**The Official Karl-Anthony Towns Thread**

[Takingbaconback]

I really think KAT is getting put into terrible position by the perimeter defense.

Just the way Teague and Wiggins are guarding against screens... and this happens so often.
They just end up trailing the ball handler whether they go under or over the screen somehow and KAT has to come up to try and contest it. Most times, it just ends up being a pretty open shot anyway because the ball handler is a couple feet from the 3 point line. In this case, KAT makes an impact contesting the shot.

However, Teague doesn't fight through the screen, avoids contact, goes around the screen. Then there is a switch in which he doesn't cover the other guy. So you end up with a lot of plays where KAT has to guard 2.

[CometGM]

http://www.startribune.com/teammates-want-consistency-in-all-areas-from-karl-anthony-towns/454029303/

One line really stood out:

“I think it’s more about me trusting myself and my abilities a little more,” Towns said. “Trusting myself completely in all aspects, on both ends.”

It shows you he's self-aware. He will get it eventually. I like having the veterans pushing/expecting this from him. He's still 21 and he will come into his own.

[DickGrayson]

Hey guys, Knicks fan here

I've been a huge Karl Anthony Towns fan since he was 15 and playing for Dominican Republic(where I lived and my dad is from)

Karl was a tremendous defender in HS and also at Kentucky. Posting stats and defensive efficiency almost close to Noel and Cauley-Stein. (I said almost, Noel and Cauley Stein were better, but Towns was close to the same tier).

Karl has great footwork, athletic ability and basketball awareness...

His NBA career defensively has not lived up to expectations. I actually thought Towns would be a great defender in the NBA with how he usually played for DR and NCAA, but NBA is a different league of course.

What would you guys say is holding Towns back from being the next Tim Duncan? A two way player who can do it all. I believe Towns is ahead of Tim Duncan offensively. I believe T'Wolves would be an elite team if Towns can become a defensive anchor...what you guys think?

[KGdaBom]

Hey guys, Knicks fan here

I've been a huge Karl Anthony Towns fan since he was 15 and playing for Dominican Republic(where I lived and my dad is from)

Karl was a tremendous defender in HS and also at Kentucky. Posting stats and defensive efficiency almost close to Noel and Cauley-Stein. (I said almost, Noel and Cauley Stein were better, but Towns was close to the same tier).

Karl has great footwork, athletic ability and basketball awareness...

His NBA career defensively has not lived up to expectations. I actually thought Towns would be a great defender in the NBA with how he usually played for DR and NCAA, but NBA is a different league of course.

What would you guys say is holding Towns back from being the next Tim Duncan? A two way player who can do it all. I believe Towns is ahead of Tim Duncan offensively. I believe T'Wolves would be an elite team if Towns can become a defensive anchor...what you guys think?

Thanks for Posting. Towns is supposed to be very smart, but it seems his basketball IQ defensively isn't so great. He just doesn't seem to understand what to do defensively. If he ever does become a defensive Anchor the Wolves will absolutely be elite.

[Maefteda]

Interesting little tid-bit on Towns in Zach Lowe's latest 10 things he likes/doesn't like.

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/21269003/zach-lowe-10-things-like-featuring-kristaps-porzingis-nba

6. Karl-Anthony Towns, hunting blocks

The Wolves rank an embarrassing 28th in points allowed per possession, and they've been so helpless when Jimmy Butler sits, they might be better off just hacking the worst foul shooter on the other team. (OK, that's an exaggeration.) With Butler resting, opponents score at the same rate as last season's Warriors -- perhaps the greatest offensive team in league history.

One irritating foible: Towns is a chronic block-chaser, leaping waaaaay late at rejections he has no chance to get and leaving the defensive glass naked behind him:



If you start your jump when the shooter is about to release the ball, you might as well stay ground-bound and box someone the hell out -- something else Towns doesn't really like to do.

He is also among the very best at the Andrea Bargnani fake fly-by contest -- the little sideways jump con artists use to pretend like they are playing defense when they are really getting out of the way. Remember verticality? This is horizontality.

Opponents have grabbed 25.6 percent of their own misses against the Wolves, the fourth-highest share in the league, and that number skyrockets when Towns is on the floor, per NBA.com. That's not all on him, but some of it is.

For someone who zooms in a blur on offense, Towns can look strangely leaden on defense. He lurches in robotic, two-footed shifts. He positions his body at weird angles that reveal driving lanes. He also flat doesn't play as hard as he does on offense.

Towns has the tools to be a plus defender. He looked like he would be one -- and soon -- during the first half of his rookie season, and he has somehow gotten worse and worse since.

He has shown signs lately -- especially against Oklahoma City last Friday. Tom Thibodeau will always demand more. Towns needs to be better for the Wolves to get where they want to go -- to where Towns has declared he would take them.

Towns always says that he doesn't care about individual stats and accolades, but his play clearly tells us that he does. He needs to break out of some of these bad habits if we want to take the next step.

[packforfreedom]

I don't think he necessarily wants the stats, but he certainly goes for the highlight plays. At the begin of last season, it was pretty much the same but at least on offense he played more under control as the season progressed.

[Crazy-Canuck]

Kat wont start blocking out unless it can count in the boxscore.

To think, i think boxouts that lead to rebounds would be a pretty good stat to track.

[Crazy-Canuck]

Detailed analysis of kats defense from the ringer. They even contrats his defense as a pro and as a college freshman.

1 thing i found surprising

Towns also forgets to box out too often. The Wolves have a 72.6 defensive rebounding percentage with Towns on the floor, which is the worst for any of their primary rotation players. It’s not all KAT’s fault, but the Wolves’ number rises to 85.1 when he’s off the floor, which would lead the NBA

https://www.theringer.com/nba/2017/11/8/16621410/nba-karl-anthony-towns-minnesota-timberwolves-defense

[walk with me]

[FKAri]

Detailed analysis of kats defense from the ringer. They even contrats his defense as a pro and as a college freshman.

1 thing i found surprising

Towns also forgets to box out too often. The Wolves have a 72.6 defensive rebounding percentage with Towns on the floor, which is the worst for any of their primary rotation players. It’s not all KAT’s fault, but the Wolves’ number rises to 85.1 when he’s off the floor, which would lead the NBA

https://www.theringer.com/nba/2017/11/8/16621410/nba-karl-anthony-towns-minnesota-timberwolves-defense

I wouldn't put too much weight in current season stats this early. But it's certainly something to keep an eye on.

[AirP.]

Just looking at the last 5 years for Minnesota at the center position(from 82games.com).
PER for opposing centers / Minnesota centers / over +/-
13-14 17.3 / 22.1 / +4.9 <- Pek, Love, Dieng
14-15 21.4 / 16.9 /-4.6 <- Dieng(2nd year), Pek - (year after Love trade)
15-16 20.5 / 20.7 / +0.2 <- Towns, Dieng
16-17 22.2 / 25.7 / +3.2 <- Towns, Dieng
17-18 22.0 / 22.0 / +0.0 <- Towns, Dieng, Gibson

For as good offensively as Towns is, his defense makes other centers basically just as productive as he is. This should be one of Minnesota's strengths on a nightly basis and it hasn't been. I get the bench is bad but they'd have a much bigger cushion if Towns played better defense. These stats don't include how much better he makes the opposition attacking the basket when he doesn't position himself properly to stop a pass or stop a drive. These stats don't even take in account how many points he's allowed at other positions by not cutting off passing or driving lanes to the basket.

I get with switching it's hard to pin everything to who was guarding who with these stats(they only go off of position), especially with the wings and now sometimes the stretch 4, but center is Towns, Dieng and Gibson with the bulk of the time being Towns.

[El Hespiritu]

I guess I'm not saying anything that original:
KAT misses KG yelling at him, wether he knows it or not.

Badly.

Thibs yells a lot and Butler tries at times.

But it's simply not the same.

[AirP.]

Watch on YouTube

Watch on YouTube

[Revived]

Towns always says that he doesn't care about individual stats and accolades, but his play clearly tells us that he does.

Westbrook says he doesn’t care about individual stats either but you see how he plays.

The ones that say they don’t care are the ones who care the most.

[AirP.]

Towns always says that he doesn't care about individual stats and accolades, but his play clearly tells us that he does.

Westbrook says he doesn’t care about individual stats either but you see how he plays.

The ones that say they don’t care are the ones who care the most.

I don't think this has anything to do with stat chasing. I think it has everything to do with most of his life he's been bigger and more mobile then most players and because of that he's always played defense by getting blocks instead of playing fundamental defense, therefore he doesn't play fundamental defense... not sagging off shooters, not positioning himself to defend his man while being able to help someone else on defense, not blocking out, chasing a block he isn't going to get(although he thinks he can) leaving basically an uncontested offensive rebound. There's a reason why centers have such great success against Towns at the NBA level is that he just doesn't do the little things and they capitalize on that.

I believe Towns is trying to change but bad tendencies usually do enough to screw things up greatly, so until he can change his tendencies(and in time he can) he's not going to be a good defensive center for the Timberwolves. I still believe Minnesota needs a good defensive center to play at crunch time/late in the game which Thibs can then decided on Towns or Gibson to play at PF. Let Towns play most of his minutes at center and when it's time to win or lose, bring in the vet rim protector.

[DaKid]

Towns needs DeAndre Jordan next to him.

[jumpmanjay]

Watch on YouTube

[TaylorTag]

I'm fine with it. when I heard he streamed himself playing video games, I thought it was really weird at first. But I guess that is something kids do these days. I actually watched a stream last week to get a sense of it. He comes off as very likable, and the people commenting on the stream seemed to be big fans of his... he wasn't getting inundated with hateful comments like I expected.

so why not? seems like a healthy way to interact with fans... plus, I would rather have a franchise player on the team who cares about his image than one who is apathetic and introverted

[Klomp]

I'm fine with it. when I heard he streamed himself playing video games, I thought it was really weird at first. But I guess that is something kids do these days. I actually watched a stream last week to get a sense of it. He comes off as very likable, and the people commenting on the stream seemed to be big fans of his... he wasn't getting inundated with hateful comments like I expected.

I've watched a couple of his Twitch streams. It's definitely interesting to get a different side of the athlete.

[Vindicater]

Towns will be a superstar for a long time.

Tracking very nicely for his age at the moment.