Canis Pulsus - Vol. 1 Results

After numerous projections and polls, the final results are in! The Canis hivemind has come together for a collective answer on various 2020 NBA draft topics. There is no electoral college of Canis Pulsus. There is, however, a popular vote which reigns supreme in the CH Republic.

Voting occurred between Tuesday, November 10, through Friday, November 13. Interestingly, out of the 202 total votes, 103 ballots were from eligible CH members. The remaining 99 votes came from other spheres of the internet (Twitter) or unnamed lurkers. For the sake of this exercise, I only used the data from CH members (also so Gersson Rosas is clear where CH officially stands), but the full results can be found here.

Now, on to the results!

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What do you hope the Timberwolves do with the #1 pick?

64% (65) - Trade down to accumulate draft capital and other players.

Adam Silver: “We have a trade to announce.” To no surprise, Canis Hoopus was fairly in agreeance that their first preference would be to trade down in this draft. However 19% of the remaining vote went towards making a pick at the #1 spot instead of trading completely out of the 2020 NBA draft. That means 83% of the CH community would prefer to come out of this draft with a rookie instead of completely bailing.

Full voting results:

If the Timberwolves trade the #1 pick, what do you hope they accumulate most?

39% (40) - 2021 first round pick / Future draft picks.

Though trading the #1 pick was the majority consensus, the trade target was not unanimous. The decision to acquire a 2021 1st round pick won by just 7%, as the runner-up was acquiring young player(s) with promise. In the podcast that Dane Moore recorded with Darren Wolfson, Wolfson stated that many league execs have told him that they believe the 2021 draft will be one of the best draft classes in a while. Re-entering the 2021 draft may very well be a smart move.

Full voting results:

If the Timberwolves trade down from the #1 pick into the lottery, who do you most hope they draft?

23% (24) - Onyeka Okongwu

And so it begins. The murky waters that is the 2020 NBA draft. Though trading down appears to be the move, who we would want to select gets interesting. Although the center out of USC won this vote at 23%, there are 12 other players that received votes including Killian Hayes (18%) and Devin Vassell (12%). This marks the 1st of 7 player questions that yielded a minimum of 12 different answers.

For more on Onyeka Okongwu, checkout Jake Paynting’s piece.

For more on Killian Hayes, checkout Jake Paynting’s piece.

For more on Devin Vassell, checkout Jake Paynting’s piece.

Full voting results:

If the Timberwolves end up selecting a player with the #1 pick in the 2020 draft, who would you like them to select?

48% (49) - LaMelo Ball

Ballot counters (just myself) noticed an interesting voting trend for this question. Anthony Edwards had jumped to a big lead early, but as last week progressed and more LaMelo Ball content and murmurs emerged, the 6’7” point guard rocketed into first place and never looked back. Ball accounted for nearly half of the total votes so let that be a notice for you to stock up on your BBB merchandise.

Full voting results:

If the Timberwolves end up selecting a player with the #17 pick in the 2020 draft, who would you like them to select?

18% (19) - Patrick Williams

Nearly 3/4 of the tallies for this question were split between five players. Though the divided results may not seem great at first glance, it may actually be advantageous given the unpredictable nature of this draft especially as we get into the 10th-20th picks (It is wildly expected that Patrick Williams will be selected in the lottery). Although Patrick Williams and Aleksej Pokusevski only carry a 32% three-point shooting percentage going into this draft, it is clear that CH would like some perimeter shooting with the 17th pick with all of Saddiq Bey, Aaron Nesmith, and Tyrell Terry being 40+% three-point shooters.

For more on Patrick Williams, checkout Jake Paynting’s piece.

Full voting results:

If the Timberwolves end up selecting a player with the #33 pick in the 2020 draft, who would you like them to select?

13% (13) - Tre Jones

As expected, the 33rd pick will be a crapshoot. When you mix the uncertainty in 2nd rounds of any draft with the uncertain 2020 draft class, the result below is what you get: 25 different players receiving votes. When things are so unsure, it is understandable to see the homegrown hero win the majority of votes (The runner-up, Tyrell Terry, also hailing from Minnesota). Perhaps even more so after previously having his older brother for a very successful stint in Minnesota.

Full voting results:

Which draft prospect do you think will be the best fit with the current Timberwolves roster/system?

18% (19) - Onyeka Okongwu

I feel that this question really illustrates just how different the CH hivemind has detoured in respect to Gersson Rosas and his front office team’s vision. Anyone who has followed the words of our current President of Basketball Operations since he arrived in Minnesota can assume that he has no real interest in pairing Karl-Anthony Towns with a non-shooting big. If you don’t believe this, just ask Jordan Bell and Noah Vonleh (How did they even end up here in the first place?). However the the need for defense is real and Okongwu or Devin Vassell, in theory, can really fill that gaping presence left by Gorgui Dieng Robert Covington Taj Gibson Jimmy Butler Ricky Rubio Kevin Garnett (?).

Full voting results:

Which draft prospect do you think will have the most trade value by the 2021 trade deadline?

39% (40) - LaMelo Ball

As I am writing this piece, the 2020-2021 trade deadline has not yet been finalized. Is it possible that Rosas makes yet another big splash by the next trade deadline? LaMelo Ball could be the biggest “boom or bust” prospect of this draft class. If that is the case, then CH is willing to roll those back alley dice. It was also interesting to see James Wiseman pick up 24% of the total votes. Although it is highly unlikely we’re going to be selecting him, it could still be enticing to dangle the big man in the trade market. Or it could potentially turn into a Steve Francis situation, yuck.

Full voting results:

Which draft prospect do you think will end up being the best 3-point shooter?

48% (50) - Aaron Nesmith

Some have noted the small sample size and easy strength of schedule that resulted in Aaron Nesmith’s hot shooting percentages while at Vanderbilt University last season, but that was not enough to deter nearly half of the voters from selecting him. The most surprising candidates who also earned votes include Patrick Williams (1.7 3PA) and Precious Achiuwa (1.3 3PA). They must know something we don’t.

For more on Aaron Nesmith, checkout Jake Paynting’s piece.

Full voting results:

Which draft prospect do you think will end up being the best defender?

43% (44) - Onyeka Okongwu

The importance of Onyeka Okongwu’s defense was mentioned earlier in this piece, but it can’t be overstated just how much this current Timberwolves team need defensive help. Auburn’s Isaac Okoro also boasted an impressive 33% of the votes as arguably the best wing defender of this class. Could Okoro prove to be the 3&D player that Okogie and Culver have yet to become? Lastly, shoutout to whoever voted for Nico Mannion here.

For more on Isaac Okoro, checkout Jake Paynting’s piece.

Full voting results:

Which draft prospect do you think will end up being the best passer?

86% (89) - LaMelo Ball

The results of this question shouldn’t surprise anyone. With passing being one of his NBA-ready skills and perhaps most outstanding quality, LaMelo Ball wins this vote with the largest margin of this edition of Canis Pulsus. I also expected to see Killian Hayes, Tyrese Haliburton, and maybe even Nico Mannion pop-up here, but I was surprised to see Anthony Edwards and RJ Hampton earn votes since they are prototypical score-first guards. Maybe Edwards voted for himself.

For more on Killian Hayes, checkout Jake Paynting’s piece.

For more on Tyrese Haliburton, checkout Jake Paynting’s piece.

Full voting results:

Which draft prospect do you think will end up being the best overall scorer?

48% (48) - Anthony Edwards

If the goal of Gersson Rosas’ Timberwolves is to outscore every opponent without playing a lick of defense, like the core of our team is built to do, then Anthony Edwards would be a natural fit. Although he didn’t particularly score at an impressive level in college, pundits (and CH voters) have frequently pointed to his build, athleticism, and 3-point shooting potential. Interestingly enough, defensive specialists Onyeka Okongwu and Isaac Okoro earned votes here as well.

For more on Anthony Edwards, checkout Jake Paynting’s piece.

Full voting results:

I will be happy with the draft if...

29% (25) - Trade down in the draft.

25% (22) - Trade for a 2021 1st round pick.

Quite a variety of answers here, but the answers were consistent with the results from the very first two questions of this Canis Pulsus. Trade down and get back into the 2021 draft. An additional 8% chunk of the vote went towards acquiring either Devin Booker, Ben Simmons, Bradley Beal. An equal 8% also went towards drafting LaMelo Ball. There were a lot of funny responses, but the top 3 has to be:

3) “It’s Timberwolves Jake, I will not be happy with draft.”

2) “Glen sells right after and lasagna is never forced on players again.”

1) “Canis is happy.”

I will be upset with the draft if...

19% (17) - We draft Anthony Edwards.

16% (14) - We draft LaMelo Ball.

14% (12) - We draft Obi Toppin.

In true 2020 NBA draft style, the answers were split at the top between not wanting to draft Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball. Not only are these the two players who CH most wants to avoid selecting, but they are also the two players CH most want to draft with the #1 pick. The “Classic Canis Cynicism” (Shoutout, CynicalJason) was in rare form for this question, understandably yielding more results than what would make them happy. My favorite answers?

3) “The Wolves take a player because he is the best fit for the team in 2020-21 (99.9% sure they do not do this unless Kevid McKahn emerges from the sky to take over the draft room).”

2) “We embarrass ourselves.”

1) “We take anyone who later sucks way more than we thought and even more upset if they are exactly as sucky as we expect.”

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This ends our first edition of Canis Pulsus! Thank you to all of you who participated. It was fun going through all of these results. We’ll be looking forward to getting your feedback prior to the start of free agency in Canis Pulsus Vol. 2.