Justin Patton is an American NBA player who currently plays with the Minnesota Timberwolves. He previously played college basketball at Creighton University where he earned both the Big East Freshman of the Year as well as the Second Team All-Big East in his first year.
Patton is one NBA player whose ability to run the court is second to none, his skills at handling the ball and shooting the occasional three-pointer are something he is always praised for. Here are all the facts you need to know about the player.
Who Is Justin Patton? – Biography
Patton was born in Riverdale, Georgia on the 14th of June 1997 as Justin Nicholas Patton. He is not an only child, he has three siblings – Kendall Patton, Raven Bryson and, Terrel Steen. Justin is a cousin of former Creighton basketball player, Donnie Johnson.
He attended Omaha North High School, Omaha, Nebraska, and played basketball with the Omaha Sports Academy Crusaders. While in high school, Justin played in the Kentucky Derby Classic All-Star Game, recording seventeen points in nineteen minutes on 7-of-9 shooting, with 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals.
The Omaha World-Herald and captain of the All-Metro Team named Patton the First Team All-State, making him the first North team all-state selection since 1986. He was rated a 5-star recruit by Scout.com. After high school, Justin played college basketball at Creighton University, which happened to be the only university that offered him a scholarship. He studied social work (major), with a minor in communication at Creighton.
Justin Patton redshirted his freshman season. Coach Greg McDermott redshirted him for a couple of reasons, which include giving him time to develop in age and to also develop his game. In addition to the above reasons, McDermott believed that Patton needed to master competing at that level and to also learn to eat healthily.
Patton did learn and improved on his game, as well as in his size and his next season was a big proof of that. When he arrived he was barely weighing 204 pounds but by the end of his redshirt season, he was close to 230 pounds with lots of strength that came with it.
In his first appearance with the team, he hit twelve points and 8 rebounds. In a January 2017 game against St. John, he recorded a season-high of twenty-five points. During his redshirt freshman season, he earned the Second Team All-Big East, as well as the Big East Freshman of the Year Awards. The lad ended his college career in April 2017 by declaring for the NBA draft.
NBA Career
Justin Patton was selected by Chicago Bulls as the sixteenth overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. However, he and Jimmy Butler were both traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves on the night of the draft in exchange for Kris Dunn, Zach LaVine, and the draft rights to Lauri Markkanen.
He was to join the team for the Summer League but was sidelined after he sustained an injury during a workout that required immediate surgery. He didn’t make an NBA appearance until April 2018, when he played in the last four minutes in the game against Utah Jazz, scoring 2 points on 2 shots with one single steal. Later that month, he underwent another surgery to facilitate his healing from the injury he sustained the previous season, thus, he was again sidelined indefinitely.
At the end of his rookie season, Justin Patton had played thirty-eight games recording an average of 5.4 rebounds, and 12.7 points in 23.2 minutes per game.
His Height, Weight, Body Stats, And Other Facts
Justin Patton is 6 ft 10 inches tall (2.13 m) and currently weighs 236 pounds (107 kg). His wingspan measures 2.21 m.
Creighton University recruited him initially to play the defensive center position but he would later play more as an offensive.
His dream job has always been centered around the game of basketball. He has always wanted to either be an NBA player or a Division I basketball coach.
His favorite sports hero is Kevin Durant and his favorite professional basketball team is the Oklahoma City Thunder.
His best meal is spaghetti.
If Patton could meet any celebrity in person, it would be Kevin Hart. His best song is House Party by Sam Hunt. His favorite book of all time is The Great Gatsby while his favorite movie is Ride Along.
Coach Greg McDermott is the biggest influencer asides from his parents.
