The Minnesota Timberwolves’ Game 1 loss against the Denver Nuggets on Sunday night was a difficult watch for Wolves fans.
After beating the young and promising Oklahoma City Thunder, 120-95, the Timberwolves ecstatically clinched their ticket to the playoffs for the second year in a row. The Wolves are the eight-seed in the first-round series against the Denver Nuggets, but they aren’t completely overmatched. The Nuggets aren’t as strong as a typical one-seed, given the parity in the West. Pundits also believed that Denver and Minnesota’s rosters matched well against one another. That helped create a belief that the Wolves had a fair shot at pulling off a first-round upset.
After Game 1, it seems fair to say that hope may have dwindled quite a bit. The Nuggets blew the Wolves out, 109-80, in the first game. They seemingly were clicking on all cylinders, while Minnesota appeared to have unraveled after the first quarter. Fortunately for the Wolves, they have two days off to try and reset for Game 2. But the question now becomes: What will the Wolves need to do to give themselves a chance against the Nuggets?
For starters, Karl-Anthony Towns will need to solidify himself as a legitimate playoff performer and be at his best in the postseason. The Wolves also need to get something out of Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert, and Chris Finch needs to make adjustments in real-time. However, Towns’ level of play is one of the biggest factors in Minnesota’s viability in this series.
Towns had an underwhelming performance in Game 1 against Denver on Sunday. He finished the night with just 11 points on inefficient shooting splits (33% from the field and 14% from three on seven attempts). His poor performance in Game 1 only increased some fans’ belief that he cannot be a premier option on a championship-level team. It’s a lingering belief that has carried over from the Memphis Grizzlies series last year.
While Towns had impressive showings in Games 1, 4, and 5 of that series, he struggled in Games 2, 3, and 6. In Games 2 and 3, Towns was in foul trouble and averaged 11.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 4.5 turnovers. KAT also came up short in a win-or-go-home Game 6, putting up only 18 points in 40 minutes of play on poor shooting splits (32% from the field, 0-3 from three). Memphis beat Minnesota, 114-106, eliminating them in the first round.
Following his Game 1 performance in Denver, Towns’ doubters have reason to believe they are correct about his inability to be a playoff contributor for a contending team. However, it is not too late for Towns to silence these critics and showcase his worth. He just needs to step up in a couple of ways.
For one, Towns will have to stretch the floor from three consistently. Shooting is one of Towns’ defining qualities as a big man. Throughout his career, KAT has averaged 39.5% from three on 4.2 attempts per game. However, KAT is only shooting 34% from three on 3.3 attempts per game over the 12 playoff games in his career so far.
The Timberwolves have paired him with Gobert, a non-shooting big, so Towns needs to convert from deep. Without Towns constantly stretching the floor, the Nuggets only have to worry about defending Minnesota’s other three shooters. That shrinks the offensive side of the floor for the Wolves and creates significant limitations for their offense. It will be important for Towns to be reliable and consistent from three against Denver. That will give Minnesota a better chance at matching the Nuggets’ offensive prowess.
Towns will also have to have a Nikola Jokić-like effect for the Timberwolves as a ball distributor. We shouldn’t expect Towns to average close to 10 assists per game like Jokić did this season. However, Towns has been an effective passer for Minnesota, especially this year. KAT had 4.8 assists per game, a career-high. Towns has averaged roughly 4.4 assists per game over the last four seasons. He can expertly dish it out to players cutting toward the rim and open shooters on the perimeter when Denver double-teams him. He even had some nice passing plays on high-screen actions with Gobert this season. However, Towns is only averaging 2.2 assists in 12 playoff games.
Ant and Towns will be the center of attention for Denver’s defense in this series. Therefore, Towns will have to continuously do an effective job of serving as a distributor and finding the open man to instill fuel Minnesota’s offense. Towns doesn’t need to become Jokić as a passing big. However, he could have a meaningful impact in this series if he can be an effective facilitator, especially when Minnesota’s offense stagnates.
Finally, Towns will need to lead this team, not just on the court but in the locker room. Towns, 27, is the longest-tenured Wolves player in this series and is on his third playoff trip. He knows that adversity will hit, as it already has after Game 1. Facing a high-powered offense like Denver, there will likely be many instances where the Nuggets will go on a run, and Minnesota will feel prematurely defeated.
However, in those moments, Towns will have to rally his team and serve as a leader. He will have to push his teammates offensively and defensively. He will have to inspire them through his words and level of play. Hopefully, Ant and Gobert will get healthy and play to expectations. But for now, Towns will have to be the driving force for this Wolves team. By doing this alone, he can add some much-needed inspiration for this team. He must demonstrate some of the intangibles of being a big-time playoff performer and franchise player.
Towns has many expectations to meet after signing a four-year, $224 million super-max extension last summer. But his performance in this playoff series against the Nuggets could go far in proving his value. Towns has been one of the best big men in the league since the Wolves drafted him first overall in 2015. His regular season level of play has usually matched his All-Star-level expectations. However, he has not had much of a playoff resume to back it up. But hopefully, Towns will be able to begin reversing that in this series and step up in the way the Wolves desperately need him to. It’s the only way they have a chance at upsetting the one-seeded Nuggets.
