Minnesota Timberwolves: Karl-Anthony Towns needs the ball more

The Minnesota Timberwolves stand at 3-2 and have generally had a strong start to the season.

The offense has sputtered at times and the Wolves are just No. 23 in the NBA in offensive rating through five games. There are plenty of factors that play into the struggles, but there is one obvious issue demanding immediate attention: Karl-Anthony Towns has not had the ball in his hands nearly enough.

Minnesota Timberwolves: Karl-Anthony Towns needs the ball more

Karl-Anthony Towns is talented enough to play virtually any role within an NBA offense. He’s been used in a variety of ways over the past few years, largely due to the ever-changing personnel around him, not to mention the four head coaches helming the Wolves during Towns’ tenure.

Head coach Chris Finch took over on Feb. 23, 2021, and almost immediately began to eadd a variety of sets to the Wolves offense that would allow Towns to operate at all three levels.

Towns’ post touches went up from his time under former head coach Ryan Saunders, as did his touches at the elbow. Finch had previously coached several talented big men, including Nikola Jokic, Anthony Davis, and DeMarcus Cousins, and he was clearly eager to add to the list of ways that Towns would be utilized by the Timberwolves.

In the 39 games coached by Finch last spring, Towns averaged 69.8 touches per game with a time of possession of 2.5 seconds per touch. He also logged 3.9 elbow touches, 8.5 post-up touches, and 5.0 paint touches per game.

Through the first five games this season, Towns overall touches are down just a bit: 67.6 per game with a time of possession of 2.4 seconds per touch. He’s put up just 6.2 post-up touches and 4.8 paint touches per game. However, his elbow touches are up from 3.9 to 5.4 per game.

Unsurprisingly, Towns’ usage rate has slipped slightly as well, from 29.1 percent in 2020-21, which was tied with D’Angelo Russell, to 28.3 percent so far this year, which ranks behind Anthony Edwards (30.3 percent) and Russell (29.5 percent).

Finch noted as much following the Wolves’ loss to the Nuggets on Saturday when Towns put up just 14 points on only 11 shot attempts. He was not in foul trouble and the Wolves primary perimeter scorers struggled to score the ball efficiently; Russell and Edwards combined to shoot 12-of-34 from the floor and 2-for-12 from 3-point range.

Especially against an opponent like Jokic, it would have been good to see Towns receive more touches in the low post in an attempt to get the league’s reigning Most Valuable Player into foul trouble and stress the Nuggets defense.

Instead, the Wolves fired away from the perimeter to the tune of 38.9 percent shooting and 31.7 percent from outside the arc. Minnesota only managed to score 91 points and was held under 100 points as a team for the third time in the young season.

Part of the issue is Russell searching to find his role in an offense that should be dominated by Towns and Edwards. Russell wants to create and get his shots up, but Edwards and Towns are simply more dynamic — and, at least to this point, more efficient — options.

Finch is a creative offensive mind, and per his own words, the Wolves didn’t spend much time at all on that side of the ball in training camp. It’s a work in progress to be sure, and we’re nitpicking a bit on a time that is 3-2 and has already defeated the defending champions on the road.

At the end of the day, the offense will get ironed out, and Towns will almost certainly be in the mix for both an All-Star nomination and a spot on the All-NBA squad.