Timberwolves

It's Time To Give Karl-Anthony Towns His Flowers

Photo Credit: Harrison Barden-USA TODAY Sports

For years the “big four” centers have been battling for three all-NBA slots. It’s typically been some combination of Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic, and Rudy Gobert, with Anthony Davis and Karl-Anthony Towns making a rare appearance. Voters usually cited Karl-Anthony Towns’ record as a reason he couldn’t make the all-NBA team.
But things are different this year. Embiid and Jokic are leading MVP candidates, so their spots are guaranteed. However, Towns and the Minnesota Timberwolves are 10 games over .500, and Rudy Gobert and the Utah Jazz are having a mini-collapse down the stretch.

Towns is averaging 25 points, 10 boards, and 4 assists this season. By no means is he having a career year, but the Wolves have secured at least the 7-seed, the highest seed Karl-Anthony Towns has ever finished in his career.

Utah has a 110 defensive rating with Rudy Gobert and a 117 without him. Rudy is the most important defensive center in the league in terms of importance to their team. It’s not particularly close either. The Jazz run their entire defense through him. Utah looks to funnel everything into him when he’s on the floor. When Gobert is in the paint, almost nobody can score on him. He averages 50.4% defensive field goal percentage within 6 feet of the basket, ranking him 4th in the league.

There’s no doubt that Gobert can bring it on the defensive end, but he has a lot of uncertainties on the offensive side of the ball. With the Utah Jazz’s recent blunders, fans have pointed out that Donovan Mitchell only passes to Gobert twice a game. No matter the reason, it’s affecting Gobert’s stats, which is one of the things we should truly care about in an all-NBA discussion. He averages only 15 points, 16 rebounds, and 1 assist a game.

Conversely, Towns’ main selling point is that he’s one of, if not the best offensive big man in the league. He has delivered this season. Towns is top-20 in three-point percentage this season and added an entirely new layer to his game. KAT’s ability to drive as a big man is almost as unprecedented as his three-point shooting. His impact on the team is the most prominent on Minnesota’s roster. The Wolves have a 108 offensive rating without Towns and a 115 with him, a substantial drop-off when KAT is off the floor. KAT has also led Minnesota to the best offense in the West in terms of offensive rating.

I mentioned earlier that voters held Minnesota’s team record against Towns, a fair assessment. The Denver Nuggets, Philadelphia 76ers, Utah Jazz, and Los Angeles Lakers have recently had fantastic records. They are usually a top-6 seed, while the Wolves were usually in the lottery. Towns essentially had no chance with the record difference.

With Minnesota’s success this season and Utah’s blunders lately, Towns and the Wolves sit only a few games back of the Jazz in the standings. That gap is easily made up by the stat differential that Towns has.

Truthfully, some people with a media vote don’t get the opportunity to watch the Wolves frequently. This is where the term “narrative ball” comes into play. If a player gets the narrative of deserving the all-NBA spot over the other, the voters who don’t watch are more likely to vote with whoever the “lead” analyst is voting for.

Although the award is a tremendous honor, and I’m sure any NBA player dreams of winning one, Towns isn’t concerned with the award status. “I ain’t worried about all that,” KAT stated. “I’ve done a lot of that in my career in Minnesota and didn’t get the accolades for it. It’s ok. It bothered me when I was younger. Now I just worry about winning.”

His humility is admirable, especially for a player like KAT. He’s played at an All-Star level for almost every year of his career. Towns takes so much criticism, and for someone who has gone through as much as he has, the fact he can take this criticism and not complain is a testament to his character. A prominent former teammate mocked him. He’s used himself as a scapegoat for a poorly-run organization. And he’s also suffered the loss of his mother. For him to continue “being the consummate professional in all of that” is extremely commendable.

It’s time to give Towns his respect. He’s been through enough losing seasons, horrible rosters, front office turnovers, and blame without receiving any praise outside Minnesota. It also comes in a year of utmost importance to both Towns and the Wolves. With major contract implications, if there was ever a time to give KAT a break and award him the spot, it’s this year.

Towns didn’t need a breakthrough. He’s been the third-best center in the league this year. I don’t think this is too far away from public opinion either. Gobert’s stock is already dropping in the minds of most basketball fans. Towns deserves this spot in his career more than maybe ever. No more Mr.General Soreness “leading” the way. This year’s Wolves roster is KAT’s ship, and he should be sailing into an all-NBA slot.

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