Minnesota Timberwolves: 5 players that could be traded for Jimmy Butler
By Trey Flynn
Hassan Whiteside is a monstrous and agonizing big man
Before any Wolves’ fans freaks out about the potential of playing two traditional centers next to each other in the Miami Heat’s Hassan Whiteside and Karl-Anthony Towns, I’d like to point out that a trade such as this one above could force Thibodeau to utilize Towns’ talents as a facilitator at the power forward position.
Fans and analysts are frustrated with Towns because the Wolves tend to use him out-in, where he literally plays from the perimeter to the post, instead of the in-out tendency that most stretch centers play.
Fortunately for Thibs and Towns, Whiteside’s defensive and rebounding prowess allows him to be a force near the basket at all times.
Through 4 games, Whiteside is averaging a solid stat line of 13.5 PPG, 14.3 TRB, and 2.0 blocks in only 28 minutes per game.
This move would allow Towns to become to true-shooter that he naturally seems to be, and post-up and facilitate as he sees fit, as well as opening the playbook for Tom Thibodeau.
A lot of fans just want to see Towns play like Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets if he’s not going to adapt to the in-out version that Thibs wants him to play, but the problem is that Towns doesn’t quite have the same skill-set as Jokic – for better or worse.
Wolves fans need to wake up and stop forcing KAT into a position that he isn’t ready for, or that he’s not willing to play – unless of course, Thibs playbook is gets revamped.