When you get struck by an epiphany, the burst of logic and clarity is such that you can become rather passionate about your conclusion. The Minnesota Timberwolves had such an epiphany. A light bulb burst over the respective heads of almost all of the Timberwolves front office executives simultaneously.
Pairing up the Minnesota Timberwolves’ super-shooting big Karl-Anthony Towns with rim-protecting big Rudy Gobert was something that seemed to catch Towns by surprise. But after the details sank in (look to the 0:35 mark in the embedded video in the Tweet below), it was pretty obvious that Towns loved the concept of “Twin Towers” on the basketball court.
Karl-Anthony Towns thought that the Timberwolves had traded for Rudy Gay 😂 pic.twitter.com/CJsjS5Q03E
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) July 22, 2022
And whose vision is this? Well, if I had to assign the concept to any single person, my money is on head coach Chris Finch. It was pretty clear in their playoff series against the Memphis Grizzlies that the Timberwolves were close. Oh so close. But the team relied far too heavily upon Towns to deliver the defense on one end of the basketball court, and the offense on the other end of the basketball court.
So why is everyone smiling now?
FAMILY 🐺 pic.twitter.com/RWNLsJXcpf
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) July 22, 2022
Well, for several reasons.
First and foremost, KAT has help on the defense now. Not just some help, but arguably the best rim-protector in the NBA. That takes a lot of pressure off Towns on defense, and that automatically helps the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Secondly, by not being the primary defender, Towns will have fewer demands upon him. That will help his fatigue, and that will cut down on the fouls and the subsequent foul trouble that seems to show up at the worst times.
But perhaps most of all, the combination of both Karl Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert could prove to be a huge barrier to the current NBA trending towards small ball. Will it work? Some think no. I think so.
Finch loves to wall off the basket, and he has the perfect roster to do just that this season. Will it all work out? Time will tell. But everyone is smiling right now, so my guess is that they are feeling pretty confident.