3 Minnesota Timberwolves who can hit NBA Top-3

II: Karl-Anthony Towns – Three-point shots made/scoring

The luster and shine of Minnesota Timberwolves All-Star center/power forward Karl-Anthony Towns is a bit tarnished. After all, showing up for 29 games despite being the highest-paid player on the roster is not a path to success. Beyond that, his production for the Minnesota Timberwolves when he was healthy was the lowest it has been since his rookie season.

That does not bode well for the NBA All-Star center/power forward. His Super Max extension kicks in for the 2024-25 NBA season, and you certainly do not want to witness his compensation increasing rapidly while his production declines. And right now, that is a negative trend that the Minnesota Timberwolves and the entire NBA are acutely aware of happening.

But it’s too much to look for Towns to simply recover everything he used to do at the level of his career highs. He is playing a new position, with new teammates, and his role on this team has truly transformed in almost every category.

Towns treys must trend up

But he has an incredible knack for sinking three-point shots at high volume. In fact, in the 2019-20 season, Towns was able to make 3.3 treys per game. Of course, that also coincided with the best scoring season of his career, putting up 28.5 points per game.

Could he master that long-range scoring proficiency once again? I do not see why not. With Gobert’s ability to score with his back to the basket, and Anthony Edwards at his most dangerous when he is driving to the basket, the Timberwolves need a high-volume perimeter scorer. And if the Minnesota Timberwolves are to have any success with their High Wall defensive strategy, then Towns must master perimeter scoring.

If Towns could average 3.3 three-point shots made per game, he would land in eighth place. But if he were to make 4.2 three-point shots per game, he would end up in the NBA’s top three, and be among the most prolific perimeter scorers in the NBA.