Eileen Blass-USA TODAY Sports
It’s a scary thought, but the Minnesota Timberwolves have a possibility of entering next season without their best big man, Nikola Pekovic. He is a free agent come July 1st and should be a priority for Flip Saunders and the front office.
Pekovic is one of the more consistent centers in basketball when healthy, but that was the problem last season. In the 2012-2013 year, Pekovic missed a total of 20 games due to injury. In the 62 games he played, though, he averaged a healthy 16.3 points and 8.8 rebounds.
If Pekovic were to somehow manage to slip away from the Wolves, they may have to consider going big in the first round of this draft even if it means doing so with the ninth overall pick.
A couple of intriguing guys who could be available at number nine are both Cody Zeller out of Indiana and Mason Plumlee out of Duke.
Zeller has been a stud in college and looks to translate that into his NBA career. He’s a great scorer and a consistent rebounder, which could give the Timberwolves exactly what Pekovic brings to the table.
Plumlee has an extremely high cieling. His frame is long, giving him the ability to block shots at a higher level than most his peers. He is also very efficient offensively, again, like Pekovic has been for the Wolves.
Whatever ends up happening with Pekovic, Saunders better have a plan because he has been a crucial part of their team over the past two seasons and has a great future ahead of him. In the case that he departs, Zeller and Plumlee would be nice options heading forward.
Ryan Heckman is a Senior NBA writer for www.RantSports.com also contributing to the NFL. Follow him on Twitter, “Like” him on Facebook, or add him to your network on Google.
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