Karl-Anthony Towns is the key to the Minnesota Timberwolves’ defense

The Minnesota Timberwolves hope to take their defense to another level this season and Karl-Anthony Towns is the man they’ll rely on.

It’s safe to say Karl-Anthony Towns’ defense is a work in progress. The third-year center out of Kentucky has had more than his fair share of struggles on that end of the court for the Minnesota Timberwolves. However, if Minnesota’s going to navigate the hurricane-esque winds of the Western Conference, Towns is the man to anchor the ship.

Despite the traditional center becoming a dying breed on offense, it’s perhaps the most important defensive position in basketball.

When all hell breaks loose, the big man is the last line of defense (literally). It’s up to him to clean up the messes the other defenders created. If he can’t do so, the team likely gives up easy bucket after easy bucket at the rim.

Rudy Gobert is widely known as one of the most feared shot-blockers in the league. Last season, he averaged 2.8 blocks per 36 minutes, the fourth best of any player who appeared in 50 or more games. What’s even more eye-opening is the 48.9 percent (second-best in NBA) on a league-leading 7.7 attempts per game opponents shot against him inside six feet.

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While the Utah Jazz certainly had other great defensive players Gobert was the main reason their team posted the third-best defensive rating at 102.7 last season. When he was on the court, Utah’s defensive rating soared to 100.6 compared to 107.5 when he was off.

Hassan Whiteside is another great example of a big man locking down the paint for a great defense.

Similar to Gobert, Whiteside was a force to be reckoned with last year, sending back 2.3 shots per 36 minutes. He also only allowed opponents to shoot 51.0 percent inside six feet. Also like Gobert, Whiteside’s Miami Heat was a top defensive team. Their 104.1 defensive rating finished as the fifth-best mark in the league.

Towns is a Pale Catshark compared to those Great Whites.

He only recorded 1.2 blocks per 36 minutes. Furthermore, he ranked 39th out of 64 centers who played 50 or more games by permitting a whopping 59.3 percent of shots six feet and in to go for two points.

Predictably, the Timberwolves struggled defensively with Towns on the court, posting a 110.8 defensive rating. That would’ve been good for last in the league if applied throughout the whole year. When he was sitting on the bench, however, their rating improved exponentially to 103.6 which would’ve been fifth-best in the NBA.

It’s unlikely Towns ever reaches the exclusive level of defensive elites Gobert and Whiteside have. While he has more than enough athletic ability, KAT doesn’t appear to possess the same innate instinct that tells him when he should leave his feet to reject a shot.

He also has a nasty habit of unnecessarily jumping and allowing an easy basket:

It’s important to point out this bucket isn’t completely on Towns. After Kevin Durant, who’s being double-teamed on the block, kicks it to the top of the key, Minnesota is left scrambling to defend Golden State’s open perimeter players.

When Draymond Green catches the swing pass he easily glides into the paint and past Jimmy Butler. This leaves Towns as the last line of defense and the only one standing between two Warriors’ players and a bucket. Instead of sliding over with his hands out wide and potentially taking a charge, Towns decides to jump half-heartedly at the driving Green. His jump is extremely mistimed as he leaves his feet instantly after Green is in the process of dumping off the ball to Zaza Pachulia for an easy layup.

Again, Towns finds himself trying to prevent a blowby from turning into an uncontested dunk. He gets to a decent position just outside the restricted area and leaves his feet to try to deflect the shot. The only problem is the ball is already into the next offensive player’s hands by the time he’s airborne and this time Pachulia finishes it with a dunk:

Towns can greatly improve his defense by making a couple of small adjustments.

It’s natural for a 21-year-old to want to block every shot attempt, however, that’s not the reality of the NBA game. The players are too smart and athletic to be challenged time and time again. That’s where discipline comes in. The best defenders understand which shots they can block and which ones they should challenge. You give your team the best chance at getting a stop by displaying the discipline to not chase every block.

Over the last few years, Gobert has made huge strides in this department. He’ll still chase the occasional block, but his ability to stay on his feet and force defenders to shoot over him or alter their shot is one of his greatest assets:

By staying on his feet, Gobert forces Klay Thompson to attempt a wild reverse layup that he ends up missing. Gobert, who’s still in the play, gets his hand on a rebound and it ends up bouncing to his teammate on the perimeter.

Besides discipline, Towns can also improve his hand activity.

The third-year player out of Kentucky is too often caught with his arms by his side on defense, limiting the potential havoc his 7-foot-3 wingspan can wreak:

Throughout the entire play, he has his arms down by his side, even when Durant attacks and gets to the elbow. This allows KD to make the easy pass to Pachulia who then unloads the runner without any resistance. Luckily, Pachulia misses the easy bank shot and Towns is able to wrestle the rebound away.

It may seem basic and boring to talk about an NBA player keeping his hands active on defense, however, it’s one of the fundamentals of basketball for a reason. It vastly cuts down the passing lanes and makes the court appear that much smaller. It can also cause a flurry of deflections which are a real stat NBA teams keep track of, as it’s a way they measure their team’s ability to disrupt offensive flow.

It’s unrealistic to think Towns will ever rise to the level of Gobert on the defensive end of the court. However, it’s not necessary for him to become elite in order for the Wolves to get better defensively.

Take Steven Adams for instance. He’s not the type of guy holding block parties every night in Oklahoma City, as he only averaged 1.2 blocks per 36 minutes last year. Despite the lack of blocks from Adams, the Oklahoma City Thunder posted the 10th best defensive rating last season with a 105.1. However, when he was on the floor that number improved to 103.9.

Having a top ten defense, or even one that’s middle of the road, would be a welcomed and unexpected boost for Minnesota this year. However, if they finally get there, it will be because of the man at center.

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Towns has all the potential in the world to have a positive impact on both ends of the floor. He’s shown through his hard work how much of an improvement he can make offensively in an extremely short timespan. As he continues to grow and learn about the game, it’s only natural he’ll take the right step on defense too. Hopefully, that comes sooner than later because how late the Timberwolves play into the summer rests squarely on KAT’s defensive capacity.