The Minnesota Timberwolves could be in the market for a developmental big man.
Rudy Gobert is about to enter his age-33 season, and Naz Reid and Julius Randle must decide whether to pick up their player options or extend their contracts in Minnesota. Therefore, it would be smart to draft another big to grow behind their existing talent and better prepare for the future.
The Timberwolves could use a young big man who better fits the modern NBA alongside Anthony Edwards. Therefore, Georgetown’s standout freshman Thomas Sorber should be at the top of Minnesota’s board.
Background
Thomas Sorber is a 19-year-old center from Trenton, NJ. At the NBA Combine, he measured 6’9.25” without shoes, 262.8 lbs, with an impressive 7’6” wingspan.
Out of high school, Sorber was a consensus 4-star prospect per the Recruiting Services Consensus Index (RSCI). He elected to become the next great Georgetown big over offers from Maryland, Miami, Penn State, Villanova, Providence, and Syracuse.
Sorber did not have much draft buzz coming into the season, but quickly gained attention with his impressive start. He continued his form into Big East conference play before a foot injury ended his season in mid-February.
The Numbers
Sorber only played in 24 of Georgetown’s 34 games. He averaged 14.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.5 steals, and 2.0 blocks per game. He had shooting averages of 53.2% from the field, 16.2% from three on 1.5 attempts per game, and 72.4% at the free-throw line on 4.4 attempts per game.
Sorber had a 58% true shooting percentage and a 54.4% effective field-goal percentage.
Among freshmen this season who are 6’8” and taller, Sorber’s 7.3 box-plus-minus (BPM) ranked 7th, and his 4.0 DBPM ranked 6th. His impressive steal and block averages translated to a 2.7% steal rate and a 7.6% block rate.
Only three high-major freshmen have posted a 7.5% block rate or better and a 2.5% steal rate or better on BartTorvik’s database, which dates back to 2008.
Anthony Davis in 2012, Nerlens Noel in 2013, and Thomas Sorber.
Although his defensive playmaking numbers remain impressive, Sorber didn’t play the entire conference schedule.
Offensive Impact
Sorber’s offense is difficult to evaluate because much of his projection is based on whether he can be as effective around the rim at the next level. The base of his game depends on whether he can continue to be as good a play-finisher in the NBA as he was in his 24 games at Georgetown.
Fortunately, Sorber excels at making catches on the roll and finding angles around the rim. Due to his 7’6 “wingspan, he has soft hands and a massive catch radius. Sorber has a good touch around the rim and uses his strong lower base to work around defenders.
Sorber finished 85 of 129 (65.9%) at the rim in the half-court, and 129 of 202 (63.8%) of his half-court field goal attempts came at the rim.
Like most one-and-done prospects, Sorber will grow more into his body and become a stronger player as he matures. Still, Sorber’s frame and low center of gravity give him a head start, which is crucial as a young big.
However, due to athletic limitations, Sorber isn’t projected to be an above-average lob target. Therefore, he must rely more on his touch in the NBA. Still, his 21 dunks last year indicate he can play around the rim.
Sorber’s ultimate offensive ceiling depends on how far his jumper can take him.
On non-rim two-point attempts (2P FGA), Sorber finished the season 24 of 63 (38.1%) with 75% of those makes being assisted. Sorber only connected on 6 of 37 (16.2%) of his three-point (3P) jumpers.
His shot mechanics are sound for a prospect who shot so poorly and has a gigantic wingspan. He’s likelier to lean into shots like his turnaround and catch-and-shoot short mid-range looks early in his career. However, developing a real, league-average stretch-5 ability would take his game to another level and rapidly boost his ceiling as a player.
Sorber’s best shooting indicators are his soft touch and his 72.4% shooting percentage at the free-throw line.
Sorber displayed good passing feel at Georgetown. He connected on big-to-big high-low passes and flowed into hand-offs with guards. However, Sorber shined when making the right read to the open man on the perimeter from his spot on the interior.
He projects as a short-roll passer, quick decision maker, and connective passer. His soft hands and court vision made it easy for him to continue ball rotations and set others up for shots.
Sorber isn’t good enough to have an offense run through him. Still, he can offer plus passing as a big, a trait that has become increasingly important in the modern NBA.
Defensive Impact
Due to his slower foot speed, Sorber is more likely to be a drop big in the NBA. He’s undersized for an NBA center and doesn’t have the leaping ability you want from a shot-blocker. Still, his 7’6” wingspan and 9’1” standing reach will help him overcome his deficiencies. Sorber’s strong base will also prevent him from getting walked down to under the rim.
The benefit of Sorber being an average athlete is that he does not often launch himself recklessly into shots, which limits his fouls. He has good fundamentals with walling up and keeping high hands, though he will need to find more consistency with timing his jumps against more dynamic downhill scorers.
Despite being fluid on his feet on offense, Sorber can get caught galloping spot to spot on defense, and that erratic movement can allow quicker players to gain an advantage. Sorber will be better off if he isn’t forced onto switches early in his NBA career. Still, more schematic versatility would ultimately increase his defensive ceiling.
Sorber doesn’t need to be in deep drop coverage; he isn’t good enough of a rim protector to stick that far back from the ball. Therefore, Sorber will be more productive if he finds better ways to position himself in those in-between spots, where he has to stunt towards the ball and keep the roller in check early in his career.
There are genuine concerns about his size, movement, and impact on defense in the NBA. Still, Sorber’s defensive playmaking and sturdy frame offer a baseline to work with, especially within the right defensive infrastructure early, which the Timberwolves could offer. Defense is a tough task for young Centers to maneuver. It will be no different with Sorber.
Sorber’s Fit With the Timberwolves
Barring a last-minute Kevin Durant trade, Sorber’s path to development with the Timberwolves is fairly simple.
Sorber could fit into the role that Luka Garza left as the reserve big and develop behind whatever mix of Reid, Randle, or Gobert is around to begin the 2025-26 season. This role would allow Sorber to comfortably adapt to the speed of the NBA game and develop at his own pace. There’s no need for the Timberwolves to rush a big-bodied center who’s coming off a foot injury.
Most importantly, Sorber’s game offers some lineup versatility. He can fit into lineups as a smaller 5 and next to Reid and Randle for more jumbo-type lineups. That gives Sorber a bit more protection within the lineup while also giving him the right infrastructure to play his own game properly. It would give him more chances to see minutes early and not put him into an overwhelming context.
Ultimately, drafting Sorber would come down to creating a development plan for the post-Rudy Gobert era.
Gobert is entering his age-33 season and is under contract for two more seasons, plus a player option. Therefore, the Timberwolves would not be forcing Sorber into any uncomfortable situations early while also allowing him to rise into different frontcourt combinations if he’s ready to contribute early.
Sorber isn’t going to bring the level of defensive impact that Rudy Gobert has for the Timberwolves, but he can potentially help balance out some of Gobert’s volatility. What Sorber brings that is so different from Rudy Gobert is the ability to be a connective passer and short-roll playmaker – an incredibly intriguing trait, considering how often opponents blitzed Anthony Edwards last season.
Even if Sorber is a bench option early in his career, if the Timberwolves have more schematic versatility and another button to push within their opponents’ coverages of Anthony Edwards, it will be fruitful.
Sorber is projected anywhere from the mid lottery to the early 20s. If he falls to 17, he should be among Tim Connelly’s top options to add to Minnesota’s young core.