The Wolves acquired forward Shabazz Napier in a trade with the Golden State Warriors (via the Brooklyn Nets) last week. Here are a few things you should know about the new member of the Wolves.
What’s His Name?
Shabazz Bozie Napier
Where Is He From?
Napier, 27, was born in Roxbury, Massachusetts and attended college at UConn.
Before moving on, let’s get to know Roxbury!
- In 1775, The First Church of Roxbury was the starting point for William Dawes’ “Midnight Ride” to give Lexington and Concord of the British. Dawes isn’t as famous as one Paul Revere and I guess I can't really tell you why. Dawes deserves some love, too!
- From age 14 to 21, Malcolm Little (you now know him as Malcolm X) lived with his half-sister in Roxbury. Roxbury has a boulevard named after Malcolm X.
- Of the 24,688 houses in Roxbury, 13,020 were built in 1939 or earlier. There a lot of creaky stairs in Roxbury.
Where Have You Heard Of Him Before?
Well, Napier has been in the league since 2014 after being drafted 24th overall. So you're familiar with him. But prior to that, you likely remember him from his days at UConn. Napier helped lead UConn to two National Championships. He was the NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player in 2014 as well as a consensus First-Team All-American.
Describe Him To Us
Napier is a crafty point guard who can provide a real punch off the bench. He’s coming off a season in which he averaged a career-high 9.4 points per game and 19.4 points per 36 minutes.
He hit double digits in scoring in 31 games, 20 or more in five games and scored 32 points off the bench against the Bucks in late December.
While Napier shot 33.3 percent from the 3-point line on 2.9 attempts per game last season, we’ll likely see that number go up. In the two seasons prior, he shot 37 and 37.6 percent from deep, respectively. That will be huge for a team that didn’t have much shooting on the second unit.
Napier will give the Wolves a scoring punch off the bench, and we could actually see him play alongside Jeff Teague. It’s something we saw last season from Napier in Brooklyn with D’Angelo Russell and the season before in Portland with Damian Lillard.