Caged birds seldom sing.
For Minnesota Timberwolves combo guard Jaylen Nowell, that had been the case throughout the early stages of his professional career. Instead of being set free to showcase his voice and the flamboyant feathers his game had to offer, Nowell had to pick the lock. He had to do things the hard way. He had to scratch, bite and claw his way into an NBA rotation.
Despite starring at the University of Washington and earning himself PAC-12 Player of the Year honors, the Seattle native had to wait until the 41st selection of the 2019 draft to hear Adam Silver call his name.