More on the Timberwolves’ Karl-Anthony Towns and the ROY award

Karl-Anthony Towns is the second consecutive Timberwolves player to receive the NBA’s Rookie of the Year award, but the accolades and many, many words of praise are seemingly only beginning.

Towns was the easy selection to win Rookie of the Year, no doubt. But he did us one better — he was the unanimous victor when the votes were tallied. Just the fifth time in NBA history that such a feat had been accomplished, in fact.

After the award was handed out to Towns in a morning press conference at Target Center on Tuesday, the rest of the day was filled with NBA scribes around the internet penning their praises to the newly-crowned top rookie — and rightfully so, I might add.

But first, the day began with the announcement from the league and the press conference held on the Timberwolves’ home floor.

Towns spent much of his acceptance speech thanking his immediate and extended family, as well as all of his teammates, coaches, and training staff by name. He made it very clear that he views the Rookie of the Year award as a team accomplishment, and not one that he earned himself.

The below quotes are from the Timberwolves.com summary of the event. Towns’ new coach, Tom Thibodeau, had a number of glowing things to say about his new star as well, so be sure to watch a replay of the presser if you have a few moments.

"“It was an honor and a privilege,” Towns said. “Like you said, it doesn’t happen very much. To have the chance to really (get all the first-place votes) was really fun.”…“Very bright,” Towns said. “I think we’re heading in the right direction,” Towns said. “… I think we’re going to do something special.”"

Elsewhere, ESPN.com’s Kevin Pelton posted an Insider piece that calls Towns the “best prospect since LeBron James”.

Pelton’s case is laid out in terms of just how dominant Towns’ rookie season was in a historical context. For instance, it was the 13th-best rookie year in Wins Above Replacement, but every other player on the list was older than Towns with Magic Johnson and Chris Paul the only players to be 20 years old at the completion of their respective rookie campaigns.

Pelton then compares Towns to other rookies that started their NBA careers as teenagers, although Towns did turn 20 in November and many of the other players on the list were drafted directly out of high school.

The rest of the column compares Towns directly to a frequent comp, fellow Kentucky alum Anthony Davis, followed by a projection of what he might be in a few years.

If you have ESPN Insider, don’t miss this article. It’s a lot of fun, and I think Timberwolves fans have earned the right to dream just a bit.

Next: Comparing Wolves Players To Top Playoff Performers

And now, it’s time to start getting ready for Tuesday night’s NBA Draft Lottery. Put on whatever it was you were wearing a year ago when the Timberwolves landed the number-one selection, sit in the same spot on your couch, etc., etc.

You have an 8.8 percent chance of being lucky once again, so get after it!