Over the past two games, both victories, Timberwolves fans got their first extended look at Keita Bates-Diop — someone who may not have been on the casual fan’s radar before the last week.
They saw a player whom interim coach Ryan Saunders has described multiple times as “cerebral,” someone who didn’t look out of place guarding Wizards All-Star guard Bradley Beal late in a close game, and someone fit seamlessly in the offense as he scored 18 points in 35 minutes against the Knicks on Sunday.
But to trace his emergence as an NBA player, it’s helpful to go back to the first time the Wolves played the Knicks on Feb.