Offense has always been the focal point of Karl-Anthony Towns’ game. Dating back to his college days at Kentucky, Towns wowed scouts with his low post-offensive ability. Since then, his powers have continued to grow. KAT has become one of the most dynamic big men in NBA history with his unique skill set from inside and beyond the 3-point line.
Despite the long list of what Towns excels at offensively, he still has parts of his game that need fine-tuning, even at 27 years old. Sure, his defense has always left something to be desired. However, his defensive IQ has improved over the last few seasons. Now that he’s sharing a frontcourt with 3-time Defensive Player of the Year, Rudy Gobert takes that heavy load off his back. Ironically, KAT’s most significant area of improvement now lies within his offense.
Usually, an NBA player’s offensive problem area stems from their inability to shoot, attack the paint, or score efficiently. In Towns’ case, none of those common weaknesses holds true. Last season, he shot 73% from within five feet of the basket, 36.6% from 3-point range, and 56.5% effectively. Couple that with KAT’s incredible ability to attack the rack and step back from deep, and it’s obvious he has all the tools a modern big man hopes to possess.
He can score. Nobody is arguing that. The issues arise in how he attempts to generate offense for himself. If you’re a Minnesota Timberwolves fan or love the NBA in general, you’re most likely familiar with Towns’ habit of using his arms or legs to try and create space between him and his defender. Trying to draw contact abnormally is not a foreign concept in the NBA. Look at Joel Embiid, for example. He was named the 2022-23 KIA MVP last season and practically lived at the free-throw line. However, the most significant difference between him and Towns is their approach to drawing contact that the referees will reward.
Embiid limits his role in drawing contact. His offense revolves around pump fakes and drawing defenders into his airspace before returning and attempting to draw some type of contact. Of course, Embiid has one of the most favorable whistles in the NBA, and that’s not because he’s on the good side of referees. Embiid will give the officials an ear full when something doesn’t go his way. Instead, his technique makes him such an annoying and tough defensive cover.
Of course, expecting KAT to play similarly to Embiid isn’t fair. After all, The Process is just over 7’0” tall and weighs 280 pounds. He is the most dominant low post-scoring center the NBA has seen since Dwight Howard. However, we’ve witnessed KAT take strides in approaching his offensive game during his first official World Cup game with the Dominican Republic.
Technique is the first step a big man needs to make to get a favorable whistle. Against the Philippines last week, Towns went an astonishing 15-of-16 from the free-throw line. It looked like KAT had been playing against a bunch of sophomores or maybe even freshmen-level players. Therefore, being able to draw contact isn’t surprising. However, his showing was impressive because of his cool, calm, and collective nature.
Wolves fans are used to seeing Towns complain after pretty much every call against him, even the egregious offensive ones. He improved his on-court emotional control last season, but many fans are still unhappy. KAT’s performance against the Philippines in the World Cup was one of my favorite outings from him. And that doesn’t come from a stat line or dominance point of view. Instead, it comes from his mental approach to the game. He let everything come to him while still powering his team to a win.
With Anthony Edwards seemingly passing KAT on Minnesota’s scoring hierarchy, the Timberwolves no longer need Towns to put up 27 points and 10 rebounds on 50/40/90 shooting splits. The team needs a steady, level-headed veteran presence on offense who can still score at an All-NBA level. That’s something that Towns seems ready to fulfill as he continues to mature and blossom into a different type of player.
