Karl-Anthony Towns can be the NBA’s Most Improved Player

Since entering the league, Karl-Anthony Towns has been a force to be reckon with. Entering a pivotal year with playoff hopes high, significant defensive improvement could give him a shot at the Most Improved Player award.

Defense… it’s been the center of attention for this young Timberwolves squad.

Many believed that the hire of Tom Thibodeau would correct a lot of these issues; there are so many talented players on this team with a lot of potential. Many of them have already blossomed tremendously on offense, but defense still lacks.

One player that needs to fix a number of defensive issues is Karl-Anthony Towns. He is already so good offensively that if he were to continue to play the way he has to date, he would be a borderline All-Star. He is already averaging 25 points and 12 rebounds a game, including the ability to hit from deep or put the ball on the floor. But defense has been another story.

There is no question that defense was the reason Minnesota lost games a year ago. They were up double digits countless times, and found a way to lose in the fourth quarter. In some respect you could argue that it was also an offensive issue, and indeed there were times that they simply couldn’t find a way to score. But defense is vital when it comes to maintaining a lead.

It’s hard to imagine a scenario where Towns doesn’t get frustrated if Minnesota continues to lose games — especially of the close and late variety. He’s a born winner who wants to bring Minnesota to the playoffs. On media day, he made this statement:

"“I made a promise to Flip Saunders that I would win and end the playoff drought, and I intend to do that.”"

If defense is what it takes for Towns to have a shot at winning the Most Improved Player award and take over this Wolves squad, I can guarantee you he will do just that. And while it would be unusual to see a player who already averaged a 20 and 10 winning the MIP award, improved defense from Towns would theoretically put him in the conversation regardless.

Three specific things he can do to help improve those defensive lapses are rim protection, blocks, and steals. Let’s break it down.

1.Rim Protection

One thing that you wouldn’t think that a seven-footer would have an issue with is defense inside the paint. Sadly, this has been the case for Towns.

On the one hand, you can’t really blame him with all the talent in the post area. Players such as DeAndre Jordan, Hassan Whiteside, Marc Gasol, and Anthony Davis are just a few names that dominate the league inside, and it’s no walk in the park to try and slow those guys down night after night.

According to NBA.com, Towns posted a 59.3 defensive field goal percentage when defending at six feet or less. It’s not anything you want to see from your core player, nor any player for that matter. Some of the leagues best paint defenders posted the following defensive field goal percentages.

• Anthony Davis: 54.5
• Hassan Whiteside: 51.0
• Rudy Gobert: 48.9
• Joel Embiid: 44.1

Ideally, it would be best to see Towns lower that percentage to something like 53-55 range. With his skill-set it shouldn’t be too hard to see him accomplish this, and while he may be very talented, it’s not always the easiest thing for a young player to figure out things defensively in the NBA.

Adding defenders and veterans around him should be a beneficial piece to Towns’ game. Last year, Towns was often stuck under fire when players would allow their opponent to go right by them.

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With more veterans and defenders, an uptake in communication and, in turn, better defending should occur. Communication alone is so vital, that understanding what is happening and what defensive scheme is being ran, should allow Towns to increase havoc down low.

Having better defenders on the team eases the pressure of trying to do everything on one’s own. Adding Jimmy Butler and Taj Gibson should be game-changers on defense.

Having better defenders, communication, and another year under his belt, Towns should improve when it comes to rim protection. One of the three things that will increase his likelihood of becoming NBA’s newest Most Improved Player.

2. Steals

For the second consecutive season, Towns recorded 0.7 steals per game. That puts him in the middle of the pack in terms of per-game stats. Of course, steals aren’t something that big men typically rank highly league-wide; only four of them averaged over one steal a game.

Perhaps more indicative of Towns’ struggle when it cam to grabbing steals a year ago would be his steal rate of just 0.9 — near the bottom in the entire league. (By contrast, Nerlens Noel‘s steal rate was 3.1, Andre Drummond‘s was 2.6, and Marc Gasol’s was 1.4 percent. This is just a sampling; there were plenty of big men with higher steal rates than that of Towns.)

This category isn’t the biggest concern with his game regarding defensive issues, but it certainly would be a good thing to improve upon if you want to be considered one of the best defenders in the game.

Not many centers have the ability to handle the ball like Towns can, or some of the other athletic big men. What this means is understanding how each player operates down low, could increase his steals total. Meaning, he would have a better chance of outsmarting his opponent, getting a clearer cut of the basketball to swipe away.

Turnovers alone will help his team create more chances offensively. More opportunities to score equals more opportunities for points. If Towns increases his steal total to just one steal a game, it should be enough to allow Minnesota to improve on the defensive end of the court.

3. Blocks

Last season we saw Towns average 1.3 blocks a season, good enough for tenth in the NBA. However, in his rookie season we saw him average 1.7.

We need to see more of this…

Remember, Towns averaged 1.7 blocks per game as a rookie and ranked fifth in the NBA. While he only dropped five spots last season, it would be best to rise up that list.

The bigger the force that he’s able to be on the inside, the more that players will start to feel the pressure inside. In turn, this could cause a few players and teams to fear coming inside the paint, therefore shooting less efficient shots. The farther out players shoot 2-pointers, the more opportunity to miss shots. More misses, less efficient shots, and an increase in blocks will allow Minnesota to give up less points overall.

An overall better defense will allow Minnesota to win games. Defense was the Wolves’ biggest issue last season, and Towns becoming a bigger force in the NBA will allow Minnesota to win more games. More games won will cause Minnesota to make a deeper run in the West.

Towns has already been a force on offense, scoring over 25 points and over 10 rebounds a game, adding defense to his game will make him an all around superstar.

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And that’s something that will put Towns not just in the conversation as the NBA’s Most Improved Player, but also earn him some votes for the league’s Most Valuable Player.