always put defense first. Despite the strong defense, the Terrapins also posted a strong offense with a top-20 rating per KenPom. A big part of this evolution was Smith becoming a legitimate knockdown 3-point shooter in his sophomore season.

Smith shot 36.8% from 3-point range while taking 5.3 attempts per 100 possessions from 3-point range. This great production from the perimeter came while Smith was acting as the anchor for the impressive Terrapins’ defense. He could one day become a solid shooter off of screens but for now, his rim protection and pick-and-pop game are enough to make him a great fit in Minnesota.