Minnesota Timberwolves season grades: Karl-Anthony Towns
The Minnesota Timberwolves have one of the more interesting (and consequential) offseasons ahead of them. One of the more stabilizing forces, however, is Karl-Anthony Towns, who just completed his sixth NBA season at age 25.
Towns, however, had an up-and-down season, most of which dictated the Timberwolves season – particularly towards the beginning. Unfortunately for Towns, he missed an extended period of time after testing positive for COVID-19, a virus which several of his family members had died from.
For the Timberwolves, they fell to the bottom of the league without Towns – someone who has been a perennial All-Star (as well as making an All-NBA team a few seasons ago).
Minnesota Timberwolves season grades: Karl-Anthony Towns
Karl-Anthony Towns averaged 25 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists per game on shooting splits of 49/39/86 – marks that are slightly lower than the season prior.
Towns, who played 50 games of a possible 72 this past season, was downright electric when on the court. Chris Finch, who was hired mid-year, seemingly designed the offense around Towns.
After the hire, Towns received a significant amount of elbow touches, and he ended up almost as an offensive hub – something Mike Malone has done in Denver with Nikola Jokic. Towns’s assist percentage has doubled since his Rookie of the Year season in 2015-16.
Looking forward to next season, it will be interesting to see whether Towns is able to progress – especially in a season alongside D’Angelo Russell and Anthony Edwards (something that was few and far between, as least until the end of the season).
Karl-Anthony Towns season grade: B
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The Minnesota Timberwolves have two franchise cornerstones in Towns and Edwards, and if they land a top-3 pick in the draft this coming offseason, it is very possible they get a third – and D’Angelo Russell should be able to have a positive impact as well. Towns was undeniably the Timberwolves’ best player this past season. But relative to expectations (in what was considered to be a season with playoff aspirations), he wasn’t perfect.