Karl-Anthony Towns has been asked this question many times over the past two months and at this point he can’t help but laugh.
How will 7-foot center Towns get along? Minnesota TimberwolvesThe latest acquisition in an ever-smaller NBA, fellow 7-footer Rudy Gobert?
laughter. Roll your eyes. Pursed lips. They are all outward expressions of what Townes knows to be true. He has a lot of experience playing next to another big man.
“Last time we did something like this, obviously Gorgi Dien was there and played. [power forward] years in the NBA. Fans forgot about it. I’m fine,” Townes told CBS Sports. This is how I played in college. Willie Cauleystein is like he’s 7 to 2. I don’t know what they are missing. ”
But wait. During the 2017-18 season, the last time the Wolves made the playoffs before his three-year drought was lifted last season, Towns played next to Taj his Gibson in all 82 games. Technically, Gibson was listed as a power forward, but he’s far more center than Towns, and the Wolves had a positive net his rating of 7.4 with both on the floor. .
However, in honor of Gibson, Gobert is a different animal. Minnesota isn’t going to wait for its young core to grow after winning three Defensive Player of the Year awards in exchange for four first-round picks, five players and a slew of pick swaps. sent a message. No more. The time to win is now. It echoes his sentiment when Towns said earlier this summer that next season will be “a championship or a bust”, and he feels he and Gobert complement each other in all the right ways. ing.
“I think Rudy is one of the best defensive players in NBA history, and he has the hardware to prove it,” Towns told CBS Sports. “I think I’m one of the greatest offensive players and talents in the history of the NBA, so bringing us together really allows us to tap into all kinds of talent.”
Most think the Wolves, who were seeded seventh in the Western Conference last season with a 46-36 record, should improve their regular-season performance with the addition of Gobert. They finished 13th in earned run average and should be at least in the top 10, maybe more, with Gobert’s center of pedigree in the middle. It points to Gobert’s relative defensive struggle in the postseason series.
It all comes down to Towns being able to defend consistently on the perimeter. Players like Kevin Durant, LeBron James and Jayson Tatum are spending a lot of time at power forward these days, and while there are defensive plans to cover for him, Towns doesn’t have such players in space. must be processed.
“I had a lot of fun playing on the perimeter and guarding on the perimeter,” Townes told CBS Sports. “I really got the chance to use some of my strengths defensively.I can switch from 1 to 5 and guard. You can back Rudy up when you need to build some muscle.If you’re playing in a big lineup or something like that and they’re on the small ball, you’re very good at guards and things like that, chances to guard the wing. I am satisfied with
Towns was the first to provide stats that show he’s done well in isolated games against the Perimeter over the past few seasons (“It’s not talked about much, but it’s just the stats”). Here’s why the Timberwolves were able to beat last season’s average from his second-lowest fielding percentage in 2020-21.
While he didn’t get many chances to isolate himself on defense last season, Towns has shown an ability to move sideways. Watch James Harden grow his size here. But Towns is able to stay ahead of him and contest without fouling.
And in fact, with Gobert behind him, Towns knows he has one of the best rim protectors in NBA history, so he’s more likely to play more to defend against step-back 3-pointers and pull-up jumpers. I can.
Unpleasantly, the compatibility between Towns and Gobert is much more obvious. According to Synergy Sports, Towns is big volume and he’s a 3-point shooter 40% of the time, and he’s in the 76th percentile in spot-up situations. He saw a lot of double teams in the post during his 2020-21 season, so he had more maneuvers as a driver off the perimeter last year. If he continues with that approach, Gobert will be waiting for him in the dunker spot for dumpoffs and robs this year, something Towns is used to from his time with Corey-Stein in Kentucky.
Wolves head coach Chris Finch said of Towns, “There are still aspects of his game that can be unlocked.” It might make them do things they wouldn’t do. That’s a luxury we have. That’s the fun part when you think about what you can do there.”
With former All-Star D’Angelo Russell and rising star Anthony Edwards, plus the addition of Gobert’s All-NBA player, the Wolves will have to figure out how to mesh both on and off the court. I’ve seen plenty of NBA teams that look great on paper but for some reason just don’t make it onto the court.
So how do the Wolves solve the age-old ‘one ball’ conundrum?
Townes told CBS Sports, “I think that’s a question that should be forwarded to my colleague Chris Finch.
Townes calls Finch a “genius,” so he’s not worried about the X’s and O’s for succeeding himself and his teammates. But ultimately, if the Wolves are to grow from an exciting young team to a true contender, every player must make a sacrifice, and it starts with the cornerstone of the franchise. He wants to show his commitment to the organization by signing a yearly supermax extension and achieve his goal of bringing the title to Minnesota.
“I’ve made sacrifices on every level. I’ve sacrificed my story. I’ve sacrificed being probably the number one pick in college when I fully embraced the platoon system. You know. Like, no one else does it,” Towns told CBS Sports. I sacrificed everything.I sacrificed my life.I sacrificed my time with my mother.I sacrificed.”Everything is about improving my team, my teammates, their lives, what they are trying to achieve.” It’s for ”
He’s poised for a potential breakout season for the Timberwolves, but after a tragic few years on a personal level, Towns has no choice but to put things in perspective. He died in May from complications of COVID-19. Towns, who lost six of his family members, including his uncle, to the virus, said that trying to maintain his mental health while meeting the physical and psychological demands of being an NBA player is a “daily process.” It is.” Daily.
Townes sees himself as a role model for his family, saying he “went from a boy to a man” the day his mother died. The pressure to do pales in comparison to what he currently faces in his personal life.
“I’m not a parent yet, but my niece and nephew look to me like a father,” Townes told CBS Sports. I feel the pressure to try to make my niece a strong independent woman.That’s the pressure.It’s not about making jumpers.I’m doing this for a living.I’ve been doing this since I was young. It’s nothing to me. It’s another day at work.
“My mental health is a daily process. I thank God for what he gave me.”
