T.J. Warren
Minnesota Timberwolves

Player Facts

Height: 6'8"
Weight: 220lbs.

Wingspan: 6'10.25"

Date of Birth:
Sep. 5, 1993
College Experience: North Carolina State (2 years)

Selections

All Star: 0
All-NBA: 0
All-Defensive: 0

Player Grades

Speed/Explosiveness: 7
Physical Strength: 8
Positional Size: 8
Positional Wingspan: 7
Paint Scoring: 9
Midrange Scoring: 8
Three-Point Scoring: 8
Dribbling: 7
Passing: 3
Perimeter Defense: 7
Interior Defense: 5
Rebounding: 8

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JUMP TO SECTION

> Intro

> Multifaceted Scoring

> Interior Finishing

> Off-Ball Play

> Finishing on the Break

> Defensive Diligence

> Off-Ball Defense

> Underdeveloped Playmaking

> Mediocre Foul-Drawing

> Beacon Bacon

>Link to Player Contract & Salary Info

*All short clips courtesy of Smart Highlights (YouTube)

*All statistical data courtesy of NBA Advanced Stats

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STRENGTHS

Intro

The NC State product is an efficient combo forward with a knack for getting buckets. He's not the most explosive player out there but has the skill and size at 6'8" (with a 6'10.25" wingspan) to be effective. T.J. Warren has morphed into a talented all-around scoring option after being drafted as a midrange/slasher type.

His 2019-2020 shooting splits help shine a light on Warren's balanced offensive attack. He posted a 53.6/40.3/81.9 line for the year (FG%, 3PT%, FT%). He was putting up similar numbers in 2020-2021 before suffering a major injury that sideline him. Through repetition in the gym, T.J.'s shooting from downtown has caught up to his other areas of strength.

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Multifaceted Scoring

The versatile T.J. can be used in a multitude of ways on offense. Between isolating, initiating pick-and-rolls, and receiving handoffs, his shot creation and shot-making are superb. Honing his pull-up shooting ability has also done wonders for him. In 2019-2020, he was in the 86th percentile for scoring off dribble handoffs.

T.J. has a robust in-between game. One way he'll get into the midrange is via the pick-and-roll. Warren is one of the best at using a soft touch on visibly awkward leaners and runners. In fact, he was red-hot throughout 2019-2020 on non-restricted area paint shots with his 53.1% clip.

Off-the-dribble, T.J. gets to his sweet spots which happen to be in the midrange. When isolating, he looks to get downhill and will gladly stop and pop for some unorthodox two-point jumpers. Warren can stably rise and square up to the basket off one or two feet.

The spin is a go-to for T.J. when he goes one-on-one. He distinctively screws his body through his defender to keep his movement north-south rather than east-west. Where a lot of players spin away and be left a ways away from the basket, Warren ensures that he's gaining ground towards the net. He can skillfully perform both his midrange jumper or one of his floaters from this point.

He will also leverage the post against size mismatches. T.J. has multiple moves such as a turnaround baseline jumper here. He's got a polished face-up game as well, jabbing hard and possessing a solid first step.

Warren flashes to the middle as another means of getting the ball in the midrange. Through this and the previously mentioned avenues, T.J was in the top 15 for midrange buckets in 2019-2020 on a respectable 43% shooting. Moreover, he can finish these routes with a quick take to the rim as well.

Interior Finishing

T.J. has grown into an elite finisher in the key. Similar to the rest of his somewhat unconventional game, he differs from a DeMar DeRozan or a Paul George by lacking a fancy layup package. Rather, Warren is selective, strong, and fundamental with his layups and dunks.

He nailed a sparkling 72.7% of his restricted area looks in 2019-2020. That was better than all of LeBron James, Karl-Anthony Towns, Joel Embiid, and Luka Doncic.

Off-Ball Play

T.J. remains active and impactful without the basketball. Playing next to creators like Devin Booker, Malcolm Brogdon, and Victor Oladipo, he has become one of the association's finest cutters. He has great instincts for when to make his basket cuts, exceptional recognizing and countering top-lockers or inattentive defenders with the corner-to-key cut.

Warren caps off his cuts with exceptional efficiency. He made 73.6% of his looks from cuts in 2019-2020. T.J. was in the 80th percentile here on this season.

The multitalented Warren can slide in as any one of the first, second, or third scoring options on the floor. Between his impeccable cutting and much-improved shooting, T.J. is an off-ball stud. He hit 43.5% of his catch-and-shoot triples in 2018-2019 and 40.8% the following year.

He moves with great speed and purpose off-ball. T.J. flies off pindowns and other off-ball screens to calmly catch and fire from deep. All in all, he was in the 80th percentile for 2019-2020 spot-up scoring.

Finishing on the Break

T.J. continues to be a steady force in transition. His finishing prowess in the half-court lives on as he leads or fills the lane on the break. 2019-2020 had him in the top ten for total transition points, outpacing the likes of Zach LaVine, Ja Morant, and Damian Lillard. He finished in the 85th percentile for his combination of productivity and efficiency here.

Defensive Diligence

Warren plays hard on defense, ramping up his activity level as the game progresses. He has the active hands and quick feet to fight over picks or shoot the gap. T.J. recorded 2.9 deflections a night in 2019-2020. This was the identical figure to strong perimeter defenders Jayson Tatum and De'Aaron Fox.

Warren's nice work at the point of attack really makes a difference on shooters. He does what is in his power to bother shooters pulling up off the screen or handoff. T.J. held his men to 2.3% below their normal average on threes in 2019-2020. The feisty Marcus Smart was right at -2.2% that year.

Off-Ball Defense

He is a helpful and cerebral team defender. T.J. knows where to be as offensive actions develop in front of him. He helps when he should help and stays home when he should stay home. Warren gets many of his steals by jumping in front of soft passes and taking it the other way for a score.

The 6'8" Warren uses his size and solid positioning to provide some moderate value on the backline. As a wing player, he swatted 0.7 blocks per 36 minutes in 2018-2019 and 0.5 per 36 in 2019-2020.

T.J. has just become a steady, rock-solid two-way piece to plug in. He can guard positions two through four all relatively well. He does most of what you'd ask of your modern-day forward on defense.

WEAKNESSES

Underdeveloped Playmaking

Warren is a low-output assist player. He consistently has a lofty usage rate and bloated scoring numbers but records few dimes. It is clear that he approaches screen-and-rolls and dribble handoffs with the primary intention of scoring.

T.J., like most wings, can capably make this simple pass. Higher-level reads tend to be beyond his comfort zone. Only occasionally will Warren uncork a pristine delivery to set up his teammate.

If T.J. hopes to build a complete offensive arsenal, he needs to enhance his playmaking capabilities. From 2017-2018 to 2019-2020, he averaged only 1.4, 1.7, and 1.6 assists per 36 minutes in each respective year. A silver lining to all of this is that Warren keeps his turnovers low.

Mediocre Foul-Drawing

To round out his scoring profile, Warren should be drawing more fouls. His accuracy at the stripe is above average in his middling number of attempts. Trading some of his midrangers for drives would likely do the trick.

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Beacon Bacon

In a bit of a head-scratcher, T.J. was traded from Phoenix to the Indiana Pacers along with the 32nd pick in the draft for cash considerations in July 2019