Should the Timberwolves draft Karl-Anthony Towns or Jahlil Okafor?

Scott Gleeson | USA TODAY Sports

Show Caption Hide Caption Why Karl-Anthony Towns can be ideal fit for Timberwolves USA TODAY Sports' Larry Berger tallks with potential No. 1 overall pick Karl Towns following the NBA draft lottery.

NEW YORK — The month-long debate for Karl-Anthony Towns or Jahlil Okafor has officially begun for the Minnesota Timberwolves, winners of Tuesday night's NBA draft lottery.

"We're going to get a great piece. There are a lot of directions we can go," said Timberwolves coach Flip Saunders after the ping pong balls bounced in the organization's favor. "This gives us flexibility. We don't know who we're going to pick."

Saunders wouldn't label the coveted top overall as a "two-player race," adding that "we're going to evaluate these guys and take whoever the best player available is, regardless of position."

Make no mistake, the two best players are Towns and Okafor. D'Angelo Russell, the projected No. 3 pick, told USA TODAY Sports: "I'm the best player in this draft, based on my hunger." But, ultimately, both Towns and Okafor have franchise-changing potential.

"I can't wait to see where my name pops up on June 25," Towns told USA TODAY Sports. He was the front-runner heading into the lottery but Saunders told reporters Tuesday night he "really likes" Okafor.

Who's better? It depends on how it's broken down.

"Okafor is a better player right now. Towns has more potential," USA TODAY Sports' draft expert Derek Bodner said.

Okafor, who averaged 17.3 points and 8.5 rebounds a game in leading Duke to the national championship, offers finesse post moves and jaw-dropping footwork that Blue Devils' assistant coach Jeff Capel compared to Tim Duncan. His weaknesses? Dreadful free-throw shooting (51%) and a-step-behind defense. He's lost 12 pounds since the end of the season in an attempt to debunk the lack of defensive quickness criticism.

Okafor drew a plethora of double teams at the college level, and is a good decision-maker — whether to defer to his teammates or use his agility and frame to score on the low block.

Towns, who averaged 10.3 points and 6.7 rebounds a game in 21 minutes a game for the almost-undefeated Kentucky Wildcats, has an enormously high ceiling on offense and is far more advanced defensively than Okafor. While he played a fitting role in coach John Calipari's platoon offense in 2014-15, it also restricted him from fully blossoming. He came on strong, proving to be UK's most important player in the NCAA tournament, but his versatility was never maximized at the college level. In short, he was just scratching the surface in the NCAA.

Saunders, who asked owner Glen Taylor to target six players in this year's NCAA tournament, describes the No. 1 picks as being a key piece to the Timberwolves' "puzzle." The question is whether the team wants the puzzle put together sooner rather than later.

"I think it is a lot of pressure with our young team," Taylor said. "We have to find the one guy that will work in and complement the other guys."

The other guys are former No. 1 picks Andrew Wiggins and Anthony Bennett, as well as flashy guards Ricky Rubio, Zach LaVine and Shabazz Muhammad.

Whichever big guy gets drafted first, future Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett will be their mentor.