NEW YORK – Tom Thibodeau has his point guard.
Already armed with several of the best young, dynamic players in the NBA like Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns, the Wolves added another, selecting Providence point guard Kris Dunn with the fifth overall pick of the NBA Draft Thursday evening at Barclays Center.
Dunn, a New London, Conn. native who was passed up at No. 3 by the Boston Celtics in favor of Jaylen Brown, is the highest draft pick out of the Big East program since Otis Thorpe went ninth overall in 1984. Dunn is the first Friar to be drafted since Ricky Ledo in 2013.
Dunn and Ledo were both members of Providence’s 2012 recruiting class, but the latter never played a game after the NCAA ruled him academically-ineligible.
“Providence College is one of the best schools in the country for a reason,” Dunn said. “The people at Providence, they believe, they support, they show so much love and the fact I was able to do this not for me and my family, but for everyone in Providence, it means so much because I understand what they mean to me, and I wouldn’t be here without none of those people.”
Dunn had his own troubles at Providence, enduring multiple shoulder injuries before finally finding health and stardom as a redshirt sophomore during the 2014-15 season. He shunned the NBA Draft last year despite being projected to go as high as No. 13 by DraftExpress.
The Timeberwolves core now looks even more promising. Dunn turned 22 in March, while Wiggins, Towns and two-time Slam Dunk Contest champion Zach LaVine are all just 20.
“I’ve been talking to Karl Towns throughout the draft process because he’s part of the agency that we’re with (CAA) and he’s a great guy,” Dunn said. “He gave me a lot of advice through the process. They’re a young team, very gifted Zach LaVine, Andrew Wiggins, Shabazz (Muhammad), Karl Towns, they have a lot of great pieces, and I’m just coming in ready to work.”
Dunn’s drafting likely the end of the Ricky Rubio era in Minnesota. Multiple reports this week stated that Minnesota was looking to shop the Spanish-born, 25-year-old point guard. He is owned better than $42 million over the next three seasons after signing a four-year, $56 million extension in Oct. 2014. That extension kicked in beginning with the 2015-16 season.
The Wolves went 29-53 last season, and were selecting in the Lottery for the 12th straight season.
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