Player To Watch: Karl-Anthony Towns
Karl-Anthony Towns is a monster of a unicorn. The second-year center has seen the unavoidable blow-back after being universally loved during his rookie season, but Towns is still putting up eye-popping numbers on a regular basis.
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He’s up to 24.1 points per game, nearly six points more than his rookie season. In addition to his scoring, Towns adds 12.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.4 blocks in 36.7 minutes per game to the Timberwolves.
Towns is an efficient scorer, as he’s shooting 53.0 percent from the field and 34.4 percent from three-point territory this season. KAT is taking triple the threes per game this year as compared to his rookie year, and still making more of them on average.
There isn’t much doubt that Towns is a legitimate star already. He’s the kind of center any team would kill for–stretchy enough to keep up with perimeter players in a pinch, skilled enough to shoot and pass the ball effectively, but still big enough to show off some post moves.
Towns is a fusion of eras, as he’s got the abilities that stretch fives do without giving up the plusses of traditional centers. To put it simply: he’s a damn good player. The Bucks will need to handle him to avoid their winning streak coming to an end on Saturday.