Wolves season report card: Justin Hamilton

This is the first in a 15-part series evaluating each Timberwolves player's performance during the 2014-15 season. Find the entire series here.

The roulette wheel that was the Wolves' backup center position in 2014-15 eventually landed on Justin Hamilton -- a guy with little previous NBA experience who had a serviceable stretch run with his fourth team in two seasons.

Ronny Turiaf played in just two games before season-ending hip surgery and a subsequent trade. Miroslav Raduljica was in town only by way of a roster hardship exemption and made just five appearances. Thanks to injuries to Nikola Pekovic and others, the likes of 6-foot-8 Robbie Hummel and 6-7 Jeff Adrien manned the post at times.

But after Minnesota claimed him off waivers from the Heat, the guy they call Hambone in local social media circles stuck.

"He did some positive things," head coach and president Flip Saunders said. But, "I'm not locking into anybody at 16 wins. I'll be honest. Everyone's got to get better from the players to the coaches to the management to everybody."

A 16-66 season will yield potential roster turnover. But toward its tail end, Hamilton -- who's an unrestricted free agent this summer -- put some solid NBA minutes on film for scouts to evaluate. Whether it's enough to keep him in the Twin Cities beyond 17 games here (nine starts) remains to be seen.

Scoring: C+

At 7-feet tall and not overwhelmingly athletic or overpowering, Hamilton doesn't exactly have the traits of an elite-level NBA scorer. But he did display solid fundamentals and smart shot selection, making 51.3 percent of his field-goal attempts for nine points per game (13 per 36 minutes). The former Iowa State Cyclone and LSU Tiger even stepped back and hit the occasional 3-pointer. But his value to Minnesota's offense came mostly in his ability to set screens and provide a reliable post-up option when the Wolves' second unit looked to the interior.

Rebounding: C

Rebounding should become the strongest part of Hamilton's game, given his stocky 260-pound frame. While playing 24.9 minutes per game, Hamilton averaged 5.1 boards per contest, which translates to a 7.3 per-36-minutes average. That's neither awful nor overwhelming for opponents. Hamilton's at his best when he's cleaning up the offensive glass, and increased strength could help the 25-year-old become a more prolific rebounder.

Defense: C

As mentioned, Hamilton's not an elite-level athlete who skies over defenders to swat shots away. But again, his knowledge of the game and sound body positioning allow him to be a sometimes-serviceable rim protector -- at least when he's playing against other backups. Hamilton averaged 1.5 blocks with the Wolves this season and also helped by clearing out the lane on box-outs. For a fringe NBA player like Hamilton, making a difference defensively will remain paramount if he hopes to remain in the league.

Overall: C

While his opportunity was a short one, Hamilton -- who can become a restricted free agent this summer with a $1,147,276 qualifying offer -- was good in glimpses for Minnesota. He put up more minutes and better numbers than he had in 32 games with Charlotte and Miami dating back to last season. But, all told, he had only two double-doubles while receiving substantial playing time in the wake of a multitude of injuries. Hamilton has the makings of a viable backup NBA big, but he won't be able to capitalize on them unless general managers keep taking chances on him like Saunders did this year.

Next: Robbie Hummel

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