Karl-Anthony Towns eager to sacrifice to deliver Wolves a title because he’s been doing it his whole life
Karl-Anthony Towns eager to sacrifice to deliver Wolves a title because he’s been doing it his whole life: Karl-Anthony Towns has been asked this question so much over the previous few months that he can only laugh at it now.
How will Towns, a 7-foot center, get along with Rudy Gobert, a 7-foot big who recently signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves?
Smiling and laughing. One rolled eye. A tightening of the lips. These are all obvious manifestations of what Towns has long internalized: he has extensive experience playing with another large player.
I played [power forward] for several seasons in the NBA, and the last time I had a player like Gorgui Dieng, so it tells you a lot. The faithful had forgotten.
Towns said to CBS Sports, “It’s fine.” Remember me when you were a college student? In college, I played like this. It’s like a 7-2 for Willie Cauley-Stein. What they’re missing out on, I have no idea.
However, that’s not all. Towns started alongside Taj Gibson in every game in the 2017–18 season, the Wolves last playoff appearance until last year’s end of a three-year drought. Even though Gibson was tagged as the power forward, he actually plays center better than Towns. With them both on the court, the Wolves net rating increased to 7.4.
While I admire Gibson, Gobert is in a league of his own. By acquiring the three-time Defensive Player of the Year for a package that included four first-round picks, five players, and a pick swap, Minnesota made it clear that it would not wait for its youthful core to mature any further.
Towns, who earlier this summer said that this upcoming season would be “championship or bust,” agrees that now is the time to win and that he and Gobert are a great fit for one another.
Statement
To me, Rudy is, without a doubt, one of the best defenders the NBA has ever seen. “He’s got the trophies to back it up,” Towns said of the player on CBS Sports.
I consider myself to be among the NBA’s all-time greatest offensive players and abilities. Thus, by combining our skills, we have access to a wide array of resources.
The arrival of Gobert should help the Wolves, who finished 46-36 and in seventh place in the Western Conference last year, improve in the regular season, as has been generally predicted.
They were 13th in defensive rating, but with Gobert in the middle, they should go into the top 10 at the very least. Skeptics, meanwhile, point to Gobert’s defensive shortcomings in previous playoff series when opponents went small. Now, the Timberwolves not only have to figure out how to play with Gobert but also with their 7-foot franchise player.
To what extent Towns can maintain his perimeter defense is the big question. Today’s power forwards sees a lot of Kevin Durant, LeBron James, and Jayson Tatum, and while there are defensive strategies that can help, Towns will still have to deal with them in open court.
Interview with CBS
According to Towns’ interview with CBS Sports, “I’ve had a lot of fun playing on the perimeter and guarding on the perimeter.” Simply having the opportunity to put to use some of my defensive talents, such as switching and guarding any position against one to five.
I enjoy going out and helping Rudy when he needs to muscle with fives or fours against bigger teams, and I’m confident in my ability to handle guards and wings if the other team decides to play small ball.
Although it “doesn’t really get talked about,” Towns is quick to point out that he has performed well in isolation matchups against perimeter players over the past couple of seasons; his defensive improvement was a major factor in the Wolves’ jump from the second-worst defensive rating in 2020-21 to the average defensive rating last season.
While Towns did not get many opportunities to demonstrate his lateral mobility on isolated defense last season, he did so effectively when he did. In this clip, James Harden assesses Towns’ defensive prowess, yet Towns manages to keep pace with Harden and contest shots without getting called for a foul.
With one of the best rim protectors in NBA history covering for him, Towns is able to play even more aggressively to defend against step-back 3-pointers and pull-up shots.
Towns
Towns and Gobert work well together offensively. Synergy Sports ranks Towns at the 76th percentile in spot-up situations, so he won’t have trouble waiting for kick-outs outside the arc to help clear the lane.
Towns shoot 40 percent from deep on a high volume basis. During the 2020-21 season, he was frequently greeted by double teams in the post. Therefore, he relied heavily on his driving ability from the perimeter. If he keeps this strategy up, as he did with Cauley-Stein at Kentucky, he’ll find Gobert waiting for him in the dunker area this year for a dump-off or lob.
There are “aspects of his game that we can still uncover,” Wolves head coach Chris Finch said of Towns. Put him in places on the floor where people his size usually aren’t, and have him do things they normally wouldn’t. This is a privilege we enjoy. When you consider all the possibilities, that’s when it gets exciting.
The Wolves will need to learn how to blend on and off the court with the acquisition of an All-NBA player in Gobert, a previous All-Star in D’Angelo Russell, and an emerging star in Anthony Edwards. Many NBA squads have impressed with their rosters, only to fall short when it counts.
As such, how do you think the Wolves will solve the age-old “there’s only one ball” conundrum?
Declarations
I think that’s a question you should send to my colleague, Chris Finch,” Towns said to CBS Sports.
Towns consider Finch a “genius,” so he isn’t too concerned with the strategic details of getting himself and his teammates into a winning position.
The Wolves are an intriguing young squad, but if they want to become a legitimate title contender, they will need to make sacrifices at every position, starting with their franchise cornerstone. Towns signed a four-year, supermax agreement with the Timberwolves this summer, demonstrating his dedication to the team and his desire to fulfill his stated objective of winning a championship for Minnesota.
I’ve given everything I had. I’ve given up stories about who I am. When I totally committed to the platoon system in college, I gave up the chance of being the first selection.
NBA
In fact, “no one else does that,” as Towns noted to CBS Sports. I gave up all I had, including my body, to come to the NBA and do anything I could to help my team reach the playoffs.
I gave up everything I had. In order to save others, I gave my own life. As a result, I’ve had to forego some quality time with my mom. I’ve given up caring about what people think of me. All I do is for the benefit of my team, my teammates, and everything they are working toward.
Despite being prepared for what could be a breakout season for the Timberwolves, Towns must remain grounded in reality after a devastating couple of years.
The COVID-19 problems took his mother’s life, Jacqueline, in April of that year. Towns stated that maintaining his mental health while still meeting the physical and psychological demands of being an NBA player expected to deliver greatness on a daily basis is “an everyday struggle.” His uncle is among the seven members of his family who have died from the illness.
Towns claim he “changed from a boy to a man” on the day his mother passed away and now considers himself a leader in his family. To him, the pressure he felt growing up to win basketball games and perform well paled compared to the pressure he now feels.
Remarks
“I’m not a dad yet, but my niece and nephew, they look at me as a father figure as well,” Towns said in an interview with CBS Sports.
There’s a greater weight on my shoulders at home, where I have to shape my nephew from a boy into a man and my niece into a confident, self-reliant young lady.
The pressure is on. Doing nothing to presume anything. This is the line of work I’ve chosen. This is something I’ve been doing since I was a kid. That doesn’t even register with me. All in a day’s work, as they say.
When it comes to my mental health, I’m constantly working on improving my situation. That’s something I’m working on. I thank God every day for the strength to keep developing as a man and an athlete.