Purdue basketball’s Trey Kaufman-Renn did not need an NBA Draft selection to prove he did something correct during the pre-draft process.
From Portsmouth to the G League Combine to the big time Combine, the Boilermaker big man clearly kept showing NBA evaluators something they liked. We can assume some of them worked for the Minnesota Timberwolves, who selected Kaufman-Renn 59th overall in Wednesday’s second round.
Prior to the draft, The Athletic’s Law Murray suggested the Timberwolves needed to target a developmental forward. That describes Kaufman-Renn, who likely needs to continue the progress he made on the pre-draft circuit to become an NBA regular.
Minnesota won at least 49 games in each of the past three seasons, reaching the Western Conference Finals twice in that span. Yet they lost in the conference semis this past season, which already led to some roster reevaluation.
Starting power forward Julius Randle was traded to Brooklyn in a three-way trade Tuesday. That pushed younger frontcourt players such as Naz Reid and Jaden McDaniels into bigger roles. It also left room for adding depth.
Kaufman-Renn likely has some G League tenure in his future. Speaking after his workout with the Pacers last week, he said he’s been trying to show teams he is a better perimeter shooter and defender than he showed with Purdue. He does not need to become a true stretch four to help a roster, but the more versatility the better, obviously.
“It’s more about the vision of what we think Trey Kaufman-Renn can be as opposed to maybe what he is or how he played,” Timberwolves GM Matt Lloyd told reporters Wednesday night. “He’s going to have the opportunity to start that process next week when he comes in for Summer League, and then we’ll see how it goes. It could be a situation where we try to transition him into a small forward — again, can guard multiple positions, play a power role.
“We were so impressed with his maturity when he came in. He’s a really intelligent kid. He’s seen so much winning that just sort of subconsciously seeps in there. He should know the intangible part of the game.”
When scrutinizing what prospects such as Kaufman-Renn do not have it can be easy to overlook what they already bring to the table. He came alive as a rebounder in his fifth season, leading the Big Ten Conference in defensive rebounding percentage and ranking ninth on the offensive glass.
He’s a polished offensive player, both with his pick-and-roll acumen, proven array of floaters and push shots and his ability to distribute out of the post.
Above all of that, though, Kaufman-Renn does not back down from the fight. He at times declared himself to be the most physical player in the country, which he knew meant he had to go out and live up to that description. He battled Zach Edey in practice for a couple of years before earning his marquee role and knows how to succeed when giving up a few inches and several pounds.
“There’s a world of opportunities of what he could be,” Lloyd said.
Kaufman-Renn suggested his stellar Purdue career does not represent the most complete version of his basketball identity. Perhaps that’s what NBA teams saw since the end of his Boilermaker career. The Timberwolves are optimistic he can prove it.
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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Trey Kaufman-Renn impressed on way to NBA Draft pick. Here’s what the Timberwolves are getting
Reporting by Nathan Baird, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Nathan Baird, Indianapolis Star | USA TODAY Network
