Lofty expectations for KAT’s return is setting up Timberwolves for deep disappointment
By Bret Stuter
The bigger they come, the harder they fall. That’s a saying that has universal applications, but it could be used to represent the ever-growing belief that everything that is wrong with the Minnesota Timberwolves right now will suddenly be fixed upon the return of NBA All-Staf Karl-Anthony Towns to the lineup. That type of ‘just wait until KAT gets here,’ thinking is not going to do anyone any good.
We know that the return of NBA All-Pro power forward/center Karl-Anthony Towns is not the magic sauce that will make the Minnesota Timberwolves suddenly have more cohesion in the early part of games, nor will he be dropping three-pointers in the fourth quarter to lift the Timberwolves to victory.
Towns still learning how to power forward
After all, he is the guy who had 21 games to learn and compete in an entirely new position. He’s now the Timberwolves’ power forward, which means that he will find playing on the basketball court awkward when he returns.
His teammates know this and should temper expectations over his return. But it’s become a bit of a rallying point for a team that struggles to win. And it’s happening more and more often:
Ant talked about how much they miss Karl-Anthony Towns and he’s right. Late game offense is a grind. They really need KAT to get them buckets
— Jon Krawczynski (@JonKrawczynski) February 25, 2023
Buckets are always a shortage for an NBA team on a losing streak.
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Nobody can deny the fact that returning a 20+ point NBA scorer to the Timberwolvelves lineup would be a huge boost to the team’s offensive output, eventually. But it won’t happen instantly. In fact, the Timberwolves’ current timetable for Towns’ return may be such that he offers little support to the team until the final handful of games.