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He will probably go to the G league for a couple weeks before they think about him being with the Wolves. Unless someone is injured, he isn't needed on the big club for a while

... anyways. Actual doctors say bone density should be considered as part of healing. That takes years, which is aligned with when he more realistically would be ready skill wise. I would be more concerned with posts saying he can be a rim protector this season... #NextMutumbo

Hopefully he gets a little practice run this year and is ready to soak up some significant minutes next year.

Looks like hes been cleared to start 5 on 5 contact practice.

Crazy-Canuck wrote:Looks like hes been cleared to start 5 on 5 contact practice.

Im excited!


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And promptly sent down to Iowa, as expected.

Will be cool if he gets some Iowa games in soon. Will check him out if I can find the games

Calinks wrote:Will check him out if I can find the games

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Klomp wrote:

Calinks wrote:Will check him out if I can find the games

Facebook Live

Look like I will finally have to use facebook

After draft I was wondering if we need Justin Patton. now I can see a lot of opportunities for him.

We could really use Patton becoming David Robinson incarnate.

AirP. wrote:

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Abolutely awesome that he is back on the court. Hopefully he cracks the rotation by the end of the year.

Who watched the game? What did his interior D look like? It would be great if we could put him at 5, KAT @ 4 and interchange

Rookie-Mistake wrote:Who watched the game? What did his interior D look like? It would be great if we could put him at 5, KAT @ 4 and interchange

I didn't watch.

I did listen to an interview though (Krawczynski? Zgoda? don't remember) and apparently the Iowa coach said the first few minutes looked rusty as expected but then something clicked and he looked really good.

EDIT: It was Benz during the game yesterday who said that.

It's still his first game in about 9 months and first basketball activities in about 5 months though. Don't expect immediate major contributions in the NBA. Thibs said in that interview posted earlier that this is like his training camp ("3-4 weeks"), so I wouldn't even expect him to be called up until January at the earliest, unless something catastrophic is happening here.

Rookie-Mistake wrote:Who watched the game? What did his interior D look like? It would be great if we could put him at 5, KAT @ 4 and interchange

Here's my comments on Patton's debut copied from the Iowa Wolves G-League thread.

In his debut Patton looked better on defense than I expected. He seemed to have decent awareness and was in position to contest shots in the paint. He ended up with 4 blocks in 16 minutes and on a couple of those he was able to secure the ball. He also looked like he was making an effort to find his man and box out which is something that the Wolves sometimes lack at the NBA level. I really liked my first view of him on the defensive side of the ball.

On offense he looked like a guy playing his first professional game. His outside shot looked pretty bad with every jumper ending up barely getting to the front of the rim. I did like that he was looking to dunk the ball when in traffic and he finished a couple of nice plays at the rim. He also looked good at the free throw line going 5-5 with a good looking stroke.

I think we can expect a less athletically awkward version of Dieng with Patton as a realistic comparison. He seems to have good IQ and awareness and the ability to do the little things well.

I don't see star talent in him, but I see quality starter who does a lot of things well.

wolves_89 wrote:In his debut Patton looked better on defense than I expected.

Better than you expected coming off injury or in general?

Because defense is likely where he's going to make his mark. He probably won't ever be an offensive juggernaut. He's not a liability on that end, but I believe defense is his biggest opportunity for success and why he was drafted ahead of someone like John Collins.

There have been Marcus Camby comps thrown around, and I think those are a pretty good projection for his skill set. On offense, he'll get most of his opportunity in rim-runs, finishing in the paint, and a developing perimeter game. He can post up, but that's not really where he's at his best. On defense, he's long and agile. He blocks shots.

I don't know his ceiling, but I think he could offer bench production by next year.

If you have some time, check out some of his games from last year. Not only the highlight cut-ups, but there are a handful of full games from last year on Youtube. The channel White & Blue Review is another good resource, because you can see him on plays where he doesn't end up in the stat sheet. See how he plays off the ball, etc. I linked a playlist of last year's games from them.

I'm not saying he's a perfect prospect. He has his flaws. DX said his rebounding was question, especially in positioning. Needs to get stronger. But regarding strength, remember that just 6 years ago he was 6-foot-2. He grew 7 inches as a sophomore in HS, but didn't really start filling out his frame until his redshirt year at Creighton (2 years ago). Greg McDermott got his ass in the weight room and got his ass in the paint. That's why he's mostly raw yet as a prospect. But the potential is certainly there.