Pic: Spox.com

Karl-Anthony Towns – On the Horizon of Superstardom

The Minnesota Timberwolves have not had Gongfu Tea Cup
extremely dominant big-man since Kevin Garnett from 1995-2007.

With Kentucky freshman Karl-Anthony Towns as their No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, the Wolves are looking for another Kevin Garnett type of player, and they’ve got just that. Sure, the young, magnificent trio of Towns, Andrew Wiggins, and Zach LaVine are going to be one of the best “big threes” in the NBA very soon, but this piece is about the overwhelming value and upside of Karl-Anthony Towns.

Last season, Timberwolves guard Andrew Wiggins took home the 2014-15 Rookie of the Year award with ease—Towns is undoubtedly going to bring another Rookie of the Year award back to Minnesota this season. Towns leads all rookies in: points (18.3), rebounds (10.3), and blocks (1.7) while shooting 54.8% from the field; fantastic numbers from the young rookie.

The way Towns scores the ball is a thing of beauty; the Rookie of the Year candidate could kill you in the post, nail a few mid-range shots and even step out for a three-pointer every now and then. Don’t forget, Towns also shoots free-throws at an 80% clip. He showed off his skills at the 2016 NBA All-Star break winning the Skills Challenge; the only big-man in NBA history to win the event.

To put it into perspective, Kevin Garnett averaged 10.4 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks on 49.1% as a rookie in 1995-96. Sure, Towns plays a few more minutes and has a bigger role than Garnett did as a rookie, but the numbers are impressively higher. It took Garnett two seasons to average as many points as Towns this season.

Towns’ 2015-16 rookie campaign is so great, he is on pace to have the highest PER in NBA history among rookies. His 22.99 PER stands greater than Tim Duncan’s rookie PER of 22.6. What is PER, anyway? Player Efficiency Rating.. a statistical point system that shows efficiency in basketball players. PER tracks field goals, free-throws, three-pointers, assists, rebounds, blocks and steals, and negative results, such as missed shots, turnovers and personal fouls. Towns’ above-average PER shows how consistent of a player he truly is and that the sky’s the limit as the years go on.

In 2015, former Brooklyn Nets and Boston Celtics forward Kevin Garnett returned home to Minnesota for two reasons; first to end his career where it began, and second to mentor the young Minnesota Timberwolves roster. After hearing Minnesota drafted Towns in the 2015 NBA Draft, Garnett was ecstatic to hear he would be mentoring a great young player with so much potential. (Read our article, Kevin Garnett is the rookie of the year)

Garnett is looked at as a father figure in the Timberwolves locker room Karl-Anthony Towns has great respect for Garnett;

“I think we both looked at each other and saw [two] competitors, who wanted to play,” says Towns. “You’re talking about a born leader. You’re talking about one of the smartest players in this game,” Towns finishes.

As you can see, Karl-Anthony Towns is already a big-name player in this league. He’s playing like a seasoned veteran, and is giving problems to every big he plays against. Consistently working hard and becoming more intelligent on the court are two things Towns harps on.

“I have to keep working,” says Towns. “To grow as a player, I need to become smarter and more intelligent on the court. If I can do those things, I can really take myself far,” he continues.

The Minnesota Timberwolves are bound for success very, very soon. After a few more years of development from Karl-Anthony Towns, Andrew Wiggins, and Zach LaVine, they’ll progressively make a run for the title… they’re that good. As for Towns, a ton of success lies in the near-future. He’ll most likely win the Rookie of the Year award, will become a superstar, and will easily make a few All-Star games in his career. Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Kevin Durant was so impressed with Towns after competing against him that “he’s going to be a hall of famer in this league.”