Nikola Pekovic (C, MIN) - NBA Waiver Wire Pickups

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ANALYSIS: Nikola Pekovic made his season debut on Wednesday after missing the Minnesota Timberwolves' first 35 games with an Achilles injury that dates back to last season. He made three of his four field goals and all six of his free throws, finishing with 12 points and two rebounds in 16 minutes.

Pekovic has four consecutive seasons of at least 12 points and seven rebounds per game, including a 2013-'14 season in which he put up 17.4 and 8.7 on 54% shooting. The 30-year-old has never played more than 65 games in his five-year career, but it is reasonable to assume that he is now healthy and will stay on the floor for the remainder of the season.

Rookie Karl-Anthony Towns has done enough to hold onto his starting center job, but Pekovic should be able to produce in any role. Kevin Garnett currently starts at power forward but only sees about 15 minutes per game, so the playing time will be there for Pekovic, even coming off the bench. He will likely be limited over the next few games, but he is worth a look in deeper leagues given his history of success. Especially if he gets traded into a bigger opportunity, he could end up being a steal.