Height: 6’8
Weight: 198
Class: Freshman
Draft Age: 20
Minnesota needs to figure out its point guard situation. Rob Dillingham does not have the coaching staff’s trust and Mike Conley is over the hill, so to speak. Neoklis Avdalas is an unconventional but highly appealing solution, and perhaps the appropriate response to whiffing on a small guard in Dillingham. Avdalas has the size of a forward but the skill set and approach of a lead guard. He’s a composed facilitator, with incredible vision working out of pick-and-rolls and probing the soft center of a defense.
There are drawbacks to Avdalas, primarily in his inability to turn the corner and pressure the rim, but there’s enough mid-range shot-making to compensate. He can find Rudy Gobert on lobs, manipulate the defense to better set up Anthony Edwards, and just generally add a fresh dynamic to this Timberwolves defense. The athleticism around him on this Wolves squad should, in theory, mitigate Avdalas’ shortcomings. This is one of the more fun late-first round fits.
Leave a Reply