Karl-Anthony Towns will pass Kevin Garnett as greatest Timberwolf ever

Kevin Garnett has been the franchise’s best player for a long time. Karl-Anthony Towns is going to change that. Soon.

Letting go of the past is hard to do.

Whether it is selling your house, cleaning out your closet, or admitting that a certain movie you loved as a kid just doesn’t hold up anymore (Space Jam for me). When we look back at the memories we had with something, we always see it through a nostalgia powered filter where everything looks amazing.

The same can be said for sports. Take the Lebron James vs Michael Jordan debate. One day, and in some people’s eyes, now, James will be the better player. Some people will never see it that way. Jordan was what they saw as a kid or a young adult. Nothing can take those memories away. In fact, the memories are often so powerful that they sway bias one way or another. I am not knocking His Airness or your favorite movie from childhood, but some things that come along when you are older are just better.

No one is currently debating that Karl-Anthony Towns is better than Kevin Garnett. Garnett is an all time great and, by far, the best player in franchise history. However, the third-year center is coming. With his incredible offensive game and buckets of potential for growth on both sides of the ball, it seems likely that he will catch The Big Ticket as the Timberwolves G.O.A.T.

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I can already hear you yelling at your screen. I get it. If I was you, I would be doing the same. Garnett was an amazing player with the ability to do everything and emotions that could help him run through a wall. But, as mentioned above, that is your memory filter taking over. You remember the good times associated with him leading the Wolves to the Western Conference Finals. The alley oops, poster dunks, and athletic blocks. It was awesome to see the Timberwolves doing something they haven’t done since The Kid left: win.

This is not meant to disrespect him in the slightest. No one is arguing that he is an all-time great people, not only in Timberwolves’ history, but in the history of the NBA. What he did for this franchise will never be forgotten.

Early in their careers, however, it seems like Towns has the upper hand.

He has shown enough in his two years in the association that many consider him a top 25 player. Towns’ offensive game is more diverse than Garnett’s ever was. The three ball is a big key for the former Kentucky big man. Last season, he shot 36.7 percent from deep, a 2.6 percent increase from his rookie season. The increase comes with Towns shooting more than two more 3-pointers per game. KG only had one season where he shot a better percentage from deep (37 percent in 1999-00) and he only shot once from beyond the arc per contest.

Another good stat for measuring good offense is effective field goal percentage. Again, Towns has the upper hand. In only his second year out of college, he had an effective field goal percentage of 57.6. That ranked him 14th in the NBA , above players like Klay Thompson (55.3) and Bradley Beal (56.0). Garnett only went over that percentage once. In the 2014-15 season, he had an effective field goal percentage of 58.1 with the Wolves. The catch is that he only played five games with Minnesota that season.

This play is a perfect example of what a big man can do in a Wolves uniform. Towns, sitting in perfect triple threat position, uses his very impressive mid-range game to bait Joel Embiid into jumping. While he doesn’t have the mid-range KG had in his prime, it’s very impressive and still improving. If you covered up the number on that vicious poster dunk, you wouldn’t know who jammed it. Towns looked like vintage Garnett on that play.

Defense is another story. Garnett was able to efficiently guard all five position with his length and athleticism. There is no reason Towns won’t be able to do the same. If you watch him offensively, you know he should be quick and athletic enough to stay in front of plenty of guys. If he can be as merciless on Steph Curry as he is here, the Wolves should be all right.

Timing is another issue too. When Garnett was drafted straight out of high school to the land of 10,000 lakes, the franchise was still relatively new. The team was created in 1989 and he was taken fifth overall in 1995. The Wolves were looking for a star and they found one in The Big Ticket. Fans flocked into the newly opened Target Center to see what the young man, who played high school ball in Chicago, could do. He was the centerpiece of the franchise.

Towns, however, had a slightly different beginning to his Timberwolves career. Drafted number one overall out of Kentucky, he was joining the young core of Andrew Wiggins and Zach LaVine, both of which were dripping with potential. After two years of high expectations and higher stats, the Wolves sent the two-time slam dunk champ Lavine to Chicago for some help. Jimmy Butler was brought on to speed up the playoff process and try to compete with Golden State.

Still the franchise centerpiece, the next couple years will be crucial for his legacy. If he can put up huge numbers while getting better on defense and bringing this franchise to the playoffs, he might be on the fast track to becoming the greatest Wolf ever.

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Garnett took this franchise and brought it up to exciting places almost on his own and we will never forget that. Winning, however, is what people love the most. If Towns is able to bring this team deep into the playoffs multiple years, fans might change their tune about who the greatest Timberwolf of all time is.