Karl-Anthony Towns is having a better season than you think
Defense Improvements
Yes, I couldn’t possibly make the argument Towns is better than others are giving him credit for without addressing the biggest knock on the 7-foot Minnesota basketball unicorn. It is no secret Towns has struggled in the past defensively, especially protecting the rim and defensive positioning.
However, in the past month, Towns has shown some improvement in both protecting the rim and guarding the perimeter.
My favorite example is highlighted by Zone Coverage‘s Dane Moore.
Here; Teague's recognition of ICE, Towns' ability to move his feet against penetration, Teague's active hands, and Butler's awareness are three examples (all in this one play) of how this #twolves defense is taking massive strides forward. #AllEyesNorth pic.twitter.com/aR2kuI8TDX
— Dane Moore (@DaneMooreNBA) December 28, 2017
In the above GIF, Towns stays back on the screen n’ roll and doesn’t hedge. When the ball is swung to the original screener, Towns is still able to close out effectively without giving up an open three. Not only that, he moves his feet laterally keeping pace with the ball handler and eventually forces a turnover. Good luck finding a defensive highlight like this for Towns in previous years.
Towns is also improving his help-side defense as of late.
Towns recognizes
is on an island checking a quicker, more athletic
. Once Barnes gets by Gibson, Towns comes over and clearly alters of the shot of Barnes. Compare that to April of last season against the
.
Towns clearly sees Damian Lillard beat Gorgui Dieng off the dribble, but doesn’t come over to stop Lillard at the rim. Much of Towns’ defensive possessions from last season resemble the previous video as opposed to the first two.
Towns still has defensive lapses throughout the course of games, but they are shrinking. It seems as though Towns is starting to understand and commit to the defensive side of the floor.
Largely Towns’ subpar
are somewhat skewed by a poor start in October. Since then, he has improved in allowing 2nd chance points and points in the paint.
Over the past month, we’ve seen Towns look better than we ever have before. His +/- in the month of December was 9.6 compared to -1.0 and 1.0 in October in November respectively.
Next: 5 issues the Minnesota Timberwolves need to address in 2018
Towns’ raw statistical totals don’t look like they did last year, but don’t let that fool you; unicorns aren’t extinct in the Twin Cities.